Feature

  1. Quite a Switch

    Cells use ribonucleic acids that bind to small molecules such as vitamins to control gene activity.

    By John Travis
  2. Anthropology

    Monkey Business

    They're pugnacious and clever, and they have complex social lives—but do capuchin monkeys actually exhibit cultural behaviors?

    By Sorcha McDonagh
  3. Health & Medicine

    All Roads Lead to RUNX

    Genetic mutations that predispose some people to the autoimmune diseases lupus, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis appear to have a common molecular feature: They derail the work of a protein, called RUNX1, that regulates how active certain genes are.

    By Ben Harder
  4. Materials Science

    Forensics on Trial

    A decades-long practice of matching bullets on the basis of their chemical makeup is flawed, and the story behind this forensic technique reveals how science can get distorted in the courtroom.