News in Brief

  1. Life

    MicroRNAs manage gut microbes

    MicroRNAs mold gut microbes into healthier communities for the host.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  2. Oceans

    Ocean heating doubles

    Earth’s oceans now absorb twice as much heat as they did 18 years ago, with more than a third of that warmth going into the ocean depths.

    By Thomas Sumner
  3. Genetics

    Bubonic plague hung out in Europe

    The plague bacterium Yersinia pestis may have lurked in a medieval European reservoir for at least 300 years, researchers from Germany suggest January 13 in PLOS ONE.

    By Helen Thompson
  4. Genetics

    Drug candidate fails to improve symptoms of fragile X syndrome

    A drug designed to treat fragile X syndrome has proven ineffective in clinical trials.