Nature Physics - Zebrafish can regenerate amputated fins back to their original size. It is now shown that gradients in extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity act as rulers during fin bone...

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The tool, called Raygun in a nod to science fiction, can create shorter, longer, and highly modified versions of proteins while preserving their structure and function. The findings, published in Natu...

In this Comment, we call on scientists to share their stories. Through casual conversation or prepared presentations, with images or essays, scientists can advocate for their research and reach taxpay...

To create fair promotion and evaluation systems, academia might learn something from biology: Cells do not rely on one individual; tissues survive because they are adaptable and redundant.

US science funder once again restricts awards to Harvard University and other research institutions.

The cerebral cortex drives human cognition through the coordinated activity of discrete cortical areas, each harboring specialized molecular, structural and functional characteristics. Central to this organization is the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a hub for executive function that displays disproportionate expansion in humans and selective vulnerability to neurodevelopmental disorders. Previous work has identified a collection of PFC-enriched marker genes with dynamic expression trajectories, and re-analysis of these datasets converge these markers into 18 distinct molecular signatures of spatiotemporal PFC identity. However, the intrinsic gene networks that coordinate these molecular signatures to shape the human PFC remains unclear. Through pooled CRISPR activation screens in human primary cortical tissues, we have evaluated the ability of PFC-enriched transcription factors to intrinsically pattern PFC molecular identity. Our screens identify novel roles for the neurogenesis regulator, YBX1, in the activation of human PFC fate. In parallel screens and knock-down experiments in human cortical organoids, we define how YBX1 acts in concert with other PFC determinants to activate molecular signatures of PFC identity. Our findings support a model in which PFC patterning is orchestrated by cohorts of intrinsic determinants that initiate, potentiate, and modulate PFC gene signatures, conferring robustness to the development of the human PFC. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. NIH, R00NS111731, R01MH132689, UM1MH130991, RF1MH132662, U24HG002371 Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, https://ror.org/03a63f080, Young Investigator Award Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, https://ror.org/052csg198, Sloan Fellowship Rose Hills Foundation, Innovation Award Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Simons Foundation, https://ror.org/01cmst727, Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Ablon Trust, Ablon Scholar Award Department of Biological Chemistry, UCLA Zamenhof Scholarship UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine, Innovation Award, Stem Cell Research Training Program University of California, Los Angeles, https://ror.org/046rm7j60, Eugene V. Cota-Robles Award California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, https://ror.org/033m8b439, DISC0-14514, DISC4-16337 National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship Program

A union representing University of Washington graduate student workers says Kennedy Orwa’s student visa was rescinded without explanation.

Our work reminds me that everyone has the potential to be either seen or unseen.

A short piece of DNA that changed rapidly in humans compared with other mammals appears to act like a volume knob for brain growth.

How human-specific DNA changes shape brain development is poorly understood. Mosti et al. discover a human enhancer, HAR1984, which drives ETV5 and TRA2B expression via human-enriched chromatin intera...

Geisterfer, Jalihal et al. show spatially distinct effects of Whi3 condensates on target translation in Ashbya syncytia. In vitro, translation is enriched at condensate–solute interfaces but repressed...

Microglia are key drivers of synapse refinement during development. Ramirez et al. show that astrocytes instruct this process through the secreted synaptogenic protein Hevin/Sparcl1. The proteolytically generated C-terminal of Hevin signals to microglia via TLR4, triggering a pro-phagocytic state that promotes refinement of thalamocortical synapses in the developing visual cortex.

Brain barriers, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics, and peripheral factors are implicated as significant contributors to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The choroid plexus (ChP) is a blood-brain interface t...

US science lost a great deal in 2025, including tens of billions of dollars of federal funding, entire research agencies and programs, and a generation of researchers.

Nature Cell Biology - Programmes that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science are under attack in the USA. Data indicate that diversity in the scientific workforce increases...

UConn currently lets every pregnant/expecting individual reinvent the wheel, cobbling together a leave plan with whatever resources and departmental grace they can muster.

Capillary-associated macrophages are selectively lost over time, contributing to impaired vascular repair and reduced tissue perfusion in older mice.

Researchers show that embryonic skin stem cells rely on a specialized mechanism to resist injury. The findings could lead to new strategies for repairing wounds

Leaders are underestimating the risks of not fighting back