The Ancestry of the Malarial Plasmid Revealed

The malaria parasite, plasmodium falciparum, infecting red blood cells (source National Geographic).

Suppose you’re nearing the end of your life. In a strange twist of fate, you won the lottery. You decide to split the jackpot equally between your two children. While one child uses the money to fund a charity dedicated to fighting poverty, the other one uses it to start the crime syndicate he has [...]

Immunology for the Spineless

Besides being a delicacy in Japan and various other parts of the world, sea urchins have a longstanding career as a model organism in biology. The first description of these spiny, spineless creatures can be found in Aristotle’s History of Animals, dating from the 4th century BC 1. From the 1800s onward, the sea urchin [...]

Hydras, Microbes and Immunity

Microbes are everywhere. Not only can you find them on that pizza slice from yesterday, they’re also present on your skin and in your gut in large quantities. Don’t worry! Most of these bacteria are beneficial to your health, they can help you digest compounds you normally wouldn’t and train your immune system the difference [...]