Science Magazine

A giant fish called the arapaima is the focus of a conservation success story in the Brazilian Amazon. Learn more in this week's issue of Science: scim.ag/3PqrRvZ

For decades, biology textbooks have enshrined a simple rule: DNA is made by copying a template. After one enzyme unzips a DNA double helix into separate strands, another called a polymerase builds a complementary sequence, base by base, for each strand. Presto: two copies of the original DNA. But new research into how bacteria defend themselves from viruses now shows this synthesis rule isn’t absolute. Now, a team describes a bacterial enzyme that synthesizes DNA without a nucleic acid template, using its own structure as a guide. Learn more: scim.ag/4tTc5IA @NewsfromScience

Carnivorous sundew plants know they’ve trapped their dinner thanks to glutathione, according to a new @ScienceAdvances study. scim.ag/4newqWO

In a new #ScienceEditorial, Science Editor-in-Chief H. Holden Thorp reflects on his discussion with @TimothyDSnyder, a professor at the University of Toronto who studies authoritarian movements in history. Thorp was curious to know how Snyder would apply his lessons in resistance—usually discussed in the context of topics like immigration or the rule of law—to the scientific process and community. scim.ag/4tZBhO0

As we approach the 25th anniversary of #lipidomics, a new @SciSignal Focus discusses how the community-driven databases, software, and educational resources at LIPID MAPS will propel further progress in this important research field. scim.ag/49dh52U

Along Brazil’s Juruá River, local residents have been working with scientists to manage a giant fish called the arapaima—affecting the land, the people, and the economy. Contributing Correspondent Warren Cornwall joins host Sarah Crespi on the #SciencePodcast🎙️ to talk about this collaborative effort. 🎧 Listen here: scim.ag/4tElQdr

Along the eastern front of the Appalachian Mountains, buried just below the surface, lies a fragment of a lost continent. Running from Maine to Georgia, the 200-kilometer-thick slab of crust was probably created by volcanic eruptions during the breakup of the Pangaea supercontinent some 200 million years ago and later buried by silt from eroding mountains. Known as the Piedmont Resistor, this piece of Pangaea is one of the signature discoveries of the Magnetotelluric (MT) Array, 1800 temporary stations scattered across the contiguous United States that measured the conductivity of deep rocks. Now, 20 years after it started, the MT Array has released its final map and model. It shows how the assembly of the continent left hidden structures such as the Piedmont Resistor—and mineral riches. Learn more: scim.ag/3P4IfC8 @NewsfromScience

Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to appoint two people who have pushed to reduce the use of antidepressants to the advisory board for the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. scim.ag/4uaDJl4

Researchers in @ScienceAdvances have developed a new light-based approach to guide biohybrid microrobotic swarms that are part algae and part robot. scim.ag/4u7R51a

A new study visualizes the intricate ebb and flow of receptors within neurons, cell experiments uncover a role for the TNF receptor transmembrane domain, and more in this week’s new issue of #ScienceSignaling. scim.ag/4tAoqRB

Researchers in Science report a kilogram-scale synthesis of enlicitide, a peptide drug for lowering low-density cholesterol that is in a Phase 3 clinical trial. This new synthesis route leverages engineered enzymes and crystallization of key intermediates, substantially cutting down the number of reaction steps while improving yield. Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: scim.ag/4wmd0n5

The domestic cat may be a far more recent arrival to Europe than previously thought, arriving roughly 2000 years ago and not because of the Paleolithic expansion of Near East farmers. The findings in Science offer new insight into one of humanity’s most enigmatic animal companions and identify North Africa as the cradle of the modern housecat. Learn more during #NationalPetMonth: scim.ag/4nbIcBc

A new mRNA-LNP approach can target and reprogram cytotoxic effector T cells in vivo in preclinical models, highlighting the potential for future treatments against infection, cancer, and autoimmunity. Learn more in @SciImmunology: scim.ag/4uwZATA

Plants underpin the majority of life on Earth, yet #ClimateChange is rapidly reshaping their habitats and elevating their extinction risk in largely unknown ways. Now, in two new Science studies, researchers use large-scale evolutionary modeling and climate projections to fill these gaps, revealing substantial losses of plant diversity and identifying priority species and limits of conservation strategies. Learn more ⬇️ scim.ag/4ffRyK9 scim.ag/4uESiwX

Are you a recent Ph.D. graduate? Apply for the Science & @scilifelab Prize for Young Scientists. The $30,000 grand prize will be awarded for outstanding research in cell and molecular biology, genomics, ecology, or molecular medicine. Apply by 15 July: bit.ly/4sHsNdt

A clinical trial of infants living with #HIV shows that broadly neutralizing antibodies are safe when combined with early antiretroviral therapy, underscoring the need for dedicated pediatric trials in the quest for ART-free remission. @ScienceTM scim.ag/4dwAhuU

A large-scale analysis of wildfires in the Western United States shows that U.S. Forest Service fuel-reduction treatments not only curb fire spread and intensity, but also, for each dollar invested, generate more than three times the value in avoided damages. Learn more: scim.ag/4nhD8vl

In two separate Science studies, researchers report strategies to transform carbocycles into nitrogen heterocycles. These approaches could diversify the library of pharmaceutically relevant molecules and contribute to drug discovery. Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: scim.ag/4wa4VBG

It’s the first time a frog—or any amphibian—has been observed pollinating a plant, researchers reported in 2023. Learn more: scim.ag/3Dy8Bac #ScienceMagArchives

“We don’t want to just take AI and apply it to science. We want to understand, are there better ways of doing #AI?” Incoming Lab Director Katherine Yelick spoke with @ScienceMagazine about the future of AI-enabled discovery in advancing science. science.org/content/articl…

Of the hundreds of types of amino acids found on Earth, it’s a mystery why life settled on 20 as the building blocks for all its proteins. Although certain species can use more—some microbes employ up to 22—no one’s ever found one using fewer. But now scientists are closer to creating such an organism, after partially eliminating one of the 20 amino acids from the bacterium Escherichia coli. The research used #AI to propose alternatives to the amino acid isoleucine in dozens of proteins making up bacterial ribosomes—the protein factories of the cell. The findings offer a glimpse into how earlier, simpler life forms might have lived and suggest new ways to synthesize proteins with bespoke functions in medicine and biotechnology. Learn more: scim.ag/4wifwLc @NewsfromScience