They are only a millimeter long. They self-reproduce (hermaphroditic is the term) and they are the first multi-cell organism to have been completely gene-mapped. Partly because they are easy to work with (being transparent helps) and because their genome is surprisingly similar to that of humans (40 percent or more homologous) the lowly worm, in the form of Caenorhabditis elegans, has for 40 years been a molecular biology superstar. Read More

New tools, new discoveries, promising new pathways to therapies.

Using a unique open-access gene library, Jane Roskams and her team discovered an overlooked stem-cell-like population on the mouse spinal cord. Read More