News & Views in 2014

Delivery of siRNA into cells is achieved by neutralizing the negative charge of the phosphate backbone in a reversible manner.

A new biological device known as a 'load driver' improves the performance of synthetic circuits by insulating genetic parts from each other.

RNA-guided nucleases provide a strategy for killing specific bacterial species in complex populations.

Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells toward pancreatic beta cells yields cells of increased maturity.

The molecular and cellular architecture of the organs in a whole mouse is revealed through optical clearing.

Research on converting one cell type to another will be aided by systematic mapping of the gene-regulatory networks in mammalian cells.

Guidelines for determining sequencing depth facilitate transcriptome profiling of single cells in heterogeneous populations.

A breakthrough in wireless power transfer enables smaller implantable devices, opening the door to new applications.

Several multicenter benchmark data sets represent valuable steps toward using RNA-seq as a diagnostic tool with clinical utility.

Knockout of all six alleles of a gene in the large wheat genome confers resistance to powdery mildew.

Large-scale consortium efforts provide a thorough understanding of RNA-seq.

Two studies catalog nearly all human proteins and their abundance throughout the body.

The structure of complex microbial communities is resolved by considering co-variation of gene abundance.