This Month

For a postdoctoral fellowship, it’s advisable to be selective about lab choice and to be clear about expectations.

After having been largely neglected for more than a century, the tiny marine animal Trichoplax adhaerens is enjoying a revival and is now poised to become a mainstream model organism for the study of epithelial evolution, diversification and specialization.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. —George Orwell

To select the best postdoctoral fellows for their labs, principal investigators assess scientific qualifications and more.

Brown seaweeds are multicellular eukaryotes that have been evolving independently of animals and plants for more than a billion years. The filamentous brown alga Ectocarpus has been used as a model to understand the biology of these enigmatic organisms and to shed light on a range of major questions, from the molecular basis of complex developmental patterns to the evolution of sex.

In a group interview, early-career researchers in proteomics share how they plan for the future and navigate divides over methods.

The grant deadline approaches but budget details are still missing. Experienced budget-makers share how they manage budgets and the ‘boom–bust’ cycle.

Scientists have successes to celebrate but must also cope with the sting of failures. In the way she handles both, Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó inspires others.

It is the mark of an educated mind to rest satisfied with the degree of precision that the nature of the subject admits and not to seek exactness where only an approximation is possible. —Aristotle

Labs range in size, and no one size is likely to fit all. Here some researchers share their lab size experiences and preferences.

The heartbreak of losing a mentor or a colleague to illness can be part of a researcher’s life.

The green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a useful reference organism for studying photosynthesis, cilia and the cell cycle. Like many other algae, it exhibits daily rhythms in gene expression and behavior that are in sync with the rising and setting of the sun.

Science needs diversity, but barriers such as housing insecurity can hinder access to education and training. To lobby for change, students put their own experiences to work.

They started their lab mid-COVID. The new principal investigator adventure is a roller-coaster ride with some unexpected surprises.

Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry. —Richard Feynman

Originally from central Mexico and now found worldwide, the axolotl is a prominent model organism in numerous fields of research.

Some researchers have the good fortune of two academic affiliations. Sometimes these affiliations are not exactly within easy commuting distance.

Astyanax mexicanus exists in two forms: a surface form that is abundantly distributed throughout freshwater bodies in Middle America and a blind subterranean form endemic to caves in northeastern Mexico. These diverse fish populations have become a vertebrate model for investigating the genetic basis of environmental adaptation.

Everyone has their own methods to address the time-consuming and challenging task of grant-writing.

Job-hunting is never easy, and more tasks get added on for members of the LGBTQ+ community as they search for welcoming environments.