In a study published in Nature Astronomy, an Israeli-US team led by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science has now defined a new kind of life’s signature. It could offer a relatively simple way to address the age-old question: Are we alone? The new approach relies less on complicated chemistry and more on statistical patterns. The central idea is to examine molecular diversity, with the understanding that life reorganizes chemistry according to function. Sometimes that means expanding diversity and sometimes narrowing it. Instead of focusing on individual molecules, the researchers looked at statistical patterns in groups of molecules – their spread and relative abundances.

How do eukaryotic cells maintain chromatin assembly and genomic integrity? A new study reveals that Nap1, a versatile histone chaperone, acts as a crucial gatekeeper in Tetrahymena thermophila—stabilizing chromatin, maintaining the nuclear envelope, and coordinating nuclear division.

Researchers have developed a new way of testing for foetal abnormalities using a simple blood draw from the mother that is able to identify a very high proportion of the clinically relevant genetic variants that are currently only detectable by invasive testing.