National Academy of Sciences | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Journal Club

Highlighting recently published papers selected by Academy members

Journal Club: Plants load extracellular vesicles with a new class of RNAs

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Jyoti Madhusoodanan

A recent study in The Plant Cell found that plants release extracellular vesicles carrying a new class of RNA molecules, named “tiny RNAs.” The findings are among the first to reveal the contents of these vesicles, and may hint at … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Pinpointing theory of mind deficiencies in autism

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Amy McDermott

Around age four, preschoolers learn that other people have unique thoughts and feelings, an inner life. These children start to be able to predict a person’s behavior based on that understanding. They start developing theory of mind (ToM). That developmental … Continue reading →

Categories: Journal Club | Neuroscience | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences | Tagged ASD, autism, theory of mind | Leave a comment

Journal Club: Seedbanks, meant to safeguard key plant species, need to enhance their diversity

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Amy McDermott

Humanity’s last hope could someday rest on a humble seed, tucked away in the cool and dark of a collection. Seed collections, called seedbanks or seed genebanks, store millions of grains, nuts, and kernels in baggies and plastic bins, meant … Continue reading →

Categories: Agriculture | Genetics | Journal Club | Tagged barley, genebank, seedbank, wheat | Leave a comment

Journal Club: Amoeba have long-distance preference for certain bacteria, pointing to other cell-sensing insights

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Jessica P. Johnson

How does the microscopic amoeba track down prey in the vastness of the forest floor? Ample research on the soil amoeba Dicytostelium discoideum, affectionately called “Dicty” by researchers, has provided some clues. But the mechanisms behind long-distance sensing of bacterial … Continue reading →

Journal Club: The simple physics of stretching rubber bands surprises researchers, offers up potential application

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Marcus Woo

Movie 2 – Classic strech dominated recoil When the researchers turned their high-speed camera on a rubber band being released, they discovered, to their surprise, that the shape of the back of the rubber band was round (top clip), and … Continue reading →

Categories: Applied Physical Sciences | Journal Club | Physics | Tagged fluid dynamics, molecular device, physics, rubber band, satellite, trapezoid | Leave a comment

Journal Club: Newly solved structure of a GABA receptor could offer drug design insights

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Jessica P. Johnson

Neurons message each other with the help of excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters. But to actually deliver those messages, the neurotransmitters must dock with protein receptors embedded in the cell membranes of adjacent neurons. Of particular interest in the human brain … Continue reading →

Categories: Journal Club | Neuroscience | Pharmacology | Tagged cryo-EM, depression, epilepsy, GABA receptor, ligand, neurotransmitter, X-ray crystallography | Leave a comment

Journal Club: Ion channel puts the squeeze on blood vessels, affecting blood pressure

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Charlotte Schubert

Blood pressure is exquisitely regulated to respond to our physiological state. Stress raises blood pressure. Simply stand up, and the arteries constrict to maintain pressure. New findings in mice show how a protein called PKD2 helps regulate blood pressure by … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Single gene mutation may boost recombination and help produce better crops

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Jessica P. Johnson

As climate change and population growth threaten to destabilize global food security, plant breeders are ramping up efforts to create better, more productive crops. But in order to introduce new traits, breeding techniques typically rely on rare genetic recombination events … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Model helps explain how social networks form

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Marcus Woo

One person might befriend another because of a shared love of basket weaving. Or, a friendship may instead blossom because that new friend has divergent interests, and can teach the other new hobbies. These opposing factors—seeking similarities and differences in … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Key protein family helps govern sense of touch in both plants and animals

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Amber Dance

Compared to their knowledge of other senses, scientists know relatively little about how cells sense touch. A newly confirmed family of mechanosensors, comprising more than a dozen members and present in both plants and animals, is an important step toward … Continue reading →

Categories: Cell Biology | Journal Club | Neuroscience | Tagged cell membrane, cell wall, ion channel, mechanosensor, OSCA protein, sense of touch, TMEM63 protein | Leave a comment