Insights

Insight articles are related to original research papers in eLife and explain why the results reported in the paper are significant in a given field of research. Insight articles are commissioned by eLife staff.

Latest articles

    1. Cell Biology

    Membrane Biology: Nothing can replace polyunsaturated lipids

    Sofia Rodriguez-Gallardo, Takeshi Harayama
    Genetic studies reveal that polyunsaturated lipids do more than simply increase the fluidity of the cell membrane.
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    Insight
    1. Neuroscience

    Behavioral Neuroscience: The consequences of stress on the brain and fear

    Nicole C Ferrara, Sydney Trask
    A region of the brain called the paraventricular thalamus mediates the impact of stress on unlearned fear responses, but is not involved in learned fear behavior.
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    1. Developmental Biology
    2. Neuroscience

    Ribbon Synapses: Taking the tube to the basal pole of hair cells

    Satish R Ghimire, Thomas M Coate
    A stable microtubule network and kinesin motors facilitate the formation of presynaptic ribbons in sensory hair cells in the zebrafish lateral line.
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    Insight
    1. Cell Biology

    Lymphatic System: Closing in on pacemaker cells

    Pin-Ji Lei, Timothy P Padera
    Lymphatic muscle cells orchestrate the contraction of collecting lymphatic vessels in mice.
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    Insight
    1. Plant Biology

    Symbiosis: How plants pick their friends

    Estelle Grundy, Michael Udvardi
    A protein called RIN4 has a central role in helping legumes such as soybean and the bacteria rhizobia to develop a mutually beneficial relationship.
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    1. Evolutionary Biology

    Evolutionary Biology: Embracing the complexity of cooperation

    Benjamin Allen
    A theoretical framework for analyzing the evolution of nonlinear cooperative interactions is taking shape.
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    1. Developmental Biology
    2. Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

    Cardiac Repair: Aiming for spatial and temporal control of gene expression

    Stanislao Igor Travisano, Ching-Ling Lien
    Bioluminescent imaging is helping researchers better understand the effectiveness of tissue regeneration enhancers delivered to injured heart tissue by different adeno-associated virus vectors.
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    Insight
    1. Cell Biology

    Senescence: Returning aging cells to productivity

    Rachana S Vaidya, Simon Y Tang
    Platelet-derived growth factors can restore the proliferative potential of senescent cells taken from the degenerated intervertebral discs of aged humans.
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    1. Immunology and Inflammation

    Acute Lung Injury: The double-edged nature of trained immunity

    Chrissy M Leopold Wager, Larry S Schlesinger
    Trained immunity in alveolar macrophages can lead to damaging lung inflammation, confirming the importance of context in this phenomenon.
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    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

    RNA: Searching for druggable targets

    Lana Heganovic, Luiz FM Passalacqua
    A strategy that analyzes the structural properties of RNA could help identify regions that are promising targets for antiviral drugs.
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    Insight