A 2-year field study has demonstrated that volatile compounds produced by plants when they are attacked by herbivores act as defenses by attracting predators to the herbivores and increasing the reproduction of the plants.

The transcription machinery used to regulate gene expression and self-renewal in human embryonic stem cells is different from that found in other cells.

The ability of Manduca moths to recognize changes in the profile of volatile compounds released by plants being attacked by Manduca caterpillars allows them to lay their eggs on plants that are less likely to be attacked by insects and other predators, and to avoid competing against other caterpillars of the same species for resources.

Hox genes are activated sequentially and, at the same time, undergo a transition from an inactive to an active chromatin compartment, most likely to prevent posterior genes being activated too early.

We discuss the methods available to understand lncRNA function in vivo, and highlight important considerations that should be taken into account when designing such experiments.

Ribosome profiling data from several eukaryotic species provides strong evidence that many long non-coding RNA molecules encode novel short proteins.

Developing long bones contain distinct mesenchymal stem-cell populations derived from mesoderm and neural crest, which have specialized functions in skeleton formation and the establishment of the hematopoietic stem-cell niche, respectively.

Genomic landmarks, known generically as ‘CpG islands’, program chromatin structure via their richness in the dinucleotide CG and their skewed composition of DNA bases.

Pyro-sequencing of two genes involved in bacterial secondary metabolism provides new insights into the rich reservoir of biologically active small molecules found in environmental bacteria.

To leverage the tools, resources and knowledge that exist for C. elegans so that we can study ecology, evolution and other aspects of biology, we need to understand the natural history of this important model organism.