eLife is pleased to present a Special Issue to highlight recent advances in the mechanistic understanding of microbiome function.

A mechanistic basis is provided for the regulative ability of the mammalian embryo offering a long-sought explanation for coordinating cell behaviors at the population level ensuring robustness in developmental outcome.

Mitochondrial fusion enables a metabolic transition during spermatogenesis.

The strongly coupled theoretical regime describes the function of mouse sensory and motor cortical areas.

A muscle-derived signaling molecule suppresses excessive accumulation of lipids in the Drosophila adipose tissue by activating the Pi3K/Akt/mTOR signaling cascade in the Drosophila hepatocyte-like cells.

Demonstrating the tricuspid valve maladapts is critical, and understanding its regurgitation may aid in developing better treatment strategies.

Loss of hepatic Cdk1 leads to oxidative stress, increased fatty acids in blood, and hyperinsulinemia, which resulted in insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis, similar as in diabetes.

Human chromosome-microtubule attachments are stabilised by Astrin-mediated dynamic delivery of PP1 phosphatase to the attachment site, which ensures the normal segregation of chromosomes.

Multivariate stochastic volatility models provide insights into understanding the dynamics and connectivity of neural signals during cognitive tasks.

Selective activation of locus coeruleus noradrenergic terminals drives anxiety-like behaviors through activation of β-adrenergic receptors in the basolateral amygdala.