A group of German scientists has received clearance from the United Nations to perform a controversial experiment: dumping tons of iron into ocean water.

Bacteriophages are non-living yet specialized viruses that hijack cells to clone more viruses. In this way, they help to maintain balanced bacterial populations. When a new “phage” is assembled within a host cell, it is faced with a difficulty—how to package its DNA, which is 1,000 times longer than the diameter of its capsid, the tiny vessel that holds it.

Certain grasshoppers are generally mild-mannered and solitary creatures.¹ However, when their population becomes dense enough, their bodies physically change and they clump together, sometimes forming the kinds of swarms that have plagued mankind throughout history.

Many plants have cancer-fighting properties. Researchers have known for some time that cabbages and their near relatives, broccoli and cauliflower, can help prevent certain cancers. A recent study has uncovered how that activity works in body cells to fight breast cancer.¹

The acclaimed research journal Science has published its picks for the top ten scientific breakthroughs of 2008.¹ The number one breakthrough was the manipulation of body cells into an embryonic state, thereby producing induced pluripotent stem cells.