An international team of scientists onboard the schooner Tara is conducting an ongoing oceanic global study. The research is part of the Tara Oceans Consortium and has identified 5,500 new RNA virus species that represent all five known RNA virus phyla (a taxonomic category). In addition, they have discovered “’an entire phylum, the Taraviricota, . . .

Graduate student Shiuan-Tze Wu led a study of some ingenious organization into the odor-sensing cells of fruit flies. He and his collaborators at the La Jolla campus of UC San Diego found that the odor-detector cells in the insects’ antennae talk to one another in a way that saves brainpower.

Two separate spider research projects published remarkable results, both in the journal Current Biology. These spiders’ specific features show their miniature skills, and cause us to marvel at their Maker.

by Randy J. Guliuzza and Aaron T. Guliuzza*

The sprouting of a seed is crucial to not only the beginning of a plant’s life, but all life on earth. Despite this fundamental process of importance to plant biology, scientists are baffled over how seeds detect when there’s enough water to germinate. This mystery is now beginning to unfold and nothing less than finely tuned engineering is the clear result.