In a new study, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers reveal a bacterial immune system that thwarts the phages’ plot by attaching a small protein molecule to their tails. The components of this new immune system are similar in structure to a human immunity mechanism, and they might help reveal how this mechanism works and how our own immune system has evolved.

One of the most common locations for fatal motor vehicle–bicyclist crashes is at intersections. A newly published National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) report offers guidance for improving intersection safety, especially in situations where a bike is traveling straight through an intersection and a car is turning across the cyclist's path. The research was led by Toole Design in partnership with Portland State University (PSU), Safe Streets Research and Consulting (SS) and Oregon State University (OSU). The PSU team members were Chris Monsere, Sirisha Kothuri, Jason Anderson and Nathan McNeil. The decision tool and supplemental design guidelines shared in this report provide an expanded framework for practitioners to assess trade-offs between various intersection treatments, as well as decision-making guidance to manage conflicts between bicyclists and turning motorists. 

Within minutes of fertilization, the egg of a fruit fly becomes a scene from the battle of the sexes. The egg attacks and destroys the cellular “power plants,” or mitochondria, from the sperm that had fertilized it, so that only its own mitochondria remain. These findings from a new Weizmann Institute of Science study, published in Nature Communications, might provide insights into advanced fertilization treatments and shed light on a long-standing mystery: How and why do we inherit all of our mitochondria from our mothers?