A membrane-bound nuclease directly cleaves phage DNA during genome injection

A membrane-bound nuclease directly cleaves phage DNA during genome injection

• Abstract From mammals to bacteria, the direct recognition and cleavage of viral nucleic acids is a potent defence strategy against viral infection, but it requires mechanisms for

Science · February 25, 2026 (updated February 25, 2026) · 2 min · 231 words

Reading the enemy: How genome science is reshaping the fight against wheat stem rust

• In 2013, farmers in the highlands of Ethiopia began to notice something unsettling: a familiar variety of wheat was failing in an unfamiliar way. • Stems weakened, plants collaps

Science · February 23, 2026 (updated February 24, 2026) · 1 min · 171 words
Microbe with the smallest genome yet pushes the boundaries of life

Microbe with the smallest genome yet pushes the boundaries of life

• Symbiotic bacteria live inside specialised organs called bacteriomes within insects. • This image shows a cross-section of the planthopperCallodictya krueperi, with fluorescent p

Science · February 19, 2026 (updated February 24, 2026) · 2 min · 271 words