biology

In our increasingly globalized society, when people travel the tend to bring things home with them, whether they mean to or not: microbes, aquatic species, insects, plants. Many of these are harmless, but some wreak economic havoc, and, like the recent Ebola virus, lead to nationwide panic and fear. As in so many other realms, DNA analysis may provide some ways to better combat these problems.

When certain cells are deprived of oxygen, they do surprising things — including morphing part of themselves into a long wire and breathing rocks. It may sound weird, but it's true, and it could help develop new technologies.