In about one out of every 1,000 pregnancies, the neural tube, a key nervous system structure, fails to close properly.

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Each human is a ...

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have identified a previously unknown system inside cells that works like ...

Recent work has revealed some of the many crucial functions of astrocytes, brain cells that were once thought to play primarily supportive roles for neurons. Astrocytes do handle debris around neurons ...

People need to sleep, and sleep deprivation can cause many changes in the brain. But we have a poor understanding of why sleep is so crucial. New research has examined a fruit fly model to assess how ...

Researchers discovered that a long-misunderstood protein plays a key role in helping chromosomes latch onto the right “tracks” during cell division. Instead of acting like a motor, it works more like ...

As 2025 comes to a close, the editors at The Scientist asked researchers to reflect on the biggest breakthroughs in cell biology this year. They named advances in everything from embryo models for ...

Cells aren’t as passive as scientists once thought—they actively create internal currents to move proteins quickly and efficiently. These “cellular winds” push materials to the front of the cell, ...