The genome twist that turned canned-food killer C. botulinum into Botox
New DNA analysis reveals how decades of lab cultivation turned a lethal pathogen into a medical and beauty staple.

Loading briefings
Pulling the latest in this topic…
Research, space, health, climate, discovery
54 briefings briefings in Science
New DNA analysis reveals how decades of lab cultivation turned a lethal pathogen into a medical and beauty staple.
A three-decade review of meeting science finds the most effective leaders listen more than they speak - and that cutting aimless meetings is the fastest productivity win.
Sotheby's is auctioning Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton first editions together for the first time, a rare chance to own the scientific revolution.
A base camp in Alaska is rewriting the timeline of the first Americans, with the oldest house, needles, and possible dog bones ever found in the Western Hemisphere.
A decade after Elizabeth Holmes's startup collapsed, a viral documentary has reignited the Theranos story, while researchers remind founders that hype is no substitute for proof.
The researcher's new book argues standardized AI tests are fundamentally broken, but he says they can be rebuilt into a real science.
JAXA's MMX spacecraft lifts off Oct. 19 to settle whether Phobos and Deimos are impact debris or captured asteroids, with NASA instruments riding along.
New satellite data on 100-meter ice cliffs slashes the worst-case sea-level tail risk, yet Thwaites still holds a deep-bed hazard.
Satellite data shows warm water, rising seas, and a bluer Pacific - here's what the 83% odds mean for weather, food, and coasts.
A 28-island study shows that restoring seabirds and native plants can help coral atolls build land faster than seas rise.
A single fossil injury may push back the timeline of human violence by tens of thousands of years, challenging the assumption that conflict is a modern invention.
The ancient remains reveal a life of violence, but also suggest Neanderthals looked after each other - a finding that challenges the brutish stereotype.