Many pathogenic bacteria possess a secretion machine that shoots noxious proteins into host cells. But the ammunition is larger than the bore of the bacterial gun, so how is it fed into the machine?

A fungus and a bacterium have been found in a symbiotic alliance that attacks rice plants. Rice feeds more people than any other crop, but the significance of this finding extends beyond its potential agricultural use.

Two-dimensional polymers are potentially useful structures — if we could only understand their properties. Observations of one polymer's intricate, two-stage, melting transition may help us do just that.