Diatoms are microscopic, single-celled algae that possess rigid cell walls (frustules) composed of amorphous silica. Depending on the species of diatom and the growth conditions, these frustules can display a wide range of different morphologies. It is possible to design and produce specific frustule morphologies that have potential applications in nanotechnology.

Bryophytes are the first lands plants that include three distinct lineages: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. They differ primarily from the flowering plants by lacking roots, flowers, seeds, and a defined system of tissues for transporting fluids throughout the plant. Bryophytes reproduce not by seeds, but rather, single-celled spores. Many bryophytes can also form new plants by vegetative me...

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Rasmussen et al. (2008) investigate the morphogenesis of the Caenorhabditis elegans pharynx. Their results highlight the usefulness of this system for investigating the molecular mechanisms behind the unusual cell behaviors that underlie the formation of single-celled tubes during animal development.

Most autophagy genes have been discovered in the single-celled yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and little is known about autophagy genes that are specific to multicellular animals. In this issue, Tian et al. (2010) now identify four new autophagy genes: one specific to the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and three conserved from worms to mammals.

Open-celled, elastomeric foams allow the simple design of fully 3D pneumatic soft machines using common forming techniques. This is demonstrated through the fabrication of simple actuators and an entirely soft, functional fluid pump formed in the shape of the human heart. The device pumps at physiologically relevant frequencies and pressures and attains a flow rate higher than all previously re...