For many students and young researchers today, pursuing a career in science can seem more frightening than energizing. A wealth of qualified postdocs seeking a limited number of academic positions, ever-shrinking funding, and pressure to publish all fuel a hypercompetitive atmosphere in which the quality of science can suffer. In this month's conversation, postdocs Kristin Krukenberg and Jessica Polka, lead organizers of Future of Research and authors of the Science article Making Science a Desirable Career, discuss ways the scientific enterprise can be changed to alleviate some of these challenges and make room for the next generation.

And in this month's abstract, a study by genetics professor Susan Dymecki finds a new twist to serotonin neurons in the brain. Read more about the work here.