MOST LIFE ON EARTH IS DORMANT, AFTER PULLING AN ‘EMERGENCY BRAKE'

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

Researchers have discovered a new hibernation factor called Balon. The protein is very common, being present in 20% of all cataloged bacterial genomes. Balon inserts itself into every ribosome in a cell, interrupting even active ribosomes in the middle of their work. Its mechanism is a reversible process. Unlike other hibernation factors, Balon can be inserted to stall growth and then quickly ejected.