EXTENDED: How Does Epigenetics Give Plasmodium the Upper Hand?

The malaria parasite has a lot of genes: over 5,000. But how does it know when to express certain genes versus others? And what purpose do these different genes serve in malaria virulence and transmission? We dive deep into the nucleus of the cell with Catherine Merrick of the University of Cambridge to find out. She reveals the role of epigenetics in malaria transmission and the discovery of a new epigenetic mechanism that might help us gain the upper hand on malaria.