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Mitochondrial diseases are a group of disorders caused by genetic mutations. In this animation, Nature Video finds out how these diseases arise, and how new techniques can stop them being passed on from mother to child.

Stone flakes made by capuchin monkeys look remarkably similar to stone tools made by early humans 2-3 million years ago, raising questions about the archaeological record.

A new map of the human brain could be the most accurate yet, as it combines all sorts of different kinds of data. This might finally solve a century of disagreements over the shapes and positions of different brain areas.

Where exactly are the words in your head? Scientists have created an interactive map showing which brain areas respond to hearing different words. The map reveals how language is spread throughout the cortex and across both hemispheres, showing groups of words clustered together by meaning. The beautiful interactive model allows us to explore the complex organisation of the enormous dictionaries in our heads.

Sneezes play an important part in the spread of infections, but we don't know a huge amount about how they work. Lydia Bourouiba's lab at MIT is trying to change that, using slow motion footage and other measurements to study the fluid dynamics of sneezing.

The origins of the species known as 'the hobbit' - a human relative only a little over a metre tall - have been debated ever since its discovery in 2004. Now new fossils may reveal the ancestors of this strange species and help us to understand its history.

Almost every cell in your body has the same DNA sequence. So how come a heart cell is different from a brain cell? Cells use their DNA code in different ways, depending on their jobs. Just like orchestras can perform one piece of music in many different ways. A cell's combined set of changes in gene expression is called its epigenome. This week Nature publishes a slew of new data on the epigenomic landscape in lots of different cells. Learn how epigenomics works in this video. Read the latest research on epigenetics at http://www.nature.com/epigenomeroadmap

Animation of the central Dogma 10 minutes

4:30 video For too long plankton have slaved away in obscurity, making the world a better place for generations of ungrateful humans. Until now. Find out how much you owe these little guys with Nature Video's Five Reasons To Thank Plankton.

Huntington disease is caused by a mutation in the HTT gene. Understanding how the mutation causes neurodegeneration might help researchers develop treatments that protect brain function. This animation describes the genetic defect that underlies Huntington disease. Created by the editors at Nature Reviews Disease Primers.

Across the globe, as economies grow, so too does the incidence of colorectal cancer. Lifestyle changes are to blame, and in this Nature Video we see how increases in colorectal cancer are affecting many countries around the world, and what this could mean in the future to a world that is still developing.

Cancer cells are hungry. To feed their rapid growth and division, their metabolism changes. Moreover, they use sugar (glucose) in a different way to normal cells. This animation, created by Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, explores the key aspects of the altered metabolism in cancer cells and explains how these can be exploited for the development of new anticancer strategies.