Axios

American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for their discovery of microRNA, which plays a critical role in gene regulation.

Why it matters: Understanding gene regulation has been a key goal for scientists for decades. When the process goes wrong, it can lead to diseases like cancer or diabetes, the Nobel committee said in a press release.

Hurricane Milton is intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to become a major hurricane of at least Category 4 intensity by Tuesday.

Threat level: Milton was upgraded to hurricane status Sunday, and is forecast to become a major storm by Monday before hitting the damaged west coast of Florida on Wednesday into Thursday.

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene left more than 200 dead and thousands with flooded and damaged homes across the southeast, Florida's Gulf Coast is again preparing for a destructive storm.

• This one could be historic.

Threat level: Hurricane Milton, projected to be a Category 3 or stronger when it makes landfall Wednesday, is expected to bring 10 feet or more of storm surge — almost double that of Hurricane Helene, which killed 12 people in Pinellas County alone.