artificial gene constructs are causing political controversy in France.
News & Opinion
Covering the life sciences inside and out
Most Recent
Mad meiosis
| July 18, 2000
Mad2p is a budding yeast protein that helps to delay progression through mitosis until errors in chromosome attachment to the mitotic spindle are corrected. In the 14 July Science Shonn et al. find that this spindle checkpoint is also required during meiosis (Science 2000, 289:300-303). Cells without Mad2p show increased chromosome segregation errors during budding yeast meiosis I, when homologs separate, but appear normal during meiosis II, when sister chromatids separate. Meiosis I may fare le
Royal Society says UK science spending halved
| July 17, 2000
D funding has fallen by more than half in fifteen years.
Sequence of a plant pathogen
| July 17, 2000
In the 13 July Nature a Brazilian sequencing consortium reports the first public sequence of a free-living plant pathogen (Nature 2000, 406:151-159). The bacterium, Xyella fastidiosa, grows in the water-conducting xylem of citrus plants and causes chlorosis (yellowing) and premature production of small, tough fruit. The sequence reveals a metabolism focussed on carbohydrate consumption and extensive biosynthetic capability to compensate for the scarcity of biological small molecules in the xylem
UK science - politicians get the seven-year itch
| July 17, 2000
Seven years after the last UK (Conservative) government 'White Paper' on science, Tony Blair's Labour administration will try to make its own marriage between science and government policy.
A list of lists for yeast
| July 14, 2000
The function of an uncharacterized gene can sometimes be determined by mutating the gene and using a phenotypic assay But sometimes a convenient phenotype does not exist for a given cellular function. Hughes et al. suggest in the July 7 Cell that expression profiles can be used instead (Cell 2000, 102:109-126). Rather than measuring expression profiles as conditions change (e.g., at different points in the cell cycle, Hughes et al. keep the culture conditions constant and measure the profiles of
Contrary to much reporting in the West, China is having to pay attention to public concerns about biotechnology, says Zhao Zhizen, TV science broadcaster.
Hopping along DNA
| July 14, 2000
The rate at which electrons and holes move along DNA is sufficient to prevent strand-cleavage reactions, but too slow to make DNA a useful molecular wire.
Of ozone holes and Triffids
| July 14, 2000
Depletion of stratospheric ozone increases the amount of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiation experienced on Earth. Now Ries et al. report in the 6 July Nature that increased UV-B exposure can reduce the genomic stability of plants (Nature 2000, 406:98-101). They use a reporter gene inserted as a tandem or inverted repeat as a probe to detect 1.7-fold to 14-fold increases in homologous recombination after increasing UV-B levels. The plant germline is protected from UV-B for much of its life, and yet
Seven Academies back GMOs to feed the world
| July 14, 2000
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are good for the poor and hungry, say seven national and international academies of science.
Subjects
- cancer
- cell & molecular biology
- culture
- disease/medicine
- ecology
- evolution
- genetics & genomics
- neuroscience
- opinion
- techniques
Sub Categories
Follow The Scientist
Stay Connected with The Scientist
-
The Scientist Magazine
-
The Scientist Careers
-
Neuroscience Research Techniques
-
Genetic Research Techniques
-
Cell Culture Techniques
-
Microbiology and Immunology
-
Cancer Research and Technology
Current Issue
