Glial cells were once considered neurons’ supporting actors, but new methods and model organisms are revealing their true importance in brain function.

Advice on how to deploy the latest techniques in your own lab

By The Scientist Staff Top Ten Innovations 2010 Innovative products that have the life science community buzzing. As the global economy continues to pull out of its recent precipitous nosedive, one mantra rings true from Beijing to Boston—innovation can save us. If developing interesting new technologies and products really is the lifeblood of economic health, then the life sciences industry is innovation’s beating heart. The Scientist rec

Organisms need to sense their environment. By sensing, they can develop, heal wounds, protect against invaders, and create blood vessels. Chemotaxis, or directional sensing, allows cells to detect chemicals with exquisite sensitivity. Some chemotactic cells can sense chemical gradients that differ by only a few percent from a cell's front to its back. Although discovery of the molecule types involved in chemotaxis, as with other kinds of cell signaling events, has mounted, the details of how thi

The Scientist’s 5th installment of its annual competition attracted submissions from across the life science spectrum. Here are the best and brightest products of the year.

EMBRYOGENESIS UNFOLDING IN 3-D:Left and Right Image: Courtesy of Wen Bin Tsai & W. Kinsey Center image: Courtesy of H. Matsumoto & S. K. DeyThree-dimensional projections created from Z-stacks of a zebrafish embryo at the four-cell stage (left), a blastocyst (center), and a more fully developed zebrafish embryo (right). DAPI-stained nuclei are colored blue, while various specific proteins are labeled green (FITC/FITX) and red (rhodamine).Like much of science, imaging has become almost ent

Photo: Ori Fragman, Hebrew University Hordeum spontaneum, the plant studied for BARE-1 retroelements. With genome sequences arriving almost as regularly as the morning paper, the public's attention is focused on genes--new genes to protect crops against pests; rogue genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics; faulty genes that, if fixed, could cure diseases such as muscular dystrophy. What many people don't realize is that genes account for only part of an organism's DNA, and in many c

Advanced Biotechnologies Inc. Columbia, MD Advanced Genetic Technologies Corp San Diego, CA Ahlstrom Filtration Inc. Mount Holly Springs, PA American Bioanalytical Inc. Natick, MA Boehringer Mannheim Corp. Indianapolis, IN P.J. Cobert Associates St. Louis, MO Crescent Chemical Inc. Hauppauge, NY DuPont NEN Boston, MA Fluka Chemical Corp. Ronkonkoma, NY Gallard-Schlesinger Industries Inc. Carle Place, NY Hoefer Scientific

Advanced Biotechnologies Inc. Columbia, MD Advanced Genetic Technologies Corp San Diego, CA Ahlstrom Filtration Inc. Mount Holly Springs, PA American Bioanalytical Inc. Natick, MA Boehringer Mannheim Corp. Indianapolis, IN P.J. Cobert Associates St. Louis, MO Crescent Chemical Inc. Hauppauge, NY DuPont NEN Boston, MA Fluka Chemical Corp. Ronkonkoma, NY Gallard-Schlesinger Industries Inc. Carle Place, NY Hoefer Scientific