Volume 25 Issue 10
October 1, 2011
Our silver anniversary issue celebrates a quarter century of covering major advances in the life sciences—some in fields that didn’t even exist when we first went to press—and looks ahead to future research milestones.
In celebration of major conceptual advances in biology and the revolutions just over the horizon
Read about beginnings of neuroscience through the eyes of Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel, and how researchers today envision the future of the field.
Early sequencing evolved into the publication of genomes for myriad species, including our own, within the span of two and a half decades. Bioinformatician Stephen Friend opines on what's in store as the next quarter century of omics takes shape.
Explore the past and present of US research funding, compare the investment priorities of the United States and Europe, and read an opinion from Research!America president Mary Woolley on what scientists need to do to secure the financial future of the US research enterprise.
As neuroscientists look to the future of their field, they are beginning to delve into more complex factors that define our emotions and intentions.
In fewer than 15 years, nanomedicine has gone from fantasy to reality.
At the nanoscale old materials acquire new properties that International Institute for Nanotechnology Director Chad Mirkin thinks will change the way medicine is practiced.
Exploiting the unique properties of living systems makes synthetic biologists better engineers.
Investing more federal dollars in life science research may save the US economy.
Designing genomes from scratch will be the next revolution in biology.
By extending its reach beyond science, the field of omics will change the way we live our lives.
History repeats itself, and so do trends in research funding.
Reversing catastrophic threats to our planet’s biodiversity is not optional: our lives depend on it.
Large-scale data collection and analysis have fundamentally altered the process and mind-set of biological research.
Considered a renegade by his peers, Nobel Prize-winner Eric Kandel used a simple model to probe the neural circuitry of memory.
Cataloging the staggering richness of Earth’s species will have multiple payoffs.
Nanotechnology will offer doctors new ways to diagnose and treat patients, boosting efficiency and slashing costs.
A decade’s worth of engineering-infused biology
Learn about the field’s first genetic circuits and read forecasts by George M. Church and J. Craig Venter of a future where man-made organisms pump out novel fuels, drugs, and therapies.
Ecosystems are failing and extinction rates are soaring. Thomas E. Lovejoy and Edward O. Wilson weigh in on why cataloging existing species, discovering new ones, and maintaining a balanced and diverse global ecosystem are critical for ensuring a habitable environment for all.
From iPhone apps to cloud computing, everyday digital technologies are helping advance drug discovery, conduct clinical trials, and improve medical care.
Meet some of the people featured in the October 2011 issue of The Scientist.
Celebrating 25 Years of The Scientist
Our silver anniversary issue celebrates a quarter century of covering major advances in the life sciences—some in fields that didn’t even exist when we first went to press—and looks ahead to future research milestones.
The publication I launched a quarter century ago has come further than anyone ever expected.
To the great scientific leaps witnessed during our first 25 years, and the game changers yet to come.
Learn about the field’s first genetic circuits and read forecasts by George M. Church and J. Craig Venter of a future where man-made organisms pump out novel fuels, drugs, and therapies.
In celebration of major conceptual advances in biology and the revolutions just over the horizon
Ecosystems are failing and extinction rates are soaring. Thomas E. Lovejoy and Edward O. Wilson weigh in on why cataloging existing species, discovering new ones, and maintaining a balanced and diverse global ecosystem are critical for ensuring a habitable environment for all.
Read about beginnings of neuroscience through the eyes of Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel, and how researchers today envision the future of the field.
Explore the past and present of US research funding, compare the investment priorities of the United States and Europe, and read an opinion from Research!America president Mary Woolley on what scientists need to do to secure the financial future of the US research enterprise.
At the nanoscale old materials acquire new properties that International Institute for Nanotechnology Director Chad Mirkin thinks will change the way medicine is practiced.
Early sequencing evolved into the publication of genomes for myriad species, including our own, within the span of two and a half decades. Bioinformatician Stephen Friend opines on what's in store as the next quarter century of omics takes shape.
The Human Genome Project,
Then and Now
An early advocate of the sequencing of the human genome reflects on his own predictions from 1986.
The Scientist, Inaugural Issue, 1986
Twenty-five years later, the magazine is still hitting many of the same key discussion points of science.
In fewer than 15 years, nanomedicine has gone from fantasy to reality.
Near the turn of the millennium, James Collins and Stanislas Leibler independently undertook rather similar projects: design what would become synthetic biology’s seminal genetic circuits. And they came up with strikingly similar action plans—use E.
Research and Development Funding, By the Numbers
Government and industry are the biggest funders of research, basic and otherwise. Here is how science funding in the US and European Union has shaped up in the past two and a half decades. View a pdf Read the full story.
Three gene jockeys share their thoughts on past and future tools of the trade.
As ecotourism becomes more popular, wild apes are succumbing to human diseases.
The mother of disabled twins doggedly pursued the root of her children's illness and found it in their genome profiles.
Epigenetic perturbations could jump-start heritable variation.
Dried plant specimens reveal the origin of an insect pest that has spread throughout Europe.
The promise of viruses as biotech tools will help molecular biology fulfill its true potential.
Researchers studying differences in how individuals respond to stress are finding that genes are malleable and environments can be deterministic.
In late June 2009, a small group of mountain gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park began to fall ill. One by one, 11 of the dozen apes started exhibiting severe respiratory problems. An investigation led by wildlife veterinarian Jean-Felix Kin
Life on Earth is mind-bogglingly diverse with estimates of the number of existing species in the tens of millions. Over the last 4 billion years, many species have gone extinct; and because of the actions of humans, many existing species are now enda
A selection of quotes from past issues of The Scientist
A Quarter Century of Fueling Science
History repeats itself, and so do trends in research funding.
Designing genomes from scratch will be the next revolution in biology.
Exploiting the unique properties of living systems makes synthetic biologists better engineers.
A decade’s worth of engineering-infused biology
Large-scale data collection and analysis have fundamentally altered the process and mind-set of biological research.
Opinion: Research and Debt Reduction
Investing more federal dollars in life science research may save the US economy.
Conserving Our Shared Heritage
Reversing catastrophic threats to our planet’s biodiversity is not optional: our lives depend on it.
Opinion: Exploring a Little-Known Planet
Cataloging the staggering richness of Earth’s species will have multiple payoffs.
Opinion: Miniaturizing Medicine
Nanotechnology will offer doctors new ways to diagnose and treat patients, boosting efficiency and slashing costs.
As neuroscientists look to the future of their field, they are beginning to delve into more complex factors that define our emotions and intentions.
Considered a renegade by his peers, Nobel Prize-winner Eric Kandel used a simple model to probe the neural circuitry of memory.
In fewer than 15 years, nanomedicine has gone from fantasy to reality.
Opinion: Thinking Outside the Genome
By extending its reach beyond science, the field of omics will change the way we live our lives.
Editor’s choice in Plant Biology
Editor’s choice in Ecology
Editor's Choice in Cell Biology
Eric Kandel, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his work on signal transduction in the nervous system, chats about the ever-changing field of neuroscience, funding, his students, and what he hopes science will accomplish.
The Scientist Magazine
The Scientist Careers
Neuroscience Research Techniques
Genetic Research Techniques
Cell Culture Techniques
Microbiology and Immunology
Cancer Research and Technology
