Issue | February 2013 | Alive And In Technicolor

Cover Story

Cristina Luiggi | Feb 1, 2013 | 10+ min read

Researchers are working to understand how often-colorless biological nanostructures give rise to some of the most spectacular technicolor displays in nature.

Features

Catching the Cold

Fred Adler | Feb 1, 2013 | 10 min read

Tracking the genetic diversity and evolution of rhinoviruses can lead to a better understanding of viral evolution, the common cold, and more dangerous infections.

Icing Organs

Megan Scudellari | Feb 1, 2013 | 10+ min read

Why scientists are so near and yet so far from being able to cryopreserve organs

Contributors

Meet some of the people featured in the February 2013 issue of The Scientist.

Editorial

A Chill Issue

The very cold, the merely chilled, and the colorful

Speaking of Science

February 2013's selection of notable quotes

Notebook

The Spoils of War

Researchers read the marks of intense warfare and conquest in the genes of ancient native North Americans.

Watson, MD

A collaborative project between IBM and the Cleveland Clinic brings artificial intelligence to patients’ bedsides.

Human Whiskers

Scientists probe our sense of touch for a feedback loop between sensation and motion.

Monster Hunting 2.0

With the launch of a new peer-reviewed journal, can cryptozoology emerge from the shadows to be taken seriously by the mainstream scientific community?

Thought Experiment

Why Insects Should Be in Your Diet

Because of their high protein and fat content and their reproductive efficiency, insects hold great promise for thwarting an impending global food crisis.

Critic at Large

Variety Is the Spice of Life

True understanding of the complexity of biological systems demands an assortment of model systems.

Modus Operandi

Flickering Neurons

Fluorescent calcium sensors in transgenic mice give a real-time readout of neuronal activity.

The Literature

Fellow Travelers

Collective cell migration relies on a directional signal that comes from the moving cluster, rather than from external cues.

Feeding Time

The eating schedule—and not the amount of calories—can make the difference between an obese, diabetic, sick mouse and one with a healthy metabolism.

Stockpiling Histones

Histones stored on lipid droplets in fly embryos provide a backup supply when newly synthesized ones are lacking.

Profile

Immune to Failure

With dogged persistence and an unwillingness to entertain defeat, Bruce Beutler discovered a receptor that powers the innate immune response to infections—and earned his share of a Nobel Prize.