Call it a row, a kerfluffle, a spat, or what have you. A paper in PNAS has whipped up some convoluted discussion in science and non-science blogs. Here's the basic run down:

1. A group publishes an explanation for the stepwise evolution of the flagellum, an interesting scientific question, which ... Click to continue

Howard Hughes Medical Institute is opening a new competition for US investigators. It plans to fund as many as 50 new researchers by Spring 2008 representing an investment of $600 million. Unlike the traditional HHMI investigator programs which have relied on nominations from the investigator's institution these are open to direct application (similar to a plan they announced in a smaller scale for physician scientists last November). The grants are meant for early career investigators... Click to continue

A nice AP story talks about the hypothesis that much of the fuel for the famed Hatfield-McCoy feud might be attributed to Von Hippel-Lindau disease, a rare genetic disorder that predisposes those affected to highly-vascularized tumors. The reasoning is that adrenal tumors might be responsible for many of the McCoys' notorious tempers. There are some great quotes from actual family... Click to continue