December 2008

Triggering Addiction

Each year, more than 75,000
Americans die from alcoholism. Scientists
have pinpointed a genetic variant that renders people more likely to become addicted. But for other addicts without a genetic susceptibility, MARKUS HEILIG and his colleagues have linked alcoholism to feelings of stress and anxiety, as well as the expression of the corticotropin releasing hormone-1 receptor gene. Human trials are now in the planning stages to test antagonists against CRH1 and a similar peptide for treating alcoholism.

Needling into addiction

Addictive Research

Drunken Drosophila

They Came From Above

Opportunistic infections seem to pop up out of nowhere, but new strains are appearing in new places, striking otherwise healthy animals, including humans. A few microbiologists go hunting, and BRENDAN BORRELL tags along.

Same-sex mating in Cryptococcus?

Baghdad hack

Thanks, Andrew Speaker

Let's Mandate Masks

Top 10 Innovations of 2008

For the first time, we laud the most outstanding new products to hit the life science market. We asked a panel of expert judges to sort through the year’s offerings and pick the ones likely to have the biggest impact, by making your work easier (and cheaper) or letting you visualize and capture molecular processes that were heretofore invisible. Check out No. 1.

Here's To Intelligent Innovating

Let it flow

Life Science Industry Awards 2008

CONTRIBUTORS

MAIL

EDITORIAL

Finding meaning in politics Without ideological struggles that test our values and beliefs, how can we know what is “truth”?
RICHARD GALLAGHER

COLUMNS

Here's To Intelligent Innovating If you build a hammer, make sure you have something to nail.
STEVEN WILEY

OPINION

How to Win the War on Cancer The power of massive, integrated programs must be brought to bear.
FRANK L . DOUGLAS & ROBERT E . LITON

Notebook

The Agenda; Baghdad Hack ; The isotope diet ; Better late than never ; The crabby entrepreneur ; Nobel nosh

FOUNDATIONS

The discovery of DNA, circa 1869

PROFILES

First Sex, Then Cheating A love of big questions led Paul Turner to investigate why simple species have sex, with surprising results. Hint: viruses, too, are faced with a prisoner’s dilemma.
KAREN HOPKIN

Scientist to Watch: Michael Laub The systems savant
MEGAN SCUDELLARI

BIOBUSINESS: Morale Mire FDA scientists are increasingly unhappy, due to in-house pressures and public criticism. How can the agency restore what it once was?
FRAN HAWTHORNE

THE LITERATURE

Hot paper: Navigating the Nucleosome Uncovering genomic instructions for how DNA is packaged reveals a new dimension of the genetic code
CHARLES CHOI

Hot paper in Biophysics: Use the force

Hot Paper In Molecular Biology: LPA leaps

Hot Paper In Marine Microbiology: Mini Eukaryote

LAB TOOLS

Pluripotency for the Masses What beginners need to know as they dive into studies on pluripotent cells; The cells themselves; Marker manhunt; Mycoplasma mania ; Dynamics of differentiation; Plus a web only article on Tips on getting the most from your cultures
KELLY RAE CHI

CAREERS

Mentoring Magic How to be an effective mentor: tips from two highly successful principal investigators.
JENNIFER EVANS