CONTENTS
January 2009
Two hundred years after the birth of Charles Darwin, scientists are exploring one of the central questions of evolution: When organisms become more complex, by adopting the fittest traits for their environment, do those traits place constraints on further evolution? In other words, can complexity slow down the process of evolutionary change? ANDREA GAWRYLEWSKI visits scientists performing an ambitious experiment - involving at least 4,000 mice in the last several years alone - as they set out to find an answer. |
RELATED: |
We've made progress in the field of neuroprosthetics,
but only a handful of people have received
implanted electrodes in the brain, and after a
month, the vast majority of implants no longer
transmits a clear signal. EDYTA ZIELINSKA asks: why? |
RELATED: The future of brain interfaces |
How do you decide what proportion of a
multi-billion-dollar research institute should
be spent on a specific disease? HAROLD VARMUS
reflects on his life at the National Institutes
of Health, and the difficult task of balancing
scientific needs with requests from patients,
congressional leaders such as Nancy Pelosi-
and even then-President Bill Clinton. |
RELATED: |
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EDITORIAL Innovation Imperiled
US healthcare needs radical revision, but we can't wipe out innovation in the process. COLUMNS Don't Fight to be Cited Forget Science and Cell - submit your papers to the journals read by your grant reviewers. Tackling Human Resources in Africa How one institute leverages overseas
talent to develop its research strategy.
By Notebook Smells funny?; Lost in space; Bio-Microsoft; Icy treasure; Laborin' lizards FOUNDATIONS Miller-Urey Amino Acids, circa 1953 PROFILES Out of the Frying Pan After trial-by-fire training during the
feverish early days of HIV research,
Amanda Fisher has kept up the pace
in the hot fields of epigenetics and
nuclear reprogramming. Scientist to Watch: Leonard Foster A quantitative quality BIOBUSINESS: The Mentorship Market New organizations want to help you
succeed in biotech-for free. THE LITERATURE Hot paper: The Disputed Rise of Mammals Generating the most
complete evolutionary tree for mammals sparks debate and discovery Hot paper in Aging Research: Energetic senscence Hot paper in Genomics: Fungus, decoded Hot paper in Cell Biology: Focus on phosphorylation LAB TOOLS Let's get Physical How to modify your tools to prevent pain at the bench; Squeeze Extension; Power Grip; Wet Lab Toolkit ; Automating Plating; Plus an article on Tips for reducing your ergonomic load CAREERS Balancing Life and Science How four successful scientists find time for their other passions, and why it's good for their science. |