CONTENTS
February 2009
 Can Bacteria Rescue the Oil Industry? Microbes in oil deposits withstand enormous hydrocarbon loads, intense heat, high salt and immense pressure. HANS KRISTIAN KOTLAR of StatoilHydro, a cancer immunologist by training, wants to find out how we can put them to work for us. |
RELATED: |
Biofuels made from algae are the next big
thing on the alternative energy horizon, but
can they free us from our addiction to petroleum?
BOB GRANT tries to find out, an investigation
that brought him behind the wheel of a
whole new type of car. |
RELATED: |
Now five years old, the student competition in
synthetic biology, iGEM, embodies the struggles
of the emerging discipline, which aims to turn
biological systems into something as predictable
and standardized as the electronic parts in
an old transistor radio. ALLA KATSNELSON tunes
in to the field's progress. |
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EDITORIAL Back in Black
Microorganisms might be the power plant of the future. COLUMNS Facts First In my youth I designed a cell biology
course I thought grad students would love. They hated it. Time for an IP Share Market? Direct investment in market-valued
intellectual property could drive
translational success. Notebook Fancy this; Antifungal fight; Sticky speciation; Energy from E. coli; Catching crabs FOUNDATIONS Darwin vs. His Dad, circa 1831 PROFILES Mapping with Mice Nancy Jenkins' decision to combine
molecular biology with formal
genetics uncovered key mutations
involved in development and cancer.
Plus, the couple that publishes
(700+ papers) together, stays
together - just ask her husband,
Neal Copeland. Scientist to Watch: Michelle Chang A catalyst for change BIOBUSINESS: Profiting from Pluripotency How companies plan to make money
(really) off of embryonic stem cells. THE LITERATURE Hot paper: β2AR Laid Bare A snapshot of the adrenaline target opens the door to more high-resolution, 3-D crystal structures. Hot paper in Structural Biology: Receptor deciphered Hot paper in Virology: Junction function Hot paper in Molecular Biology: microRNA: target this LAB TOOLS Freeze Frame How to troubleshoot sample preparation
for cryo-electron microscopy,
an up-and-coming structural biology
technique.; Mutational mimicry; Caution: fragile particles; Vesicular wallpaper ; Freezing for thickness; Stretch & stick CAREERS Retiring from Science How to plan a smooth career exit in
a crumbling economy. |