CONTENTS
April 2009
Gene expression studies are lending support to a new, somewhat counterintuitive hypothesis for why every animal sleeps. KELLY RAE CHI visits the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where scientists are gathering evidence suggesting that we need sleep to prune back synapses, which tend to increase in strength throughout the day. |
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When people have trouble sleeping—such as, in
extreme cases, shift workers—those problems
are not always rooted in disturbances in circadian
rhythm, argues the University of Pennsylvania's
ALLAN PACK. Instead, his studies of sleep
have shown that the master clock is only one
player in the molecular control of sleep. |
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More than 60 individuals have been blackballed
by the FDA for forging clinical trial data, passing
off a prescription—only product as a botanical,
and bilking investors out of millions—and
that's just a few of the offenses. BOB GRANT
introduces us to some of the worst offenders. |
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EDITORIAL Why sleep?
Many ask, but few answer. We present two of science's most intriguing theories. COLUMNS Why Don't We Share Data? There are so, so many reasons—and
they make a lot of sense. Sexual Politics and Science: Two Predicaments A Matter of Conscience Opportunity Denied Notebook Stem cell rat race; Septic sperm; Working modeler; Of beetles and bacteria; Will work for steak FOUNDATIONS Recombinant DNA Fermenter, circa 1977 PROFILES Fired Up Besides hobnobbing with musical
greats as an electric guitarist,
Len Kaczmarek has fine-tuned the
picture of how phosphorylation can
alter neurons' electrical properties. Scientist to Watch: Mike Axtell The curious gardener BIOBUSINESS: Supersize my Pipeline Will Exelixis's novel approach pay off
in the current economic climate? THE LITERATURE Hot paper: Cancer's culprit Breast cancer's genetic profile calls the cancer stem cell hypothesis into question Hot paper in Infectious Proteins: Prompting Prions Hot paper in Plant Biology: Communicating with chloroplasts Hot paper in RNA Biology: Targeting tumors LAB TOOLS Pulling Out Proteins Troubleshooting discovery and validation of protein biomarkers for cancer; Eliminating Amylase; Lit Probe; Niche Finder ; Searching Low; Membrane Proteins CAREERS Finding New Money In tough times, researchers have to
look outside of government funding.
Here are lesser-known sources, and
tips on how to get your hands on
them. |