February 2010

My Life on a Raft

The picture of the lipid bilayer in the cell membranes as a boring solvent for proteins has given rise to one that is much more dynamic, according to KAI SIMONS of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics—revealing new mechanisms and targets for drug delivery.

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New Non-drug Fix for HIV?

Lipid Rafts' Failure to Launch

The Tiniest of Life's Rafts

Fork in the Road

Despite a great beginning, there is widespread apprehension that the European Research Council is too good to be true, that its largesse and reputation can't last. COLIN MACILWAIN asks: Will it lead EU science to success or lose its way?

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ERC Flooded by First Round of Grants

EU Moves to Unify Science

Could US Scientists get EU Funding?

The Counterfeiter

Drugs can pass through a dozen or more hands on the way to the pharmacy and a consumer's medicine cabinet, leaving many opportunities to substitute an inert or contaminated copy for a legitimate drug—and generate big profits for the counterfeiters behind the swap. BRENDAN BORRELL tells the story of how one of pharma's biggest enemies was nabbed in Houston, Texas.

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The Counterfeiter

Biotech's Baddies

Life After Fraud

CONTRIBUTORS

MAIL

EDITORIAL

The Next New Thing
Our conversation is about to get a lot more interesting.
SARAH GREENE

COLUMN

Why I Love Vendors
Talks and posters are about where biology has been—but the booths with the sales pitches and freebies tell you where science is going.
STEVEN WILEY

OPINION

Time to Outsource Lab Management?
Expert scientific asset management drives efficiency in R&D.
FRASER BLACK

NOTEBOOK

Lit Lazarus worms
A rare chance
Dry out, put away
Shrinky dink-idics
A mossy renaissance

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Phineas Gage
VICTORIA STERN

PROFILE

Prize-Winning PhD
Aaron Ciechanover didn't set out to win a Nobel Prize for discovering ubiquitin's all-important role in protein degradation. He was just trying to graduate.
KAREN HOPKIN

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Aaron Wheeler
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SARAH WEBB

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The Path Less Traveled
A freshly demonstrated theory on how peptides enter cells sparks ongoing debate.
BOB GRANT

Hot paper in Cellular Biology: AMPKed up
JEF AKST

Hot paper in Stem Cell Biology: Reviving hearts
VICTORIA STERN

Hot paper in Plant Biology: Stress Signal
KATHERINE BAGLEY

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Can Mass Spec Really Do That?
Unexpected applications of a technique best known as a proteomics powerhouse.
JEFFREY M. PERKEL

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Monetize your Science
Tips on how to identify an unmet clinical need that can make you rich.
JEF AKST