Web Extras


Debate: Are we helping young scientists too much?

Deputy Editor Alison McCook moderates a debate about policies at the National Institutes of Health designed to increase success rates on grant applications submitted by young investigators. Discussing the issue are columnist and NIH-funded biologist Steven Wiley and Richard Gallagher, editor of a recent opinion from Les Costello, who argued that current policies discriminate against senior scientists. (The NIH responds to these allegations in this month's issue.)

Considering consulting?

After reading our tips for launching your own consultancy (presented in this month's issue), click here for additional advice on insurance, healthcare, and other topics.

Video: Up, up and away

Watch Hokkaido University graduate students release a weather balloon to measure levels of air pollution coming from China, part of Gary Morris's attempts to determine if the country has cleaned up its emissions, presented in this month's issue.

Video: Evolution-proofing in action

Watch researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute show off the mosquitoes they use to test for the transmission of a bacterial infection, while mycologist Nina Jenkins describes a fungal spore-laced spray that may help fight the spread of malaria. Both techniques are designed to circumvent mosquitoes' tendency to evolve resistance—indefinitely.

Video: Infrared bats

Watch more than 500,000 Brazilian free-tailed bats, emerging to forage at night, as they light up the pitch black darkness of New Mexico's Carlsbad Cavern in this thermal infrared video. See other tips for tracking mammalian behavior in this month's issue.

Science, rah rah!!

Watch cheerleaders root for science, while another argues in a mock trial that citizens should get more involved in science. Both videos are courtesy of the "Science Cheerleader," a cheerleader-turned-crusader for science, whose story we present in this month's issue.

Salary Survey: Charts

Check out salary data that didn't make it into this month's issue, including charts you can sort according to position, gender, city and state. Click here for the online version of the entire article, including an analysis of salary trends over the last year.

Video: Super beans?

Click here to watch DuPont researchers explain the science behind the company's Plenish soy bean, a GM plant that produces oil high in oleic acid. The scientists are one of a handful working to create nutrient-rich "Super foods" in order to combat nutrient deficiencies worldwide, a story presented in this month's issue.

Video: Moose Tracking

Click here for lessons in the art of finding moose from University of Massachusetts, Amherst's Dave Wattles. You can read more about the species' mysterious colonization of the region in this month's issue.

The Best Science Videos

Watch the top science videos of the year, as voted by you and a panel of expert judges, announced in this month's issue.

Regeneration in Action

Click here for a slideshow of images from three laboratories investigating the natural regenerative capabilities of the zebrafish, newt and embryonic chick. You can read more about these scientists, and what they hope to do for regenerative medicine, in this month's issue.

A Diet of Anthrax

See jackals and vultures feasting on anthrax-infected zebra carcasses in a national park in northern Namibia, images from a story we present in this month's issue.

Video: Colbert on Coral

Click here to watch Stephen Colbert riff on Rebecca Vega Thurber's research on herpes-like virus-infected coral reefs in a short video clip from Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. On top of this dubious distinction, Thurber is this month's Scientist to Watch.

Video: DIY Lab

Watch McGill biophysicist Gary Brouhard as he gives a walkthrough of his hand-made fluorescence imaging setup, which he estimates saved him $100,000. Read about his story and another scientist's tricks for saving money while starting a lab in this month's issue.

Video: Old tool saves old artifacts

Watch Smithsonian Institution conservationists explain how a type of spectroscopy helps them study the molecular intricacies of museum artifacts, a story we present in this month's issue.

Video: Intestinal stem cells

Check out an animation showing how Lgr5—expressing intestinal stem cells regulate normal and cancerous growth—a process that has sparked scientific debate, as described in our July issue.

Video: Number two-ome

Yes, it's feces. Click here to watch MIT graduate student Lawrence David describe the collection phase of the unusual Human Gut Ecology (HuGE) project, in which he and his advisor take samples from their own feces every day for up to a year to track changes in the microbial communities. We describe the project in the July issue.

Video: Darwin's birthday party

Who says evolution has to be stiff and formal? In our May issue, we introduce you to scientists who take a non-traditional approach to the subject. Click here to see what happens at a birthday party at Swarthmore College when the famous scientist turned 200. (Ever play pin the tail on the finch?)

Video: Brainbow in 3-D

Click here for a digital reconstruction of multicolored mouse brain cells, part of the colorful project that made a big splash two years ago, but has yet to revolutionize the field. Read more about the Brainbow in this month's issue.

Video: A fading field

Check out two videos (1, 2) of taxonomists, and arachnologist and mycologist describe their struggles to obtain funding and recruit students to what many consider a dying field. You can read about taxonomy's path to extinction in this month's issue.

Best Places to Work: Slideshow

Click here for pictures and stories from this year's Best Places to Work in industry. See this month's issue for the complete list of winners, and reader favorites among large and small companies.

Video: New Alzheimer's approach

Genentech's Marc Tessier-Lavigne discusses a new potential approach to treating Alzheimer's disease in a video Q&A, research described in our May issue

Survey: Citation amnesia

Is there a "best practice" for citing prior work, and how should it be implemented? Have your say in our new online survey.

Video: RNA activation explained

RNA is supposed to silence genes by cutting up mRNA, not act on transcription - and definitely not boost gene expression. So why, as ELIE DOLGIN reports in the May issue, are scientists seeing just that? Click here to see Dolgin explain the phenomenon, and the proposed mechanisms behind it.

Video: Damage by the pine beetle

All across North America, tiny pine bark beetles are killing trees. Click here for a short video describing how mountain pine beetles can destroy trees, a process researchers have a new plan to stop, which we present in our April issue.

Slideshow: Exploring a hypothesis

Two researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are exploring a new hypothesis for why everyone sleeps: to prune the strength or number of synapses. Click here to check out images chronicling their experiments, which we describe in our April issue.

How do you catch a fly sleeping?

In our April issue, we explore some new hypotheses that are attempting to answer one of life's biggest questions: Why do we sleep? In this video, John Zimmerman at the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology explains a new technique for determining when a fly is sleeping or awake - a prerequisite for fly-based sleep research.

Video: Fish hunters

These invasive species are rumored to reach up to one meter and walk on land, and have even inspired B-movies. In two videos, meet the scientists from our March issue who are doing their best to rid water bodies of the Northern Snakeheads, and research their effects.

Video: Secrets from a seed

There's a lot you can learn from a chile seed left behind by an ancient civilization. In our March issue, we profile a scientist who's obsessed by one seed in particular - hear from him, and see images from his intricate excavations, here.

Slideshow: Best Places for postdocs

This month, we revealed the list of the Best Places to Work for postdocs worldwide. To catch of glimpse of what makes them great, check out this slideshow of the winners.

Video: Scientist who rocks

You'll see from our March issue that Joseph LeDoux studies memory at New York University, exploring a controversial idea that it's possible to "erase" long-term memories, a potential boon for people with post-traumatic stress disorder. But did you also know that he plays guitar and sings in a science-themed rock band, the Amygdaloids? Check them out in concert, here.

Videos: Gassing up with algae?

Biofuels made from algae are the next big thing on the alternative energy horizon. But, as this month's issue asks, can they really quench our thirst for oil? Read the article to get the full story, and click here for videos from a spokesperson for the Cargill food company that manages ponds containing colorful algae, and a scientist on the hunt for algae species that could become fuel factories.

Fantastic fish find

It's not often that you find a pair of fish that provide a model of natural selection's role in the speciation process. Click here for images and an interview with Dolph Schluter of the University of British Columbia about what makes this find, described in an article in this month's issue, so exciting.

Video: iGEM participants speak

Now five years old, a student competition in synthetic biology embodies the struggles of the emerging discipline, described in an article in this month's issue. Click here to see videos of participants in last year's iGEM describe their projects, which include techniques to brew beer with the disease-fighting ingredient of red wine, remove toxins from the environment, and tease bacteria into building structures.

Neuroprosthetics today

For more than 20 years, researchers at the Cleveland Functional Electrical stimulation (FES) Center have been training patients with paralysis to control their own neurological signals - not from electrodes in their brains (the focus of our feature Of Cells and Wires, in the January issue), but from those implanted in muscles. Watch this video to learn how

Laborin' lizards

Head bobs, pushups, displays of a colorful double-chin - these are some of the unexpected ways male anole lizards defend their territory. Check out this video of the lizards in action, as well as the scientist who studies them, interviewed by Associate Editor Elie Dolgin, accompanying a story in our January issue.

Video: Icy treasure

Call it a frozen scientific time capsule: In our January issue, we tell the story of data lost for 40 years, left tens of meters below sea level in the frigid waters of Antarctica. A new device can sink deep enough to spy on the experiments, left by benthic ecologist Paul Dayton. Click here for a video depicting the device in action, accompanied by an interview with Dayton.

John King, crabber: Slideshow

In our December issue, Bob Grant tells the story of John King, who braved the icy waters of the Arctic Circle as a crab and shrimp fisherman before diving into the world of biotechnology. King says that his experiences as an Alaskan fisherman prepared him for the rigors of starting and operating biotech companies. Take a look for yourself.

Deadly dust: Slideshow

In our December issue, Brendan Borrell traveled to British Columbia and Spain to chronicle scientists' efforts to control deadly outbreaks of mysterious airborne pathogens. Click here for a look at what he saw.

Basic supplies for FRET imaging

In our November issue, we tell you how to use FRET biosensors when tracking cell signaling. Click here for a list of basic supplies you'll need for FRET imaging.

Best Places to Work: Academia

In our November issue, we present the long-awaited results of our annual survey, Best Places to Work: Academia. Click here for a list of the top countries to do research, a slideshow of winners, important factors for the top US places, and strengths/weaknesses of top-rankers.

An uncommon colony

In our November issue, we spend time with identical four-year-old twins with dementia, a manifestation of a rare genetic disease, and the scientists drawn to them because of the disease's similarity to Alzheimer's. Click here for information about University of Pennsylvania scientist Charles Vite, who believes his colony of cats can help uncover therapies.

The importance of bees

In our October issue, we followed Rachael Winfree as she searches for wild bees in a quest to understand what services they provide to ecosystems. Click here for a slideshow capturing the visit, which took place in high summer, hot and sunny (perfect weather for bees).

Bacteria Gladiators

In our October issue, Megan Scudellari describes MIT biologists' efforts to pit two bacteria against each other to coax one to transcribe antibiotic genes. Click here for a short film depicting their efforts, and find out why the project raised as many questions as it answered.

The face of genetic algorithms

In our September issue, John Holland argues that algorithms can represent complex systems. Click here for an interactive look at how a complex feature like a face can be reduced to building blocks and recombined.

Avoiding pitfalls of medium-throughput SNP detection

In our September issue, Kelly Rae Chi shares advice from researchers on addressing challenges of medium-throughput SNP detection. Click here for tips to tackle this type of analysis.

Salary Survey: Supplementary info

In our September issue, Edyta Zielinska analyses data from our 5th salary survey in the life sciences. Click here for charts that didn't make it into the print magazine.

2008 Elections - vote now!

In our September issue, we present the hidden science policy experts with the ear of our next leaders. This month, we're letting all readers - US and non-US citizens alike - vote for the next US president in our poll, and also pick which biologist they'd most like to see as president. Visit our 2008 Election Landing page for complete coverage.

Slideshow: What's the best bait for apes?

In our August issue, Elie Dolgin chronicles researchers' search for the best bait to deliver an Ebola vaccine for apes. A hint: mango scent is key. Click here for a slideshow displaying their efforts.

GE lights up life science

In our August issue, Brendan Borrell visits General Electric, the world's second largest company, which is becoming a major supplier of life sciences equipment. Take a look at some of what he saw.

Slideshow: Hooked on a hunt

In our August issue, Andrea Gawrylewski tells the story of cell biology's biggest treasure hunt: The search for the ligands that match several hundred G protein-coupled receptors. Click here for some images behind the story.

Behind biotech

In our August issue, Sam Hall and Alastair Wood walk you through the potential payoffs of what some consider a risky industry: biotech. Click here for supplementary infographics of the biotech life cycle, including one that illustrates how the initial value of a company can triple over its lifetime, while a founder's stake will markedly shrink.

Altruistic amoeba in motion

In our July issue, Gad Shaulsky described his search for the genetics behind social interactions such as cheating and altruism using a social soil amoeba. For a closer look at the Dictyostelium Development Cycle, check out this infographic.

What does a fish heartbeat look like?

In our July issue, Alla Katsnelson speaks with the small group of scientists who are using zebrafish to sniff out new drugs. Click here for a video of a beating zebrafish heart that has been treated by an experimental compound.

Altruistic amoeba in motion

In our July issue, Gad Shaulsky described his search for the genetics behind social interactions such as cheating and altruism using a social soil amoeba. For a look at the species in action, check out these videos.

Slideshow: The worm hunter

In our June issue, Elie Dolgin chronicles the efforts of Marie-Anne Félix, a researcher sifting through rotting fruit in remote regions to find microscopic nematode worms related to Caenorhabditis elegans. Click here for a slideshow depicting her exotic efforts.

One of earth's most fundamental reactions

In our June issue, Eric Smith argues that much simpler principles than those proposed by Darwin may describe how the early earth went from lifeless to life. Here, see an interactive look at one of these fundamental processes, the citric acid cycle.

Slideshow: Best Places to Work, Industry

In our June issue, we tell you the top 30 places to work in industry, based on results from our annual survey. Here, see a slideshow of images from this year's top rankers.

Weaned, via Whitaker

In our May issue, we tell the story of a scientist who, after 20 years, had to close his lab when his NIH funding ran out. How should scientists develop a Plan B to avoid such a situation, as Richard Gallagher urges? Here, get advice from scientists who received funding that they knew would be short-lived.

Slideshow: Decoding the dandruff genome

In our May issue, Brendan Borrell traveled to Ohio to comb through the science behind Procter & Gamble's efforts to put more biology in every bottle of shampoo. Click here for a look at some of the images behind Tom Dawson's work with dandruff genomics.

Slideshow: The genetics of speciation?

In our May issue, Alla Katsnelson described curious experiments in which crosses of healthy Arabidopsis strains yielded sick plants. Could this illustrate how genetic incompatibilities can drive speciation? View this slideshow for a first-hand look at the products of these experiments.

The problem of monolingualism

In our April issue , Richard Gallagher describes how monolingualism in the life sciences silences non-native speakers and stymies information sharing and opportunity. Click here to scroll through slides from a AAAS panel on the dominance of English in science that inspired Gallagher's editorial.

Tribute: Josh Lederberg

In February, Lederberg, the chair of our advisory board, succumbed to pneumonia following a long illness. Visit here for a tribute to one of the last century's most influential scientists, including an essay by founding editor Eugene Garfield, our coverage of Lederberg's passing, letters from his colleagues, and essays he wrote for The Scientist about some of his favorite topics.

Slideshow: The Cane Toad

In our April issue , Brendan Borrell traveled to Australia to chronicle scientists efforts to design a virus that stops the cane toad. View this slideshow for a first-hand look at what its like to try to stop one of the worlds most insidious invasive species.

Slideshow: new insect lab

In our March issue , we sent Kerry Grens to check out a new core facility for insect genetics, at the University of Maryland's Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) in Shady Grove. Click here to view a slideshow from her visit.

What makes a good lab Web site?

For the March issue , a panel of expert judges picked winners of the Web site and Video awards. Click here to see an interactive analysis of good and bad features of two lab sites

Video: First-responders to HIV in Haiti reminisce

For our March issue, Bob Grant traveled to Haiti to see the science behind a successful public health program in a developing country. In these videos, Haitian physicians Jean Pape and Bernard Liautaud remember their work with Haitian HIV/AIDS patients in the 1980s, at a time when the international community was just waking up to the problem.

Best Places to Work: Industry

Click here to give us your appraisal about your company, and we'll publish an insider's perspective on how your job matches up against others in biotech and pharma in our June issue.

Asymmetric cell division at work

In our February issue, Steven Reiner describes how lymphocytes make use of a highly unusual type of division to create two different kinds of cells: effector and memory. Watch video of asymmetric cell division at work in the T cell.

Mendel upended?

For the February issue, Andrea Gawrylewski checked in on Arabidopsis experiments that showed a mutant plant could revert to the genotype of its grandparents'. View this slideshow to get a visual look at data that threaten Mendelian laws of inheritance.

How do trials pay?

For our February issue, we ask: How much should clinical trials pay healthy subjects? To find out typical compensation for different types of studies, play this interactive game, based on "Operation".

What's killing the corals?

Associate editor Edyta Zielinska took a look at coral disease as part of our January issue package on climate change and the biosphere. Ernesto Weil from the University of Puerto Rico has worked with coral reefs in the Caribbean for 30 years, and has seen a great deal of change. Here are some of the photographs he's taken of the damage from coral diseases.

Battling monkeypox in the Congo

In our January issue, Drew Fellman writes about epidemiologist Anne Rimoin, who battles rebel forces, an Ebola outbreak, and air disasters to conduct the most ambitious disease surveillance program in the equatorial rainforests of the Congo. Here's a slideshow about her work.

A waiting trial

For our January issue, deputy editor Ivan Oransky traveled to Fargo, ND, to find out why a patient in a cardiac stem cell trial had been diagnosed with leukemia. See a slideshow from his trip here.

Climate change and the biosphere

For our January issue, F. Stuart Chapin introduces a package on the latest in global warming research. Hear Chapin discuss his ideas in our podcast.

The birth of biotech

Lewis Cantley writes in our December issue, Kelly Rae Chi traces much of the vibrant San Diego biotech industry back to one company. See the family tree here.

Kinases and cancer

Lewis Cantley writes in our December issue about the links between PI3 kinases and cancer. Click here for an interactive graphic that describes an important kinase pathway.

Barcoding the world

A group of researchers hopes to barcode every species on Earth. For our December issue, Bob Grant traveled to Taipei and Toronto to report on their progress. Read about a pocket barcoder here, and see a slideshow of his travels here.

Building bladders

For our December issue, Alison McCook reported on a company that wants to build you your own bladder. Click here to see how the process works.

The Best Places To Work in Academia

Find out where your institution placed in our Best Places to Work: Academia survey. For extra tables and data that didn't appear in print, click here and here.

The best laboratory Web sites

See the winners for The Scientist's first ever Laboratory Web Site and Video Awards


A microscopic history

In the November Foundations column, we highlight an early Hooke microscope. Click here for a slideshow of microscopes from the National Museum of Health and Medicine.

A mysterious Croatian disease

For a piece in our November issue, Julia C. Mead traveled to Croatia to learn what scientists are doing to stop a deadly kidney disease. Click here for the story of how one medical student helped crack the cause of the illness, and here for a slideshow of images from Croatia.

Hearing channels' inner workings

As part of our neuroscience focus in our November issue, Kerry Grens wrote about the search for an elusive hearing channel. Click here for an interactive graphic about the channel.

MicroRNAs: An emerging portrait

For our October issue, we present the most up-to-date information about how non-coding protein sequences exert genetic control. Click here for an interactive demonstration of the roles miRNAs play in the body.

Is the South China tiger worth saving?

For our October issue, we tell the story of a former fashion executive who has spent millions on what some deem a lost cause. Click here for a slideshow about her efforts to save the South China tiger.

Saving koalas from chlamydia

For our October issue, we interview scientists as they hunt for a vaccine to save one of Australia's most celebrated species. Click here to see a slideshow about their efforts.

Expanding the Panama Canal

For our October issue, Andrea Gawrylewski traveled to Panama to see what ecological impacts the expansion plan will have. Click here for a slideshow that chronicles her experience.

Readers weigh in on framing

The results from our online poll about framing in science, based on a feature in the October issue, are in. Click here to read the complete, up-to-date results.

5 areas to watch in HIV therapy

In our September issue, we present five approaches that researchers say could help people live with HIV/AIDS, not die from it. Click here for an interview with NIAID director Anthony Fauci on HIV research priorities.

The Scientist Salary Report 2007

Find out how your salary stacks up against your colleagues', which fields and regions are paying best for life scientists, and more.

The active lives of lipid metabolites

In our September issue, Jerold Chun explains how the discovery of a new family of lipid receptors provides potential targets for diseases such as multiple sclerosis and autoimmunity. Click here to see where in the body lipid metabolites are active.

The future of tenure

With your help, we take a look at the future of tenure in our September issue. Should we get rid of it, or just fix it? Click here to see what a CV might look like five years from now.

A summer on Easter Island

In our August issue, we report on the college students who are spending their vacation finding out why the creators of the famous stone statues suddenly disappeared. Follow the researchers efforts to solve one of the most famous archeological mysteries in our slideshow.

Do chimps have culture?

In our August issue, Bob Grant discovers whether studies that show primates can learn behaviors from each other is evidence of culture. Click here to see some of the social customs that have been documented in chimpanzees and orangutans.

Vote for the Best Places to Work in Academia

It's time for this year's Best Places to Work in Academia survey. Take a few minutes to fill out our survey, and help us provide you with comparative information on the best academic institutions worldwide.

The bytes behind biology

In our August issue, Andrea Gawrylewski looks at the supercomputer in Pittsburgh that can perform a phenomenal 21 trillion calculations per second. See one accomplishment of the computer's processing power, a video that takes you on a trip through a frog neuromuscular junction.

Online poll: Selling science to the public

In a special online feature, we're asking you whether you think scientists effectively communicate issues in the media? Take part in our special survey and let us know.

Does tenure need to change?

When it comes to evaluating scientists, many institutions look no further than citations and grants. In our special online feature, have your say on the factors underlying tenure, and help shape our future article on the subject.

Little lab tackles a big question

In our July issue, Edyta Zielinska visits the Molecular Sciences Institute in Berkeley, California, to see if Sydney Brenner's decision to form an organization that looks at one pathway in yeast paid off. Click here to see a slideshow of a day in the life of its researchers.

The trials behind a hookworm trial

In our July issue, Merrill Goozner travels to remote areas of Brazil to observe a hookworm vaccine study in action. Click here to see a slideshow of the researchers behind the trial, and to discover the difficulties in setting up and running this type of study.

How green is your lab?

In our June issue, we look at affordable and effective ways to make a lab more environmentally friendly. If you have a specific question about how to make your lab greener, our expert panel is available to answer your queries.

What's killing the pygmy rabbits?

In our June issue, find out about the challenges that vets and others are facing in their efforts to save the endangered pygmy rabbit. Plus see our slideshows following the people behind these efforts, and looking at a day in the life of a zoo pathologist.

Cracking cloning

In an online publishing experiment, we asked you, The Scientist's readers, to help us create an article on how you would solve the mysteries of stem cell cloning. Read the final feature and the original article, and see the results of our online polls.

How to make your lab greener

In our June issue, we report on how making a lab environmentally friendly is becoming more affordable and effective. But do you have a specific question about how to make your lab greener? Post a question to our expert panel who have kindly agreed to answer your queries.

Best places to work in industry 2007

In our May issue, the results of our annual survey are in. Is your company in our top 30? See all the survey results here.

On the panda trail

In our May issue, Jerry Guo traveled to the Wolong Nature Reserve in China's Sichuan Province to learn what researchers there are doing to increase the panda population. See the pandas at play here - and what they leave behind.

The parasites of Beaver Pond

In our May issue, Brendan Borrell visits an infectious diseases center specializing in host-pathogen relationships, which hopes to predict and prevent the next pandemic. See one scientist's trip to Beaver Pond where the parasites are jumping.

Stem-cell cloning poll, part III

As part of our special feature on stem-cell cloning, we're inviting you to take part in a series of online polls. This third and final poll looks at the public image of nuclear transfer for the purpose of deriving embryonic stem cells; to take part click here.

Stem-cell cloning poll, part II

As part of our special feature on stem-cell cloning, we're inviting you to take part in a series of online polls. This week's poll looks at some of the ethical issues around stem cell nuclear transfer; to take part click here. Come back next week to take part in our third and final poll.

Take part in our stem-cell cloning poll

In our special feature, we are asking you to help shape our next feature on the scientific and technical barriers hampering the success of stem cell research. As part of the feature, we're also inviting you to participate in a series of polls that we'll be running over the next few weeks. Vote on the first poll, which looks at scientific issues around stem cell cloning.

The whirling fish kill

In our April issue, Andrea Gawrylewski visits a fishery where more than 80,000 rainbow trout infected with whirling disease are being destroyed. See how workers manage to remove every one of the infected fish here.

Growing a new antidepressant

In our April issue, read how the long-standing dogma that human brains cannot generate new neurons was shattered, and how a company is eager to take those findings into the clinic. Also, take a 3-D view of new neurons growing in the brain.

Biosense or Biononsense?

In our April issue, we assess what the CDC's syndromic surveillance program has accomplished after years of development and hundreds of millions of dollars spent. Plus click here to read about one state's experience of the program.

A devil of a disease

In our March issue, we find out how the cartoon character Taz is helping to fight a disease that is threatening to kill off the real Tasmanian Devils. Plus click here to find out how researchers are trying to track the spread of the disease.

Your guide to retractions

In our March issue, we get to grips with the numerous and confusing terms that journals are increasingly using to point out errors in published papers. See our handy glossary of all of these terms here .

A grand unifying theory for biology?

In our March issue, Bob Grant meets the scientists developing a metabolic theory they say can predict fundamental characteristics in plants and animals. See the scientists discussing their theory and how it works in mice and elephants.

Best places to work for postdocs, 2007

In our March issue, our annual survey reveals the top institutions for postdocs, some of which might surprise you. Plus, click here to see our interactive map of the results.

Defending conservation

In our February issue , Kerry Grens finds out how the military is trying to protect the environment. Click here to see how bombs and biodiversity mix.

Peering into Carnegie

In our February issue , Brendan Maher goes behind the scenes at Carnegie Institution's embryology department and finds out whether a modern architectural makeover could change its renowned culture of tough but supportive scrutiny. Plus, click here to see the amazing metamorphosis of flatfish.

What's in your milk?

In our February issue , Ivan Oransky explores the evidence suggesting that hormones in milk increase the risk of cancer. And click here to find out how milk is produced and processed.

Dealing with lab conflicts

In our February issue , Kerry Grens finds out what to do when relationships cool off between researchers and arguments heat up. Plus, click here to read one lab's solution to relieving tensions in the lab.

Innate immunity in clinical trials

In our January issue, Kate Travis asks, can toll-like receptor targeted immune adjuvants save vaccinology? Click here for a table of clinical trials that make use of this strategy.

Sweet infections: Ajit Varki speaks

In our September issue, Karen Hopkin profiled glycomics superstar Ajit Varki. In this installment of a video interview with Varki, he compares the evolutionary trap of sialic acids to Alice in Wonderland.

From superstar to pariah

In our January issue, Brendan Borrell wrote about what happened after ornithologist Anders Moller was accused of fraud. Click here for a timeline of events.

Humans vs. chimps: Ajit Varki speaks

In our September issue, Karen Hopkin profiled glycomics superstar Ajit Varki. Click here to watch Varki describe how, in the 1980s, he uncovered the first known genetic difference between humans and apes.

On the trail of the hypoallergenic cat

In our January issue, staff writer Kerry Grens tracked the science and business behind the $4,000 hypoallergenic cats being hawked by Allerca. See a slideshow of Grens's investigative work, follow a timeline of crime, and interpret the scientific evidence.

A window into the earth

For our January issue, deputy editor Ivan Oransky traveled to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to visit the Houghton Rhizotron, an underground lab. Click here for a slideshow of images from the rhizotron.

50 years with the RNA double helix

In our December issue, Alexander Rich recalls his discovery of RNA's double helix. Click here for an annotated presentation of the original paper.

A malaria trial in Thailand

Merrill Goozner went to Thailand and China to report on clinical trials of a powerful anti-malarial for our December issue. Travel with him in this slideshow.

A Fascination with Glycans: Ajit Varki speaks

In our September issue, Karen Hopkin profiled glycomics superstar Ajit Varki. Click here to watch Varki describe how cell surface sugars caught his interest.

Sweet music: Ajit Varki speaks

In our September issue, Karen Hopkin profiled glycomics superstar Ajit Varki. Click here for a video of Varki speaking with Hopkin.

Getting kids to love science

In our special supplement on diversity, we featured the Cobbs Creek Environmental Education Center, where students learn about the environment. Click here for a narrated slideshow that visits the center.

Get your Gates funding

In our October issue, Juhi Yajnik explained how to make non-profit funding work for your biotech company. Click here for an in-depth list of such funding opportunities.

How much do you make?

Our annual salary survey ran in our November issue. In our interactive map of the US, see how your pay rates.

What's next for biomarkers?

Emanuel Petricoin and Lance Liotta lay out their vision for the future of biomarkers in our November issue. Click here for an interactive graphic explaining their method.

A Master Regulator in the Brain

In our October issue, Paul Greengard and Per Svenningson describe DARPP-32, a protein that has been found to link many psychiatric disorders. View an interactive graphic that describes the effects of various molecules on DARPP-32.

The Scientist Turns 20

The first issue of The Scientist came out on October 20, 1986. View our special look back at 20 years of print and web content.

Poll: How bad is Bush for science?

In our October issue feature on Bush and science, we take a hard look at the 43rd president's record. What do you think of Bush's stances on scientific issues? Take our poll.

Rate Dancers from the Jamaican Symmetry Project

In our September feature on what makes you sexy, we report that dance may be a good way to convey one's genetic and phenotypic quality. Go ahead and test the hypothesis.