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Choice between total and partial bans on human embryo cloning put off for 2 years

Science needs stronger self-regulation to prevent misuse by terrorists, UK politicians say

50,000 prizes another part of the effort to improve researchers' status

Young researcher's punishment seeks balance between discipline and salvaging a promising career

European Parliament committees reject amendments that would have restricted or banned embryonic stem cell research

As plague researcher's trial begins, leading US scientists condemn the case itself and its chilling effect

A new service aims to guide groups through the European science funding maze

David Ho discusses promising vaccine approaches, improved therapies, and remaining obstacles

Widely varying reactions to suspension of Oxford academic who rejected Israeli student

Grant controversy escalates, with charges of misconduct and 'scientific McCarthyism' exchanged

Click for larger version of survey graph (22K) Some 425 readers told us about the influences that guided them to become scientists; they cited an average of three influential factors. By far the most important, according to 70% of our respondents, was innate curiosity. "I cannot help but poke things until I find out how they work," says one. Another notes, "I have known since I was a toddler that I would become a biologist." Secondary school teachers (46%), parents (46%), and college teacher

Foundations | The Birth of the Southern Blot, 1975 Courtesy of Ed Southern Gels used for electrophoresis of nucleic acids and proteins are permeable. This obvious fact didn't dawn on me until I tried to dissolve some agarose by floating it on a solution of sodium perchlorate and noticed a bead of liquid form on the top. I reasoned that if DNA molecules were carried through with the flow it would be possible to capture them on a nitrocellulose membrane, using the setup shown in the sketch.