Observant readers may have noticed a small but significant change on the front page of this issue of The Scientist --we have changed the subtitle of our publication from "The Newspaper for the Life Sciences Professional" to "The News Journal for the Life Scientist." While this change is of no earth-shattering importance in the greater scheme of things, it has significance to our editors and writers, and it affects the way we present ourselves to the world. The content and appearance of The Scientist have both evolved in recent years, and we believe that the word "journal" more accurately describes our current publication. The Scientist increasingly emphasizes analysis, background, and commentary, in addition to "straight" news reporting. Further, there is no denying the contrast between our quality paper and colorful layouts and the traditional newsprint and ink-smudged-fingers image associated with newspapers.
Our mission is to provide research scientists with relevant...