Researchers have practically finished sequencing the most deadly form of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The project, started in 1996, will publish on its current standing late this summer, says Malcolm Gardner, associate investigator, parasite genomics group, at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) in Rockville, Md. "I would say we have over 99% of the genome in the database," says Gardner. He made his comments at the annual meeting in February of the American Association for

Add this to the pot of stem cell sources creating a political stir: parthenogenesis, creating embryos from unfertilized eggs. Unlike the cloning issue, which has a defined division, the ethical question regarding parthenogenesis may have all the earmarks of being ambivalent. So far, the US government has already placed restrictions on federal funding for new stem cell lines derived from in vitro fertilized embryos, and the Senate is deliberating over a ban on cloning that may block stem cells de

During the height of the national ruckus over anthrax mailings and feared terrorist attacks this past October, the US Senate quietly confirmed John H. Marburger III as scientific adviser to President George W. Bush, and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Bush broke records for heel dragging in nominating a candidate and then demoted the position from assistant to the president, granting less face time with the chief of staff.1 Add to this the fact that the OSTP was r

The relationship between man and mouse has had, at times, a strained history: They were vilified in the Book of Leviticus; their most feared enemy, the cat, was deified in ancient Egypt; and their English name evolved from the derogatory Sanskrit mush, meaning "to steal."1 Over the centuries, a more amicable rapport grew between Asian and European breeders and their furry pets, prized for their exotic color and behavior. Yet only a few scientists prior to 1900 took advantage of the creatures' ub

For this article, Brendan A. Maher interviewed Eric S. Lander, director, Whitehead Institute Center for Genome Research, Cambridge, Mass., and J. Craig Venter, then president and chief scientific officer, Celera Genomics Group, Rockville, Md. Data from the Web of Science (ISI, Philadelphia) show that Hot Papers are cited 50 to 100 times more often than the average paper of the same type and age. J.C. Venter et al., "The sequence of the human genome, Science, 291:1304-51, Feb.16, 2001. (Cited in

The all-out assault to impede production of b-amyloid (Ab), the plaque-forming peptide believed by many to cause neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease (AD), entails a war on two fronts. For those aiming to prevent plaques at their cellular source, the two clear targets are b-secretase and g-secretase, which sequentially cleave amyloid precursor protein (APP) to generate Ab. Some victories are emerging: Small molecules designed to inhibit g-secretase activity are being clinically tested, and the

To say that K. Barry Sharpless has had an eventful year might be as understated as saying that he likes chemistry. In addition to receiving the Nobel Prize for chemistry on Dec. 10, Sharpless, W.M. Keck Professor of chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., returned to his hometown of Philadelphia earlier in April to receive the Benjamin Franklin Medal, and then again this autumn to receive the John Scott Award. The latter award was bestowed by the Philadelphia Board of Ci

Nine months have passed since draft sequences of the human genome were first published.1,2 One human gestation period later, the genome, as deciphered by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium, still screams toward its projected Spring 2003 finish date. "The trajectory we're on for meeting that goal is precisely on target," assures Francis Collins, director, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and spokesperson for the largest public biological science project in histor

Gloria Lenhoff is a 46-year-old lyric soprano singer who has performed with such diverse groups as the San Diego Master Chorale and members of Aerosmith. She can sing nearly 2,500 songs in more than 25 languages, reportedly in a perfect accent. She even has perfect pitch. But the rest of her world is not perfect. Gloria is affected by a rare genetic disorder called Williams syndrome. With an IQ of about 55, Gloria literally cannot subtract three from five or make change for a dollar. But what

To avoid a sloppy scientific scramble to put particular organismal genomes into bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has instituted a nomination process that will queue organisms according to priority. First submissions are due Nov. 15. Written requests will be ranked by a peer review committee based on such criteria as the importance of the organism, uses of the BAC library other than for genomic sequencing, the size of the resear

Rest, synthesize, divide: The complex and delicate system controlling the life cycles of a cell has long fascinated scientists, and it may open the door to new cancer therapeutics and detection techniques. For their epochal work on which today's knowledge of cell cycle is built, American Leland H. Hartwell of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Britons R. Timothy Hunt and Sir Paul M. Nurse of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, will receive the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine t

Shaken but not disheartened by events 10 days prior, some of the world's leading biomedical scientists gathered in New York, Sept. 21, to honor scientific achievement at the 2001 Lasker Awards ceremony. As James Fordyce, chairman of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, welcomed attendees, he asked that they view the World Trade Center wreckage "as a reminder of the precious value of life" and that they "not be deterred" from the life-saving mission of research. Echoing these sentiments through