Immunologist Steven D. Marlin sits in a plush office at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals in Ridgefield, Conn., joking with two of his collaborators, Vincent J. Merluzzi and Donald E. Staunton. The three are recalling the serendipitous events that linked independent research projects and spurred the development of a genetically engineered human protein that prevents major cold viruses from infecting cells in vitro. Marlin and Merluzzi, working in collaboration with investigators at the Erns

Molecular biologists and geneticists depend on the ability of DNA synthesizers to produce man-made oligonucleotides (oligos) of defined sequence for a variety of genetic studies, from the isolation of genes not clonable by other techniques to the diagnosis of mutations responsible for human genetic diseases. Research facilities specializing in recombinant DNA techniques typically own or have access to high-throughput DNA synthesizers, which are capable of simultaneously manufacturing up to 15 m

In 1985, David Beach, yeast geneticist at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Long Island, N.Y., assembled a strong team of young researchers who proceeded to produce a remarkable series of highly cited papers. From their lab, located along a secluded, peaceful inlet 35 miles from Manhattan, the investigators, led by Beach, made important breakthroughs in understanding the biochemical pathway controlling cell division and engaged in several extremely successful collaborations with other researc

Researchers find visits increasingly necessary for career advancement, high-tech lab work, and hard currency earnings. As pluralism and democracy move to replace communist rule in Eastern Europe, researchers in the West can expect to see a steady increase in the number of scientists traveling to Western Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. "It seems to me that there are three key issues: one is freedom of travel, and in all of those [Eastern Europe] countries the travel barriers

A unique silicon potentiometric sensor, now in its final stages of development, will give researchers an innovative tool for monitoring the effects of drugs, toxic agents, enzymes, and other substances in mammalian and bacterial tissue cultures. The device, called a silicon microphysiometer, uses photocurrent technology to measure cells' real-time metabolic responses to physical and chemical stimuli (Entrepreneur Briefs, The Scientist, Nov. 13, 1989, page 11). One feature that is certain to be

Although geneticists use a variety of gene transfer methods to introduce foreign DNA into microbial, plant, and animal cells, many important organisms do not respond to these established techniques. Problems with delivering genes in a reproducible, cost-effective, and timely manner still preyent researchers from manipulating certain genomes. But a new transformation technique, called particle gun technology, has overcome many of the obstacles of existing techniques and holds promise for bec

While geologists traditionally have focused their research on the materials that constitute the earth’s crust, modern geoscience has probed deeper and wider. Today, geoscience is an interdisciplinary field that addresses issues well beyond the investigation of earthquakes and the search for oil. Now, oceanographers; meteorologists, and paleobiologists, as well as geologists, study geophysical signatures to gain a better understanding of subjects such as the origin and evolution of the p

A new electronic monitoring system from BioMedic Data Systems Inc., of Maywood, N.J., can make the identification of animals throughout the course of an experiment as easy as reading the bar codes on groceries at supermarket checkout counters. The key to this system—called the Electronic Laboratory Animal Monitoring System (ELAMS)—is an 1 1-mm microchip transponder that is encased in glass and implanted subcutaneously or intramuscularly via a disposable stainless steel needle. T

The development of composite materials has advanced tremendously since the days when artisans hand-forged high- and low-carbon irons or steels to make a lighter, tougher samurai sword. Today's advanced composites are manufactured in a variety of ways to produce stronger, lighter-weight, and more heat-resistant substances than the metals they replace. Composed of thread-like fibers of graphite, boron, or aramid embedded in a matrix of resin, metal, or other material, advanced composites have hu

In The Graduate, the character played by Dustin Hoffman was told that he should hitch his future to "Plastics!" But if the movie were being made today, the advice to college students might be a little different; the hot field is "hazardous waste." Listen to Ralph Kummler, professor and chairman of chemical and metallurgical engineering at Wayne State University. "Hazardous waste is probably the single-most booming area in new education in the U.S. today," Kummler says. "Five years ago univers

Until five years ago, scientists investigating Parkinson’s disease were frustrated in their attempts to unravel the biochemical mechanism of this debilitating disease. Lacking an animal model, they were limited to observing its progressive symptoms in humans and to post-mortem examinations of the brain tissue of Parkinson’s patients. Then, in 1983, J. William Langston, now director of the California Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders, in San Jose, ide

Because of their high thermal conductivity beryllium oxide ceramics—also known as beryilia ceramics—have been used for years in electronics, laser, and nuclear research. But for parts manufacturers who use these ceramics as a thin substrate, they have been extremely expensive, since—due to their porosity and relatively course grain—they tend to become brittle as they become thinner. The thin substrates thus tend to chip and break during production, and manufacturers ar