DNA has transformed the field of forensic sciences, yet ever since its first use in a criminal investigation in 1987, the evidence has proven only as reliable as those doing the testing. In that first case, DNA evidence aided in the conviction of Colin Pitchfork for a double rape and murder in Narborough, England. Using blood samples of the town's residents, the crime lab originally ruled out Pitchfork, who had asked a coworker to submit a blood sample for him. By happenstance, someone overh

TIP TROVE | Traveling on a Light Budget Courtesy of NIH Traveling on a budget isn't much different for researchers than when they were students. For trips of a relatively short duration, going by train instead of plane offers benefits such as less time required to check in, and more room for paperwork while en route. Sharing a hotel room with a peer can result in significant savings. Although many now use the Web for travel arrangements, consider soliciting recommendations from a travel age

Each time Susan Fahrbach walks into her dank, windowless lab, she returns to the past. "We have dingy, cinderblock walls that give a 1960s feel to our work environment, which is probably the last time they've been painted," explains the professor of entomology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. A working environment like Fahrbach's can be a huge disadvantage for recruiting. "I had a visitor from Europe ask me why my building looked like a prison," says Fahrbach. "This isn't the

Harvard professor Bruce Spiegelman wins $50,000 Bristol-Myers Squibb award

Ned Shaw Omar Ahmed, a Sussex, UK-based researcher, describes a labmate who possesses a greater flair for ending Ahmed's sanity than for eradicating disease. "He hoards solvents and glassware, walks around like he owns the place, and often wanders around the lab singing," Ahmed says. "The singing really bothers me. He seriously thinks he's Frank Sinatra." The absence of suits and dearth of cubicles as hiding places can create an informal work environment in the lab. With collaboration often n

Frontlines | Waiting Out Addiction Erica P. Johnson Recent research shows that for smokers who are trying to quit, the day seems to pass slowly. Pennsylvania State University researchers found that time perception was impaired for these people, suggesting both a decrease in performance and an increase in discomfort for abstainers.1 Nonpuffers and daily smokers, who went 24 hours without inhaling, were asked to estimate how much time had elapsed during a 45-second span. To the abstaining s

Intellectual Property Owners Association honors Warren Zapol and Claes Frostell

Meeting identifies difficulties and successes in following US government rules for labs

Erica P. Johnson Genentech, Generex, GenVec, GenVac, Genzyme. Each of these companies may have its own corporate identity, but with more than 50 licensed biotechs whose names begin with "gen," they quickly start to sound the same. While imitation may be the highest form of flattery, it's not always a business savvy move. A company's name is arguably its most important marketing tool, often responsible for creating a positive first impression and increasing a company's visibility. With so much

Frontlines | A League of Their Own ©2002 The University of Newcastle It was a soccer match that truly belonged in its own league: eight small dog-shaped robots, four to a side, kicked, caught, and scored, as their human programmers watched from the sidelines. Earlier this month, Carnegie Mellon University hosted the first International RoboCup Federation's American Open, gathering more than 150 researchers from North and South America to Pittsburgh, Pa., to witness the games. Carnegi

All Illustrations: Tammy Irvine, Rear View Illustrations Researchers are bringing the wild inside their laboratories. Compelled by studies that suggest animals' bodies and minds react to even minor changes in living conditions, scientists are decorating animal cage interiors to mimic the exterior world of nature, thus challenging lab animals to think and move. A large, complex living space outfitted with objects that stimulate animals' mental and physical growth form the ideals of environmen

As thanks for their years of contributions to humankind through their use in biomedical research, some chimps will be guests of honor at a retirement party this spring. Set to break ground on May 30 is Chimp Haven (http://www.the-scientist.com/news/20021008/02/), a 200-acre chimpanzee sanctuary in Shreveport, La., which is slated to hold about 200 chimps retired from medical testing. The warm, moist climate of Louisiana is expected to provide a natural environment conducive to monkeying around