James King-Holmes/Science Photo Library Predicting natural death is generally impossible, save for those who study Caenorhabditis elegans: They know the precise moment that 131 cells, and only those 131 cells, are programmed to die. The timing and location of cell death is identical during the development of every tiny C. elegans worm. Nobel laureates John Sulston and Robert Horvitz discovered these cellular suicides in 1976 when they mapped the fate of C. elegans' 1,090 cells. "It really di

Courtesy of Nadine Barrie Smith  PATCHING THROUGH: The ultrasound patch, weighing less than 22 grams, is an array made from up to four cymbal transducers, encased in a flexible polymer. This array's dimensions are 37 x 37 x 7 mm. It can be made thinner. Proteins represent the largest class of biotech drug ap-provals, and the numbers will continue to rise as work with the human genome sequence proceeds. Figures from 2000 show that 86% of 77 approved biotech medicines are proteins, with hu

Frontlines | Physics Rules One wonders what force Dylan Thomas was pondering when he wrote: "The force that through the green fuse drives the flower/ Drives my green age." Chances are the poet wasn't considering genetics, but that shouldn't bother researchers Paul Kulesa and Scott Fraser. They've discovered that physical forces may be more important than gene expression during the development of chick somites, or embryonic segments. The prevailing view has been that molecular biology driv

Largest US survey ever finds public accepts some genetic technology, wants govt control.

Marine Fisheries scientist charges US government with endangering salmon.

Federal magistrate issues temporary restraining order.

Low-frequency acoustic noise implicated in Baja California whale deaths.

Perlegen amasses 1.7 million human SNPs with high-density arrays

t will require researchers to comply with microarray standard

Bruce Wallace, pivotal figure in Amgen's history, dies at 54

Image: Erica P. Johnson Treating people who have seizure disorders is a little like playing roulette. Place a bet on a drug from column A and hope for a hit. If that drug doesn't work, try one from column B. This process can drag on for months or years, and for many people with epilepsy--between 25% and 30%--relief from seizures never comes. With 40 to 50 million people experiencing seizures worldwide, this means that huge numbers of people receive no benefit from treatment. One might think t

New state law expected to lure researchers and business.