Editor's Note: In this essay, the authors--both scientists and writers--discuss recent science news stories and express their opinions on how the stories were handled by the media, as well as how scientists and journalists deal with each other. In this issue of The Scientist, we also have two other features on communicating science: Commentary on page 8 and Opinion on page 9. The "B" word--breakthrough--divides scientists and journalists as no other. Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather invoke it regula

REVELATION: The glycoprotein gp120 binds to the CD4 receptor on the T cell, causing the viral molecule to contort in a way that enables it to bind to the nearby chemokine receptor, too. This dual binding of HIV to two co-receptors triggers fusion of the viral and T cell membranes. Infection begins. X-ray crystallography has played a pivotal role in life science research, from providing data crucial to deciphering the DNA double helix, to revealing the structure of HIV protease. Now, the techn

  DOUBLE WINGS: An ultrabithorax mutant fly has a total duplication of the body segment that carries wings. Recent issues of The American Journal of Human Genetics have featured a newcomer: Drosophila melanogaster. The fruit fly is a frequent star of a series of review articles called "Insights From Model Systems." The insect's appearance in a human genetics journal is a telling sign that this model among model organisms, long used to decipher the general principles of inheritance

MIXED REVIEW: David Gordon, a science writer and biologist, calls chapter writing "a wonderful and awful experience." Scientists are, by necessity, writers. Academic scientists write exams, grant applications, and research papers; their industrial counterparts compose company reports and patent applications. Chapter writing offers a breather from these higher-pressure literary demands, whether it is for a published version of a symposium talk, a chapter for a textbook, or an analysis of a spec

Photos courtesy of Engineering Animation, Inc. BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE: Among the tools to counter effects from biological weapons, bioengineered red blood cells (above) can patrol the circulatory system, sponging up viral particles and carrying them to the liver for destruction. Synthetic macromolecules, or dendrimers (right), can capture viral particles and prevent further viral destruction of healthy cells. Biological weapons have been around since medieval warriors hurled plague-ridden corp

Jerome Hart Photography CONTROVERSIAL: Widespread use of student evaluations on campuses has become a hot topic, according to Terry Favero, an assistant professor of biology who teaches human anatomy at the University of Portland in Oregon. Teaching evaluations have become a rite of passage in nearly all college courses. Shortly before the final exam, students typically complete a standardized form that asks general questions on aspects such as course organization, level of difficulty,

Consumers distrust some of the field's developments and put too much hope in other, well-publicized studies. CALLING ALL SCIENTISTS: The best source of information on biotech, says Carl Feldbaum of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, is the scientist, who can really help educate the press and the public. The public's fears when modern biotechnology began two decades ago have both diminished and evolved. Surveys indicate that today, many people accept that biotechnology will increasingly

SPREADING THE WORD: Materials developed by NIDA use a neuroscience approach to teach students about the dangers of drug abuse. A new program from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), "Mind Over Matter," is using neuroscience research results to teach, rather than preach to, students about the dangers of addictive drugs. "People have historically seen drug abuse as purely a social problem that results from voluntary behavior and remains voluntary. But science has taught us that addictio

WHAT'S WHAT: Old Dominion's Kerry Kilburn found a notebook to be useful in explaining to a grad student how to analyze data she collected. Confirming experimental evidence is much like re-creating a prizewinning cheesecake: Both are much easier when a written record of the process is followed. While laboratory notebooks often contain detailed "recipes" for experiments, these diaries have several other functions, as well. "Scientists maintain notebooks to refer to previous experimental pr

Photo: Karen Young Kreeger EXCITING ERA: TIGR's Craig Venter says efforts to unravel the information being gathered will last "into the next century." While the list of genome projects grows, research focus is shifting from structure to function. So even as automated DNA sequencers crank out bases and powerful software overlaps pieces of genomes (contigs) to establish gene orders, investigators are searching and comparing those sequences among species, an approach called comparative genomics.

Being a company president-a job that entails handling day-to- day operations-or a chief executive officer (CEO)-who manages all aspects of a business-involves a unique combination of managerial skills. These roles are especially challenging for women, who are rare at corporate helms, particularly in the two-decade-old biotechnology industry. As biotech matures, the percentage of women at the top is growing. "Biotech is a relatively young industry. People are still working their way up. But we a

HONING SKILLS: Trinity biologist Robert Blystone says dissection provides the opportunity for students to develop scientific observational skills. Poring over a frog's insides once was nearly synonymous with biology class. Although many life scientists contend that dissection is crucial to understanding body form and function, several factors have converged to challenge such use of animals in the classroom. "The dissection of anatomical specimens such as the fetal pig has fallen on hard times