The worldwide impact of discoveries over recent years in genetics is evident, but also worth considering is the potential effect on the performance of biology. Could these achievements spark an upsurge in creativity elsewhere within the life sciences? The reason this may be likely is that, since the dawn of the 20th century--and even earlier, going back to Gregor Mendel's experiments--the gene has been an abstraction par excellence, a chemical entity described without direct evidence of its exi

Courtesy of Ed Rowton, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research An anopheline mosquito taking a blood meal. Researchers and physicians, open your guides to rare diseases, for that may be the only place you'll encounter Jumping Frenchmen of Maine. There you also will find Kabuki Make-up Syndrome, Split-Hand Deformity, Stiff Person Syndrome, Tangier Disease, and Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. These are among thousands of "orphan diseases," originally so called because they weren't "adopted" by spon

For this article, Steve Bunk interviewed S. Blair Hedges, evolutionary biologist, Pennsylvania State University. 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. S. Kumar, S. Blair Hedges, "A molecular timescale for vertebrate evolution," Nature, 392:917-20, April 30, 1998. (Cited in more than 170 papers since publication) Thirty-five years ago, researchers proffered the remarkable hypoth

For this article, Steve Bunk interviewed Richard S. Lewis, associate professor of molecular and cellular physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine. 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. R.E. Dolmetsch, K. Xu, and R.S. Lewis, "Calcium oscillations increase the efficiency and specificity of gene expression," Nature, 392:933-6, April 30, 1998. (Cited in about 170 papers s

Rhesus macaques in the outdoor corrals at the California Regional Primate Research Center It's "enrichment" time in a long room at the California Regional Primate Research Center (CRPRC) on the University of California's Davis campus. When we peer through a little window in the door, most of the rhesus macaques in wall-mounted cages are looking away from us, toward the television. A nature show is airing. Jeffrey A. Roberts, assistant director, primate services, comments that whenever monkeys ar

For this article, Steve Bunk interviewed Ronald A. DePinho, professor of genetics, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School. 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. Pomerantz, N. Schreiber-Agus, N.J. Liégeois, A. Silverman, L. Alland, L. Chin, J. Potes, K. Chen, I. Orlow, H-W. Lee, C. Cordon-Cardo, R.A. DePinho, "The INK4a tumor suppressor gene product, p19ARF,

For this article, Steve Bunk interviewed Karl O. Stetter, director, Institute of Microbiology, University of Regensburg, Germany, and Jay M. Short, chief executive officer, Diversa Corp., San Diego. 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. G. Deckert, P.V. Warren, T. Gaasterland, W.G. Young, A.L. Lenox, D.E. Graham, R. Overbeek, M.A. Snead, M. Keller, M. Aujay, R. Huber, R.A. Feld

Jay H. Robbins Defects in the body's DNA repair system long have been linked to skin cancer, but evidence is now emerging that similar problems play a role in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. New findings by senior investigator and medical officer Jay H. Robbins and colleagues in the dermatology branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) go far toward validating a hypothesis broached by Robbins a quarter-century ago. That's how long his team has been following cli

Photo courtesy of David G. Kingston From left, Kim Wright; a tribal healer (name unknown); and Frits Van Troon, a Suriname ethnobotanist, examine a medicinal plant. In his new book, Medicine Quest,1 ethnobotanist Mark J. Plotkin describes a plant that forest dwellers in Suriname, on the northern coast of South America, call nekoe. They crush its stems and sprinkle them on streams to stun fish. The local Maroons, who are descendants of 17th century slaves of the Dutch, claim that tapirs eat neko

Vical Inc.'s naked DNA nonviral delivery technology Even as gene transfer research endures criticism for inadequate clinical trial monitoring and underreporting of adverse events, the first several treatments are poised to enter final stages of development. Gene therapy for cancers of the skin and kidney, for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) or "bubble boy" disease, and for hemophilia B, all have produced promising early clinical trial results, attendees were told during the American Soc

For this article, Steve Bunk interviewed Tak W. Mak, medical biophysics professor, Ontario Cancer Institute, University of Toronto. 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. R. Hakem, A. Hakem, G.S. Duncan, J.T. Henderson, M. Woo, M.S. Soengas, A. Elia, J.L. de la Pompa, D. Kagi, W. Khoo, J. Potter, R. Yoshida, S.A. Kaufman, S.W. Lowe, J.M. Penninger, T.W. Mak, "Differential require

For this article, Steve Bunk interviewed John C. Reed, scientific director, The Burnham Institute, La Jolla, Calif. 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.M. Jürgensmeier, Z. Xie, Q. Deveraux, L. Ellerby, D. Bredesen, J.C. Reed, "Bax directly induces release of cytochrome c from isolated mitochondria," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 95:4997-5002, April 19