A Clear View of Cancer

Meet some of the people featured in the April 2013 issue of The Scientist.

A decade into the age of genomics, science is generating a flood of data that will help in the quest to eradicate the disease.

April 2013's selection of notable quotes

Tooth-like structures on the skin of a South American fish might serve as high-velocity water-flow detectors.

Pigeons may use ultra-low-frequency sounds to navigate—a strategy that could steer them off course in the face of infrasonic disturbances, such as sonic booms.

A tactic designed to nab repeat offenders also pinpoints the source of infectious diseases and invasive species.

After a family friend died of pancreatic cancer, high school sophomore Jack Andraka invented a diagnostic strip that could detect the disease in its early stages.

Advances in genomics and cancer biology will alter the design of human cancer studies.

Protected areas help to conserve imperiled tropical forests, but many are struggling to sustain their resident species.

Scientists develop a gel that mimics mollusc glue to coat the insides of blood vessels.

Researchers are taking advantage of small, transparent zebrafish embryos and larvae—and a special strain of see-through adults—to understand the development and spread of cancer.

Satellites of the Golgi apparatus generate the microtubules used to grow outer dendrite branches in Drosophila neurons.

Flies turning blue help researchers link the deterioration of the intestinal barrier to age-related death.

Histone acetylation levels keep intracellular pH in check.

By scrutinizing gene expression profiles instead of individual oncogenes, Todd Golub launched a powerful platform for diagnosing, classifying, and treating cancer.

Professor, Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology. Age: 40

Microarrays help keep induced pluripotent stem cell lines in check, from start to finish.

Applying the sensitive touch of atomic force microscopy to DNA, cells, and proteins

Young researchers who left the academic path to transform their bright ideas into thriving companies discuss their experiences, and how you can launch your own business.

Archaeology can shine needed light on the evolution of our aggressive tendencies.

Leopold, The Drunken Botanist, Beautiful Whale, and Between Man and Beast

A bizarre group of Antarctic fishes lost their red blood cells but survived to tell their evolutionary tale, revealing a fundamental lesson about the birth and death of genes.