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Features

Are Cancer Stem Cells Ready for Prime Time?
Suling Liu, Hasan Korkaya, and Max S. Wicha | Apr 1, 2012 | 10+ min read
A flood of new discoveries has refined our definition of cancer stem cells. Now it’s up to human clinical trials to test if they can make a difference in patients.
Deliberating Over Danger
The Scientist | Apr 1, 2012 | 10+ min read
The creation of H5N1 bird flu strains that are transmissible between mammals has thrown the scientific community into a heated debate about whether such research should be allowed and how it should be regulated.
Best Places to Work Postdocs, 2012
Sabrina Richards | Apr 2, 2012 | 10+ min read
Much has changed in the last 10 years for postdocs, who are staying in their positions longer than ever before—and coming out with more to show for it.

Editorial

Agents Provocateurs
Agents Provocateurs
Asking pointed questions is a key part of the scientific process.

Speaking of Science

Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
April 2012's selection of notable quotes

Notebook

Marked for Life
Marked for Life
Conservationists working in Madagascar are doing the unthinkable—defacing the shells of endangered ploughshare tortoises—but it may be the animals’ last hope.
Microscopy Boot Camp
Microscopy Boot Camp
A researcher in Florida changes lives by showing struggling 20-somethings the ins and outs of life in the lab.
Robo Rat
Robo Rat
More-realistic whiskered robots are better able to navigate dark or dusty environments, while providing insights into rodent sensory processing.
Bushmeat Roulette
Bushmeat Roulette
Pathogens lurk in illegal wildlife products confiscated at US airports.

Critic at Large

Reading Into the Future
Reading Into the Future
Will traditional scientific journals follow newspapers into oblivion?
Antibiotics in the Animals We Eat
Antibiotics in the Animals We Eat
Antibiotics in the Animals We Eat
Low-dose antibiotics in animal feed fuel drug-resistance in human infectious diseases.

Modus Operandi

A Brighter Beacon
A Brighter Beacon
A novel liquid laser set-up can detect single nucleotide mutations in a cancer gene.

The Literature

A Malignant Alliance
A Malignant Alliance
Two proteins interact to save adhesion molecules from degradation, potentially contributing to a more aggressive cancer.
Finding Phenotypes
Finding Phenotypes
Genes shared across species that produce different phenotypes – deafness in humans and directional growth in plants – may reveal new models of disease.
Whirlpool Bistros
Whirlpool Bistros
Fish adapt to feed for months along the entire depth of massive oceanic whirlpools that are rich in nutrients and plankton.

Profiles

Truth and Beauty
Truth and Beauty
With strong foundations in both art and science, Ahna Skop has been able to capture the marvel of—and mechanisms behind—cytokinesis.

Scientist to Watch

Emmeline Hill: Genes for Speed
Emmeline Hill: Genes for Speed
Lecturer, School of Agriculture & Food Science, University College Dublin. Age: 38

Lab Tools

Live and In Color
Live and In Color
How to track RNA in living cells
Eyes on Cancer
Eyes on Cancer
Techniques for watching tumors do their thing

Careers

The Best of Both Worlds
The Best of Both Worlds
Choosing to work in industry does not preclude a return to academe. But the move back takes some planning and finesse.

Reading Frames

Shopping Your Science
Shopping Your Science
A dose of marketing training may help you win grants, woo collaborators, and land jobs.

Foundations

The World in a Cabinet, 1600s
The World in a Cabinet, 1600s
A 17th century Danish doctor arranges a museum of natural history oddities in his own home.

Capsule Reviews

Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Consciousness, The Social Conquest of Earth, How Not to Be Eaten, and Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms

Slideshows

Telltale Tortoises
Telltale Tortoises
Researchers are permanently marking endangered reptiles in Madagascar to keep the animals from entering the illegal wildlife trade.Read the full story. [gallery]
Best Places for Postdocs, 2012
Best Places for Postdocs, 2012
Postdocs at this year’s top-ranked institutions get to tackle human health and disease from every angle. 

Contributors

Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the April 2012 issue of The Scientist.

Infographics

The Two Faces of Metastasis
The Two Faces of Metastasis
During development, the cells of an embryo change their pattern of gene expression, which allows them to detach from their original location and migrate to another part of the embryo, where the pattern changes again to allow formation of a new organ.
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