April 2012

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

April 2012's selection of notable quotes

Conservationists working in Madagascar are doing the unthinkable—defacing the shells of endangered ploughshare tortoises—but it may be the animals’ last hope.

A researcher in Florida changes lives by showing struggling 20-somethings the ins and outs of life in the lab.

More-realistic whiskered robots are better able to navigate dark or dusty environments, while providing insights into rodent sensory processing.

Pathogens lurk in illegal wildlife products confiscated at US airports.

Will traditional scientific journals follow newspapers into oblivion?

Low-dose antibiotics in animal feed fuel drug-resistance in human infectious diseases.

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

Two proteins interact to save adhesion molecules from degradation, potentially contributing to a more aggressive cancer.

Fish adapt to feed for months along the entire depth of massive oceanic whirlpools that are rich in nutrients and plankton.

Genes shared across species that produce different phenotypes – deafness in humans and directional growth in plants – may reveal new models of disease.

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

Lecturer, School of Agriculture & Food Science, University College Dublin. Age: 38

How to track RNA in living cells

Techniques for watching tumors do their thing

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

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

A 17th century Danish doctor arranges a museum of natural history oddities in his own home.

Researchers are permanently marking endangered reptiles in Madagascar to keep the animals from entering the illegal wildlife trade.Read the full story. [gallery]

Postdocs at this year’s top-ranked institutions get to tackle human health and disease from every angle. 

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

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

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.