August 2011

After completing his studies in medicine and biology, Prussian naturalist Ernst Haeckel set off for Italy in 1859, where, in addition to painting landscapes, he spent the climactic months of his stay glued to his microscope observing and sketching.

When general practitioner John Lusingu returned to his native Tanzania to do research on malaria, he was met with a total lack of science infrastructure. 

While gut microbiota appear to have both positive and negative impacts on our  health, in the guts of healthy, lean individuals, the good outweighs the bad.  

Gut bacteria that feed on healthy food appear to amplify the nutritional benefits of those foods. However, they also appear to amplify the undesirable effects of unhealthy food. 

As the planet warms plant growth will likely increase—locking up some of that extra carbon dioxide by converting it into vegetative biomass—but that’s not the whole story. 

The mechanism by which tumor cells end up harboring other living cells remains elusive, and the sparse evidence acquired thus far has led researchers to propose different hypotheses. 

Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology, London. Age: 37

Motivated by a career-ending ligament tear, a former NFL player starts a company to test athletes' genetic predispositions to common sports injuries.

New types of biological filaments are turning up in yeast, fly, bacterial cells and in rat neurons, and they may yield clues to how the cytoskeleton evolved from metabolically active enzymes.

To ensure high-quality clinical trials of a malaria vaccine, organizers in rural Africa must first upgrade electrical and research infrastructures.

A young botanist pays tribute to his mentor by naming a newly discovered, rare species in his honor.

Sequencing the DNA of individual neurons is a way to dissect the genes underlying major neurological and psychological disorders.

Using the strongest molecular binding partnership in biology to separate different cell types.

Editor's Choice in Physiology

Editor's Choice in Neuroscience

Editor’s Choice in Plant Biology

Dissatisfied with the uncertainty of crystallography, Ned Seeman invented a new way of assembling the molecules that encompass the logic of life.

With mounting interest from biotechs, Big Pharma, and the federal government, research on rare diseases is burgeoning.

Administrators have taken over US universities, and they’re steering institutions of higher learning away from the goal of serving as beacons of knowledge.

Getting the big picture means asking lots of little questions.

Ascribing benefits to the experience of devastating illness or trauma is fraught with hidden dangers.

After completing his studies in medicine and biology, a restless Ernst Haeckel set off for Italy in 1859 to study art and marine biology. The diversity of life fascinated the 26-year-old Prussian, and in addition to painting landscapes, he spent the

August 2011's selection of notable quotes

A guide to free software for constructing and assessing species relationships

First Life, Radioactivity, Brain Bugs, Life of Earth

Meet some of the people featured in the August 2011 issue of The Scientist.