August 2012

Gifts of the Crow, What the Robin Knows, The Unfeathered Bird, and America’s Other Audubon

Although originally trained as an architect, Irving Geis dedicated his life to creating images of molecules that taught viewers about their structure and function. Beginning in 1948, Geis illustrated scientific concepts for Scientific American—a job

Topping this year’s survey of academic researchers is the J. David Gladstone Institutes, a San Francisco-based nonprofit biomedical research organization with a focus on cardiovascular disease, virology and immunology, and neurodegenerative disorders

People living on islands in the Norwegian Sea suffer from an unusually high rate of certain genetic diseases and health issues, making the population ripe for research.

Researchers working in war-torn countries find hints to the molecular roots of posttraumatic stress disorder.

A hint of green leads researchers to an ocean phenomenon that could counteract the effect of climate change on some corals.

At age 16, Alexandra Sourakov has her first scientific publication, on the foraging behavior of butterflies.

Irving Geis’s revolutionary painting of sperm whale myoglobin illuminated the nascent field of protein structure.

The DNA forms known as G-quadruplexes are finally discovered in human cells.

Lymphatic vessels grow towards two chemokines, revealing signals that could be important in cancer metastasis.

Researchers map the expression patterns of 1,000 genes in the human brain.

Ion beams carve slices in frozen cells, giving biologists an interior view.

Group Leader, Neuroscience Program, Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal; HHMI International Early Career Scientist; Age: 38

Scientists share their experiences weathering extremely stressful events without letting their careers get completely derailed.

Death breeds life in the world’s most diverse and abundant group of animals.

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

For Michael Dickinson, Drosophila are more than winged gene holders—they’re sophisticated systems for translating sensory information into flight instructions.

Science publishing is locked in an evolutionary arms race as it edges further into the digital age.

August 2012's selection of notable quotes

Overzealous open-access advocates are creating an exploitative environment, threatening the credibility of scholarly publishing.

Grading journals on how well they share information with readers will help deliver accountability to an industry that often lacks it.

Innovations in mass spectrometry are making quick, comprehensive, and easy proteome mapping more attainable than ever.

A guide to studying lipids using mass spectrometry

On the 10th anniversary of The Scientist’s survey of life science academics, institutions are contending with tighter budgets and larger administrative staffs, while working to sustain and inspire their researchers.