Features
Sex Differences in the Brain
Margaret M. McCarthy | Oct 1, 2015 | 10+ min read
How male and female brains diverge is a hotly debated topic, but the study of model organisms points to differences that cannot be ignored.
Brain Gain
Jef Akst | Oct 1, 2015 | 10+ min read
Young neurons in the adult human brain are likely critical to its function.
Lost Colonies
Anna Azvolinsky | Oct 1, 2015 | 10+ min read
Next-generation sequencing has identified scores of new microorganisms, but getting even abundant bacterial species to grow in the lab has proven challenging.
Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the October 2015 issue of The Scientist.
Editorial
Special Delivery
Special Delivery
Neurons in new brains and old
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
October 2015's selection of notable quotes
Notebook
Ocean Sentinels
Ocean Sentinels
Researchers are struggling to understand shifts in the migratory patterns of penguins in the Southwest Atlantic.
Lefties, Language, and Lateralization
Lefties, Language, and Lateralization
The long-sought genetic link between handedness and language lateralization patterns in the brain is turning out to be illusory.
Formaldehyde Fears
Formaldehyde Fears
Data on the links between ALS and the chemical have been contradictory, but the latest study suggests undertakers are at risk.
Whistle While You Work Your Brain
Whistle While You Work Your Brain
Communication based on whistles offers a “natural experiment” for studying how the brain processes language.
Online First
Opinion: Pay-to-Play Publishing
Opinion: Pay-to-Play Publishing
Online scientific journals are sacrificing the quality of research articles to make a buck.
Modus Operandi
Holding Neurons Steady
Holding Neurons Steady
Scientists engineer a feedback loop to fine-tune neuron activity with optogenetics.
The Literature
Sweet and Low
Sweet and Low
Glucose activates sleep-promoting neurons in the mouse hypothalamus.
Negative Thinking
Negative Thinking
Researchers uncover the first light-controlled negative-ion channels in algae, and they are fast.
Brain Freeze
Brain Freeze
A common tissue fixation method distorts the true neuronal landscape.
Profiles
Circuit Dynamo
Circuit Dynamo
Eve Marder’s quest to understand neurotransmitter signaling is more than 40 years old and still going strong.
Scientist to Watch
Jacob Hooker: Weaver of Brain Science
Jacob Hooker: Weaver of Brain Science
Director of Radiochemistry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School. Age: 35
Lab Tools
Into the Limelight
Into the Limelight
Glial cells were once considered neurons’ supporting actors, but new methods and model organisms are revealing their true importance in brain function.
Decon Recon
Decon Recon
Published genomes are chock-full of contamination. But as awareness of the problem grows, so do methods to help combat it.
Careers
Ready, Willing, and Able
Ready, Willing, and Able
Researchers with disabilities are making their fields more accessible.
Reading Frames
Brain New World
Brain New World
The melding of mind and machine uncovers mysteries harbored in the brain.
Foundations
The First Neuron Drawings, 1870s
The First Neuron Drawings, 1870s
Camillo Golgi’s black reaction revealed, for the first time, the fine structures of intact neurons, which he captured with ink and paper.