Magazine Issue - October 2015 | Dynamic Brains

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October 2015

Features

Margaret M. McCarthy | Oct 1, 2015

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

Young neurons in the adult human brain are likely critical to its function.

Lost Colonies

Anna Azvolinsky | Oct 1, 2015

Next-generation sequencing has identified scores of new microorganisms, but getting even abundant bacterial species to grow in the lab has proven challenging.

Contributors

Meet some of the people featured in the October 2015 issue of The Scientist.

Editorial

Special Delivery

Neurons in new brains and old

Speaking of Science

October 2015's selection of notable quotes

Notebook

Ocean Sentinels

Researchers are struggling to understand shifts in the migratory patterns of penguins in the Southwest Atlantic.

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

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

Communication based on whistles offers a “natural experiment” for studying how the brain processes language.

Online First

Opinion: Pay-to-Play Publishing

Online scientific journals are sacrificing the quality of research articles to make a buck.

Modus Operandi

Holding Neurons Steady

Scientists engineer a feedback loop to fine-tune neuron activity with optogenetics.

The Literature

Sweet and Low

Glucose activates sleep-promoting neurons in the mouse hypothalamus.

Negative Thinking

Researchers uncover the first light-controlled negative-ion channels in algae, and they are fast.

Brain Freeze

A common tissue fixation method distorts the true neuronal landscape.

Profile

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

Director of Radiochemistry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School. Age: 35

Lab Tools

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

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

Researchers with disabilities are making their fields more accessible.

Reading Frames

Brain New World

The melding of mind and machine uncovers mysteries harbored in the brain.

Foundations

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.