Cover Story
A Face to Remember
Kerry Grens | Nov 1, 2014
Once dominated by correlational studies, face-perception research is moving into the realm of experimentation—and gaining tremendous insight.
Features
Neuroprosthetics
Eric C. Leuthardt, Jarod L. Roland, Wilson Z. Ray | Nov 1, 2014
Linking the human nervous system to computers is providing unprecedented control of artificial limbs and restoring lost sensory function.
2014 Life Sciences Salary Survey
Jyoti Madhusoodanan | Nov 1, 2014
This year’s data reveal notable variation in compensation for life scientists working in different fields, sectors, and regions of the world.
Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the November 2014 issue of The Scientist.
Editorial
Cerebral Sleuths
Cerebral Sleuths
For neuroscientists, experimental results converge to help crack the case of how the brain functions.
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
November 2014's selection of notable quotes
Freeze Frame
Caught on Camera
Caught on Camera
Selected Images of the Day from www.the-scientist.com
Notebook
The Devil’s Details
The Devil’s Details
With the iconic Australian marsupial carnivore on the brink of extinction, Tasmanian researchers race to unlock the immunological mysteries of a disease threatening the species.
Brain Massage
Brain Massage
Researchers may be able to improve memory by discharging magnetic pulses on the skull to alter the neural activity at and beneath the brain’s surface.
Seal Stowaways
Seal Stowaways
Pathogen traces recovered from Peruvian mummies suggest tuberculosis-causing bacteria rode from Africa to South America in pinnipeds.
Uncommonly Rare
Uncommonly Rare
How one of the rarest neurodegenerative diseases could lend insight into ubiquitous neuroprotective processes
Thought Experiment
The Ever-Transcendent Cell
The Ever-Transcendent Cell
Deriving physiologic first principles
Critic at Large
Enhanced Enhancers
Enhanced Enhancers
The recent discovery of super-enhancers may offer new drug targets for a range of diseases.
Modus Operandi
Light-Operated Drugs
Light-Operated Drugs
Scientists create a photosensitive pharmaceutical to target a glutamate receptor.
The Literature
Rhythmic Rewiring
Rhythmic Rewiring
Circadian neurons in fruit flies form synapses with different, noncircadian brain regions depending on the time of day.
Mitochondria Munchers
Mitochondria Munchers
Glial cells consume mitochondria released by neurons in the optic nerve.
Mixed Signals
Mixed Signals
Individual neurons in the dorsomedial striatum integrate responses to sight and touch.
Profile
Brains in Action
Brains in Action
An inspiring lecturer turned Marcus Raichle’s focus from music and history to science. Since then, he has pioneered the use of imaging to study how our brains function.
Scientist to Watch
Takaki Komiyama: Circuit Seeker
Takaki Komiyama: Circuit Seeker
Assistant Professor, Neurobiology Section, University of California, San Diego. Age: 35
Lab Tools
Mouse Traps
Mouse Traps
How to avoid pitfalls in assays of mouse behavior
White’s the Matter
White’s the Matter
A basic guide to white matter imaging using diffusion MRI
Next-Gen Sequencing User Survey
Next-Gen Sequencing User Survey
Outsourcing is still the rule and data analysis, the bottleneck.
Careers
The Rules of Replication
The Rules of Replication
Should there be standard protocols for how researchers attempt to reproduce the work of others?
Reading Frames
Walking with Whales
Walking with Whales
The history of cetaceans can serve as a model for both evolutionary dynamics and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Leonardo's Brain, The Future of the Brain, Dodging Extinction, and Arrival of the Fittest
Foundations
The Body Electric, 1840s
The Body Electric, 1840s
Emil du Bois-Reymond’s innovations for recording electrical signals from living tissue set the stage for today’s neural monitoring techniques.