February 1995

Over the past four years, research discoveries of possible genetic origins of human sexual orientation have touched off a tempest of controversy and debate among gay-rights advocates and their opponents, politicians, journalists-- even members of the science community. But investigators in this field, whose studies instigated the commotion, say they find themselves, for the most part, riding in the calm eye of the storm. Following are some recent, widely publicized articles on the biologica

Researchers as well as analysts maintain that the industry's idiosyncrasies make Wall Street unnecessarily cautious After two years of a bear market, biotechnology analysts, industry officials, and researchers say they have learned some painful lessons about biotech investment, the lifeblood of the young industry. While theories vary on the reasons for what has been an erratic, often-wildly unpredictable market, many veteran industry observers cite two important and related factors: Investo

A recently established Department of Energy (DOE) initiative is expected to yield major scientific and commercial contributions as it embarks on its multimillion-dollar effort to sequence the entire genome of several free-living microorganisms. Scientists anticipate that the program will substantially expand understanding of evolutionary relationships, while it also advances genome-sequencing technology. Commercial application of the sequences, such as industrial enzymes used in cleaning up th

University groups work with Clinton administration to rewrite indirect-costs rules but will the new Congress ask for more ? Poorly understood, much maligned, and yet central to the work of research, indirect costs are due for a partial, but welcome, revamping under changes expected to be published this week by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), according to university administrators and association officials. Indirect costs represent that part of a federal research grant that reimbu

Walter Stewart and Ned Feder -- forced into new jobs at the National Institutes of Health in April 1993, ending their decade-long careers as self-styled scientific misconduct investigators -- have quietly but persistently continued their inquiries into research wrongdoing. They do so now, however, on their own time and with non-governmental resources. Should Stewart and Feder be reinstated in their former jobs? Many people familiar with their case -- even some who respect the role Stewart and

`APOPTOSIS' Year Total Funding Number of Projects 1992 $12 million 78 1993 23 million 139 1994 49 million 278 Source: Rosemary W. Bordley, searcher, National Institutes of Health Division of Research Grants

Two immunologists, John W. Kappler and Philippa Marrack, have been awarded Columbia University's 1994 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for their ground-breaking work in identifying the mechanisms by which T cells, one of the immune system's central components, are able to differentiate between foreign antigens and proteins of the self. Kappler and Marrack both are Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators at the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine in Denver and members

Whistle While You Blastl Death Takes A Sabbatical Musical Chairs Army Offers NIH Alternative Toothsome Occasion Historical Fellowships pp. 4. Sandia National Laboratories and a Walt Disney Co. subsidiary, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Inc., have joined forces to more efficiently light up the night sky for millions of tourists at Disney theme parks around the world. The bridge, a silicon circuit first developed by Sandia for defense applications--such as weapons detonation--will be u

As a researcher who has spent a good deal of my scientific career studying the sociology of human sexuality, and often of homosexuality, I find the study of the latter at a crossroads. Provocative work on the biological origins of homosexuality by Simon LeVay; J. Michael Bailey and Richard C. Pillard; and Dean H. Hamer has caught the imagination of both the popular and scientific press (S. LeVay, Science, 253:1034-7, 1991; J.M. Bailey, R.C. Pillard, Archives of General Psychiatry, 48:1089-96,

May I suggest that readers compare the lofty statements made by "premier" bioethicist Arthur Caplan in his interview with The Scientist (Oct. 17, 1994, page 12) with his superficial, ill- considered, and alarmist comments on the recent recommendations of the National Institutes of Health Human Embryo Panel, made in a syndicated column published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Oct. 13, 1994. For example, Caplan states that the panel recommends federal funding for studies on human parthenotes (

Science is a search for the objective truth. Its practitioners are, nonetheless, a microcosm of society, also bringing the myriad subjective experiences of their childhood and their cultural upbringing to bear on their lives. Education helps to broaden our perspectives, yet we have hopes and fears just like everybody else. And through the years the scientific community has run the gamut of feelings and behaviors toward gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The McCarthy hearings of the 1950s brought g

MOST-CITED APOPTOSIS PAPERS, 1981-94 Rank Paper Citations 1 C.A. Smith, G.T. Williams, R. Kingston, 539 E.J. Jenkinson, J.J.T. Owen,"Antibodies to CD3/T cell receptor complex induce death by apoptosis in immature T cells in thymic cultures," Nature, 337:181-4, 1989. (University of Birmingham School of Medicine, England) 2 A.H. Wyllie, R.G. Morris, A.L. Smith, D. 450 Dunlop, "Chromatin cleavage in apoptosis-- association with condensed chromatin morphology and dependence on macro

Research Field Sidebars: MOST-CITED APOPTOSIS PAPERS, 1981-94 NIH FUNDING OF EXTRAMURAL GRANTS WHOSE TITLES MENTION `APOPTOSIS' WHERE APOPTOSIS RESEARCHERS GATHER The phenomenon of apoptosis--a form of programmed cell death--has sprung suddenly and dramatically into scientific consciousness. While references to apoptosis now abound in scientific literature, cell biology textbooks with copyrights prior to 1992 do not contain the term in their indexes. Before 1992, the National Institutes of He

{WantNoCacheVal} WHERE APOPTOSIS RESEARCHERS GATHER WHERE APOPTOSIS RESEARCHERS GATHER American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 9650 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Md. 20814-3992 (301) 530-7075 Fax: (301) 571-1824 E-mail: asbmb@asbmb.faseb.org 9,000 members President: Gordon G. Hammes Executive officer: Charles Hancock Journal of Biological Chemistry Herbert Tabor, editor (301) 530-7150 Fax: (301) 571-1824 American Society for Cell Biology 9650 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Md. 20814-3992

David Smith, manager of electronic imaging at Fryer Co. Inc., a Huntley, Ill.-based distributor of optical instrumentation, offers the following suggestions for those considering the purchase of imaging equipment: 1. Define your problem and develop a formal specification of your needs before going out to shop for an image-analysis system. 2. Ask suppliers if their products have the functions your application requires. 3. Determine what the imaging system can do, other than your specific ap

The Ni-NTA spin columns provide purification of 6xHis-tagged proteins from small-scale expression cultures. Available in two formats--separately without reagents or as a complete kit--they can be used in experimental situations requiring small-scale expression, functional screening, and rapid purification of engineered and recombinant proteins. Each can purify up to 100 fg of 6xHis tagged protein under native or denaturing conditions. According to the manufacturer, this procedure allows 12 mini

Demand for professionals in the area of industrial hygiene--the scientists, engineers, and others who grapple with a variety of workplace and community health issues--is rising, according to those working in the field. Their responsibilities can include a range of activities, such as cleaning up oil spills and chemical leaks, measuring air samples, or designing safer manufacturing plants. Compensation for those in the field has been high, reflecting the increasing emphasis placed by government