February 2012

Digestion on the cellular level: two mysteries examined

February 2012's selection of notable quotes

By helping Mongolians cultivate an understanding of their native insect fauna, scientists hope to protect the country's unique yet fragile ecosystems.

Japanese researchers unravel the mystery of miracle fruit.

Portable wet-lab kits allow even soldiers stationed in war zones to earn college science credits.

Cyclic peptides, discovered in an African tea used to speed labor and delivery, may hold potential as drug-stabilizing scaffolds, antibiotics, and anticancer drugs.

Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease are ready for widespread use in clinical trials.

Novel observations can sometimes be correct for unexpected reasons.

Having freshmen perform research doesn’t just improve undergraduate learning, it convinces more students to become science majors.

Turning a standard technique into an unbiased screen for diagnostic biomarkers

Editor's choice in drug development

Editor's choice in immunology

Editor's choice in cell biology

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of California, San Diego. Age: 34

A road map to liquid-handling solutions on the market

How to successfully surmount the challenges women face in becoming biotech industry leaders

Studying the evolution of altruistic behaviors reveals how knee-jerk good intentions can backfire.

Anna Atkins, pioneering female photographer, revolutionized scientific illustration using a newly invented photographic technique.

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

Neurogastronomy, Why Calories Count, The Kitchen as Laboratory, Fear of Food

In 1842, Anna Atkins, a 43-year-old amateur botanist from Kent, England, began experimenting with a brand-new photographic process called cyanotype or blue-print. 

Satellite imagery is giving biologists a whole new perspective on the phenomena they study.

Normal pancreatic function depends on the precise flow of calcium within and into the acinar cells of the organ. 

There are five steps of autophagosome biogenesis: induction, expansion, vesicle completion, fusion, and cargo degradation. 

For the past decade and a half, a crew of about 20 entomologists, water ecologists, and other specialists converges on the shorelines of Mongolia’s lakes, rivers, and streams, just when swarms of aquatic insects do the same.