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Cover Story

Coming to Terms
Anna Ajduk and Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz | Nov 1, 2012
New noninvasive methods of selecting the most viable embryo could revolutionize in vitro fertilization.

Features

Omega-3s: Fishing for a Mechanism
Ethan J. Anderson and David A. Taylor | Nov 1, 2012
Despite abundant evidence supporting their ability to help prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, the therapeutic effectiveness of fish oil–derived fatty acids remains controversial.
Life Sciences Salary Survey 2012
Hayley Dunning | Nov 1, 2012
Researcher salaries continue to buck the trend of the millennium’s first decade, remaining flat or even declining across most life science disciplines.

Contributors

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

Editorial

Long and Rocky Roads
Long and Rocky Roads
From basic research to beneficial therapies

Speaking of Science

Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
November 2012's selection of notable quotes

Notebook

Dolled-Up Turtles
Dolled-Up Turtles
Borrowing techniques from nail and hair salons, researchers have devised a method to tag small, previously untrackable sea turtles.
Chocolate and Cheese
Chocolate and Cheese
Taking gastronomy to the molecular level creates unprecedented flavor combos.
A Celebrated Symposium
A Celebrated Symposium
A conference, started 10 years ago partly as a disease ecologist’s birthday party, has become one of the most valued meetings in the field.
 
Pneu-mummy-a
Pneu-mummy-a
Comparing the protein profile of a 500-year-old Inca mummy to modern humans reveals an active lung infection prior to sacrifice.
 

Critic at Large

Little Fish in a Big Pond
Little Fish in a Big Pond
Continued overfishing of forage fish such as sardines and herring can result in devastating ecological and economic outcomes.
Military Mind Wars
Military Mind Wars
How neuroscience research can inform military counterintelligence tactics, and the moral responsibilities that accompany such research

Modus Operandi

Timing Turnover
Timing Turnover
Two-tone fluorescent tags track the movement and life span of proteins within living cells.

The Literature

Viral Skeleton
Viral Skeleton
A newly discovered family of tubulins—members of the cytoskeleton—encoded by bacteriophages plays a role in arranging the location of DNA within virus’s bacterial host.
Microbial Awakening
Microbial Awakening
Successive awakening of soil microbes drives a huge pulse of CO2 following the first rain after a dry summer.
Exit Strategy
Exit Strategy
Large RNA-protein packets use a novel mechanism to escape the cell nucleus.

Profile

The Road Less Traveled
The Road Less Traveled
First, Aravinda Chakravarti drew a map of how scientists might unravel the genetics of complex disease. Then he blazed the trail.

Scientist to Watch

Erica Larschan: Hitting Her Targets
Erica Larschan: Hitting Her Targets
Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, & Biochemistry Brown University, Age: 36

Lab Tools

Creative Emulsification
Creative Emulsification
Enhancing data collection from emulsion PCR reactions: three case studies
PCR Usage and Preferences
PCR Usage and Preferences
Quantitative real-time technology dominates the market today but digital PCR is on the rise.
A Guide to the Epigenome
A Guide to the Epigenome
Making sense of the data deluge

Bio Business

Tumor Snipers
Tumor Snipers
After two headline successes, companies rush to develop “smart bomb” cancer drugs.

Reading Frames

Truth and Consequences
Truth and Consequences
Studying the consequences of behavior has shed light on a wide range of life-science phenomena, pathological as well as everyday.

Capsule Reviews

Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Spillover, Answers for Aristotle, Who’s in Charge? and Science Set Free

Foundations

Poetry and Pictures, circa 1830
Poetry and Pictures, circa 1830
On the bicentennial of his birth, Edward Lear is celebrated for his whimsical poetry and his stunningly accurate scientific illustrations.