January 1994

Scientists Eye Future Funding With Cautious Optimism Author: BARTON REPPERT Date: January 24, 1994, p.1 Despite dramatic cuts in several programs, observers perceive Congress as generally supportive of research Despite severe reduction in United States government support of large-scale science proj-ects and a number of general research areas for 1994, officials at scientific associations and major research universities say they

Project scientists reject Institute of Medicine claims that their ambitious initiative is scientifically and financially deficient One of the main questions that Women's Health Initiative (WHI) investigators hope to answer, and one specifically challenged by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), is whether a low-fat diet will reduce breast cancer risk. This hypothesis arises from comparisons of epidemiological data from countries with

The International Science Foundation for the Former Soviet Union (ISF), with the help of discipline-specific panels composed of representatives of United States scientific organizations and more than 200 American and European scientists, is conducting what participants are calling an unprecedented peer-review process. The effort is scheduled to culminate this month with the funding of about 900 research proposals from scientists in

Almost 1,000 companies will be displaying their newest products in about 3,100 booths at the exposition. Among these are companies like Danvers, Mass.-based Fisons Instruments Inc. and Perkin-Elmer Corp. of Norwalk, Conn., which exhibited their products at the very first Pittsburgh Conference, as well. Some of the original equipment shown by these and other companies will be on display at the "Antiquities Museum," a special exhibiti

RU 486, discovered more than 10 years ago, is an antiprogestin. Antiprogestins attach to progesterone receptors on the cell membrane in competition with the steroid hormone progesterone. When progesterone binds with a receptor, a cascade of biochemical events leads to DNA transcription. An antiprogestin, once bound to the progesterone receptor, suppresses transcription. In the uterus, this leads to hormonal and biochemical changes t

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On Bioscience Hotspots Chaos In The Works A Closer Look At Inner Space Funding For Minority Doctors Networking for Human Rights Brainstorm Awards Seismologists for the New York State Geological Survey, a research arm of the State Museum in Albany, are searching for personal accounts, photos of damage, and other information related to four earthquakes that struck the state earlier in this century

Within Biosphere 2 Date: January 24, 1994, p.3 Editor's Note: On Sept. 26, 1993, four men and four women emerged from two years inside a giant Arizona greenhouse described by the New York Times as "the world's largest and strangest test-tube experiment, a planet-in-a-bottle called Biosphere 2." Among those emerging was 69-year-old University of California, Los Angeles, researcher and professor of pathology Roy L. Walford, who for

Commentary Women In Science: Much Has Been Accomplished, But Much Remains To Be Done Author: NEAL LANE Date: January 24, 1994, pp.12 One of the most important and most debated issues facing the scientific community today is that of underrepresentation by women of all ethnic groups. I address the topic here in the hope that increased discourse will lead to increased understanding. The Nov. 15, 1993, issue of The Scientist contained a

There is no doubt that humans are the most scientifically valid surrogates for other humans. The dilemma is in the scope of one's ethical purview--that is, nonhuman animals are simply not included in the ethical systems of many biomedical researchers. Herein lies the crux of the debate; when one expands one's circle of compassion to include all animals, alternatives must be found for entertainment, clothing, dietary needs, and even

I am a product of an American academic institution imbued with only two centuries of scientific tradition, for even though Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the United States, ours is a young country. While English is my second language, I learned it at a young age and thus speak it without too much difficulty. This skill was put to good use by teaching physics at my alma mater, first as

Research RU 486 Research Forges On, Despite Political Hurdles Author: MYRNA E. WATANABE Date: January 24, 1994, pp.14 RU 486, discovered more than 10 years ago, is an antiprogestin. Antiprogestins attach to progesterone receptors on the cell membrane in competition with the steroid hormone progesterone. When progesterone binds with a receptor, a cascade of biochemical events leads to DNA transcription. An antiprogestin, once bound

Hot Papers Molecular Genetics Date: January 24, 1994, pp.16 J. Buxton, P. Shelbourne, J. Davies, C. Jones, T. Van Tongeren, C. Aslanidis, P. de Jong, G. Jansen, M. Anvret, B. Riley, R. Williamson, K. Johnson, "Detection of an unstable fragment of DNA specific to individuals with myotonic dystrophy," Nature, 355:547-8, 1992. Keith Johnson (Department of Anatomy, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London): "M

Hot Papers Cell Biology Date: January 24, 1994, pp.16 H.Y. Lin, X.-F. Wang, E. Ng-Eaton, R.A. Weinberg, H.F. Lodish, "Expression cloning of the TGF-b type II receptor, a functional transmembrane serine/threonine kinase," Cell, 68:775-85, 1992. Herbert Y. Lin (Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology, Utrecht): "Transforming growth factor-b1 (TGF-b1) was initially identified about a decade ago as a prototypic negative growth

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Profession Study Finds Gender Disparities In Pay For Medical Researchers Author:Edward R. Silverman Date: January 24, 1994, pp.21 OF INTERNAL MEDICINE FACULTY (ADJUSTED VALUE*) MenWomen Full or associate professor47%33% Tenured42%45% Division Chief32%25% Compensation (all faculty)$79,100$72,600 Compensation (with tenure only)$79,300$70,300 Compensation (without tenure)$75,700$71,000 * Adjusted for 10 variables: rank, year of gr

Prestigious Japan Prize To Be Awarded To Two Researchers From U.S., Sweden Obituary -- Dixy Lee Ray American astrophysicist William H. Pickering, whose contributions to space technologies have been central to space exploration, and Arvid Carlsson, a Swedish neuropsychopharmacologist who discovered dopamine as a neurotransmitter and its role in mental and motor functions and disorders, have been named recipients of the 1994 Jap