June 2012

Shortly after a rat infested supply ship ran around in Lord Howe Island off the east coast of Australia in 1918, the newly introduced mammals wiped out the island's phasmids—stick insects the size of a human hand. 

In 1929 and 1930, Johns Hopkins Medical School surgeon Warfield Firor carried out a series of experiments to determine how long blood could flow between animals with joined circulatory systems. Without using any anti-coagulants, Firor attempted to es

Whether working for a pharmaceutical giant or a biotech start-up with a unique vision, researchers who responded to this year’s Best Places to Work in Industry survey are translating society’s most pressing scientific needs into a new generation of drugs, research tools, and cutting-edge innovations.

Plant research remains grossly underfunded, despite the demand for increased crop production to support a growing population.

As biologic drug patents begin to expire, generic versions will hit the market—but how will they be regulated?

The Aha! Moment, Imagine, Ignorance, and The Age of Insight

Germline stem cells discovered in human ovaries can be cultured into fresh eggs.

Drug efficacy and resistance mechanisms shine a light on how drugs enter cells, which could facilitate the development of new sleeping-sickness treatments. 

Actin filaments respond to pressure by forming branches at their curviest spots, helping resist the push.

Biology and history both tell us that life began with migration: from cells to sharks, hummingbirds to human beings, life migrates for three reasons—survival, protection, and reproduction. 

Researchers rediscover a giant insect, thought to have gone extinct a century ago, and plan to reintroduce it to its native island off the coast of Australia.

Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History use DNA barcoding to show that even sardines infected with nematodes can still be kosher.

With the help of a mother, one researcher uncovered a common link between autism and a devastating bone disease.

Orbiting ultrasound machines are being used to diagnose and treat astronauts' kidney stones.

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

A rare peek inside the subterranean home of the naked mole-rat

One of the naked mole-rat’s amazing qualities is the reduced ability to feel certain kinds of pain.

Gene therapies typically involve the introduction of genetic material into target cells to replace or supplement an existing, usually dysfunctional, gene. 

Sangamo Biosciences is putting a different spin on gene therapy. 

A novel reporter system can track the ever-changing levels of the plant signal auxin with great precision.

Why naked mole-rats and experimental gene therapies remind me of groundbreaking artists.

How to run an efficient and creative lab without micromanaging

Early 20th century cross circulation experiments on dogs paved the way for milestones in human cardiac surgery.

New innovations could bring tailored, fast, and cheap sequencing to the masses.

Out with toothpicks and pipettors; in with automation.

June 2012's selection of notable quotes

Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University. Age: 30

In pondering genome structure and function, evolutionary geneticist Laurence Hurst has arrived at some unanticipated conclusions about how natural selection has molded our DNA.