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Features

The Science of Stretch
Helene M. Langevin | May 1, 2013 | 10 min read
The study of connective tissue is shedding light on pain and providing new explanations for alternative medicine.
Live Wires
Mohamed Y. El-Naggar and Steven E. Finkel | May 1, 2013 | 10+ min read
Discoveries of microbial communities that transfer electrons between cells and across relatively long distances are launching a new field of microbiology.
Why So Soon?
Bob Grant | May 1, 2013 | 10+ min read
Researchers are using modern experimental tools to probe the mysterious molecular pathways that lead to premature labor and birth.

Contributors

Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the May 2013 issue of The Scientist.

Editorial

We're All Connected
We're All Connected
We're All Connected
A look at some of biology’s communication networks

Speaking of Science

Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
May 2013's selection of notable quotes

Notebook

Big-Bird Brain
Big-Bird Brain
Big-Bird Brain
Children watching clips of Sesame Street inside fMRI scanners yield unprecedented insights into the functioning of their brains.
IDing War Victims
IDing War Victims
IDing War Victims
Libyan scientists, soon to be trained in countries around the world, are undertaking a massive search mission to find missing loved ones among thousands of dead bodies, casualties of the country’s recent popular revolution.
Little White and the Three Toxins
Little White and the Three Toxins
Little White and the Three Toxins
Previously unknown poisonous compounds isolated from a new species of mushroom may be responsible for the deaths of hundreds in China, but precisely how the fungus killed its victims is not clear.
Ancient Appearances
Ancient Appearances
Ancient Appearances
A new DNA assay developed by forensic scientists helps archaeologists reconstruct eye and hair color from old teeth and bones.

Critic at Large

Researchers, Hire Hackers
Researchers, Hire Hackers
Researchers, Hire Hackers
Clinical researchers need programming support to streamline their work, minimize error in the data, and find new trends that can point to better treatments.
On Being an “African American Scientist”
On Being an “African American Scientist”
On Being an “African American Scientist”
If African American researchers are ever to gain equal opportunities in science, even subtle cases of differential treatment must be stamped out.

Modus Operandi

BRET Meets FRET
BRET Meets FRET
BRET Meets FRET
Scientists create biocompatible, self-luminescing nanoparticles for in vivo imaging.

The Literature

Sharing the Load
Sharing the Load
Sharing the Load
By varying the size of their steps, dynein motor proteins work effectively as teams to carry heavy loads around the cell.
Sick Mold
Sick Mold
Sick Mold
A virus that infects a crop-killing fungus can spread freely, opening the possibility of its use as a fungicide.
Viruses on the Brain
Viruses on the Brain
Viruses on the Brain
Viral infections of the central nervous system may trigger cytokines that induce seizures.

Profile

The Organist
The Organist
The Organist
When molecular biology methods failed her, Sangeeta Bhatia turned to engineering and microfabrication to build a liver from scratch.

Scientist to Watch

Gregory Sonnenberg: Cellular Spy
Gregory Sonnenberg: Cellular Spy
Gregory Sonnenberg: Cellular Spy
Research Associate, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Age: 27

Lab Tools

Suited to a T
Suited to a T
Suited to a T
Sorting out T-cell functional and phenotypic heterogeneity depends on studying single cells.
Down for the Count
Down for the Count
Down for the Count
One, two, three, four . . . . Counting colonies and plaques can be tedious, but tools exist to streamline the process.

Bio Business

How Safe Is Your Medicine Cabinet?
How Safe Is Your Medicine Cabinet?
How Safe Is Your Medicine Cabinet?
After numerous high-profile safety scares, clinicians and regulators push to fix critical weaknesses in the FDA’s monitoring system for approved drugs.

Reading Frames

The King of Turtles
The King of Turtles
The King of Turtles
American naturalist Louis Agassiz had a zeal for collecting that encouraged a nation to engage with nature.

Capsule Reviews

Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
The Bonobo and the Atheist, The Philadelphia Chromosome, Lone Survivors, and Paleofantasy

Foundations

Flying Frog, 1855
Flying Frog, 1855
Flying Frog, 1855
Alfred Russel Wallace, Darwin’s unheralded codiscoverer of the theory of evolution by natural selection, found inspiration in the specimens he collected on his travels.
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