Features
Sensing Fat
Beverly J. Tepper and Kathleen L. Keller | Dec 1, 2011 | 10+ min read
Are genes that alter the perception of fat making us fat?
Life Sciences Salary Survey 2011
Jef Akst and Edyta Zielinska | Dec 1, 2011 | 10+ min read
US salaries are starting to recover after last year’s survey recorded the first-ever drop.
Matters of Taste
Thomas E. Finger and Sue C. Kinnamon | Dec 1, 2011 | 10 min read
Compounds we perceive as sweet or bitter in the mouth trigger similar receptors and signaling pathways elsewhere in the body, helping to regulate digestion, respiration, and other systems.
Slideshows
Teen DNA Detectives
Teen DNA Detectives
Genomicist Mark Stoeckle and three high school students have taken do-it-yourself science to a new level.
Nari's Shark Bite
Nari's Shark Bite
In February 2009, a bottlenose dolphin named Nari swam up to the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort on Moreton Island off Australia’s Queensland.
Newts' New Eyes
Newts' New Eyes
Cut off a newt’s tail or a leg, or remove a lens from its eye, and it grows back. However, whether newts can continue to do this throughout their lives, or lose the ability as they get older, has remained a mystery.
The Literature
Flight of the Honeybee
Flight of the Honeybee
Editor’s Choice in Neuroscience
Breaching the Wall
Breaching the Wall
Editor’s choice in immunology
Brake Failure
Brake Failure
Editor’s choice in Cell Biology
Notebook
Eye of Newt
Eye of Newt
Researchers find that newts are capable of regenerating body parts well into old age.
Punch Drunk
Punch Drunk
After a concussion forces him to retire, a former pro-wrestler starts an institute to study the neurological effects of repeated brain injuries.
Cetacean Cures
Cetacean Cures
Dolphins heal amazingly quickly from shark bites, with no swelling, infection, and seemingly little pain, but how do they do it?
Barcode High
Barcode High
The story of a group of high school students who, with the help of a Rockefeller University researcher, conducted and published studies on the biological provenance of sushi and teas from around New York City.
Profiles
Critical Connections
Critical Connections
Through a series of sustained collaborations, Joshua Sanes has deciphered the molecular synergy that guides synapse formation.
Speaking of Science
Speaking of The Scientist
Speaking of The Scientist
On hearing the news in early October that The Scientist would cease publication, our readers voiced their dismay. In mid-October, we were resurrected, and our readers came out again to express their relief.
Reading Frames
Science and Stanzas
Science and Stanzas
A poet finds artistic inspiration in her work as a scientist and new perceptions in the lines and linkages of her art.
Editorial
A Truly Happy Return
A Truly Happy Return
After a roller-coaster of an October, The Scientist resumes publication under new ownership.
Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the November/December 2011 issue of The Scientist.
Critic at Large
From Test Tube to Hypodermic Needle
From Test Tube to Hypodermic Needle
A prescription for educating the public on the value of using animals in medical research
Avoiding Animal Testing
Avoiding Animal Testing
Advances in cell-culture technologies are paving the way to the complete elimination of animals from the laboratory.
Foundations
The Hyena Den, discovered 1821
The Hyena Den, discovered 1821
A 19th century geologist and minister investigates a prehistoric cave full of hyena bones in his native England.
Scientist to Watch
Frank Bradke: Privy to Axon Growth
Frank Bradke: Privy to Axon Growth
Full Professor and Senior Research Group Leader, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Age: 42
Lab Tools
Brainspotting
Brainspotting
New, minimally invasive techniques for seeing deep inside living brains
Prime Time for Digital PCR
Prime Time for Digital PCR
A rundown of tools on the market and in development
Infographics
Taste in the Mouth, Gut, and Airways
Taste in the Mouth, Gut, and Airways
The tongue may be the epicenter of taste sensation, but taste receptors are scattered throughout the digestive and respiratory tracts.
Supertaster Anatomy
Supertaster Anatomy
The unique taste bud patterning in people who have super-charged senses of taste
Can We Taste Fats?
Can We Taste Fats?
Researchers are close to finding a receptor directly triggered by fatty acids.
Careers
Going Governmental
Going Governmental
Federal agencies offer interesting opportunities for researchers looking to do more than bench work.
Modus Operandi
Flow Cytometry for the Masses
Flow Cytometry for the Masses
Tagging antibodies with rare earth metals instead of fluorescent molecules turns a veteran technique into a high-throughput powerhouse.