Cover Story
Lamarck and the Missing Lnc
Kevin V. Morris | Oct 1, 2012 | 8 min read
Epigenetic changes accrued over an organism’s lifetime may leave a permanent heritable mark on the genome, through the help of long noncoding RNAs.
Features
Pixel Perfect
The Scientist | Oct 1, 2012 | 9 min read
Presenting the best life science images and videos of 2012
Obama's Science Report Card
The Scientist | Oct 1, 2012 | 10+ min read
A look at what the President achieved during his first term in the areas of health, space science, energy, environment, and science education
Editorial
Mission: Possible
Mission: Possible
Cooperation, not competition, is the way forward.
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
October 2012's selection of notable quotes
Notebook
Death Match
Death Match
Cockfighting and other cultural practices in Southeast Asia could greatly aid the spread of deadly diseases like bird flu.
Like Father, Like Son
Like Father, Like Son
A 10-year-old boy spends his summer vacation helping his chemist dad solve the structure of complicated materials.
Home Cookin’
Home Cookin’
Laboratory-raised populations of dung beetles reveal a mother's extragenetic influence on the physiques of her sons.
The Science of Stowaways
The Science of Stowaways
A dock dislodged by 2011's Japanese tsunami washes ashore in Oregon, posing an invasive species threat, but also serving as an unprecedented natural experiment in open-ocean dispersal.
Critic at Large
Science and Democracy
Science and Democracy
Researchers and conscientious citizens must unite against the partisan rancor in American politics and restore the role of scientific information in policymaking.
Medicines for the World
Medicines for the World
A global R&D treaty could boost innovation and improve the health of the world’s poor—and rich.
Modus Operandi
Live-Action Networks
Live-Action Networks
Mass spec plus novel software equals dynamic views into the chemical lives of microbes.
The Literature
Closing the Gap
Closing the Gap
A new assay shows that cells use lamellipodia as their primary mechanism to seal up holes in epithelial tissue.
Sex Matters
Sex Matters
Researchers reveal a new pathway of synaptic modulation in the hippocampus exclusive to females.
Drug Allergy in the Pocket
Drug Allergy in the Pocket
An HIV drug can bind to and alter the function of an immune molecule, causing a dangerous reaction in patients with a particular allele.
Profiles
(Re)Programming Director
(Re)Programming Director
Unwilling to accept the finality of terminal differentiation, Helen Blau has honed techniques that showcase the flexibility of cells to adopt different identities.
Scientist to Watch
Tiago Branco: Neuron Whisperer
Tiago Branco: Neuron Whisperer
Senior Research Fellow, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, Age: 34
Lab Tools
The Sharper Image
The Sharper Image
Advances in light microscopy allow the mapping of cell migration during embryogenesis and capture dynamic processes at the cellular level.
“Alive” and In Focus
“Alive” and In Focus
Imaging viruses in action
Careers
So You Want to Write a Book?
So You Want to Write a Book?
Advice on authoring a textbook, popular nonfiction, or even a novel
Reading Frames
True Colors
True Colors
The biological and social ramifications of skin pigmentation are too often ignored by scientists, teachers, and the general public.
Foundations
Gone Missing, circa 1892
Gone Missing, circa 1892
A unique organism sighted only once, more than a century ago, could shed light on the evolution of multicellularity—if it ever actually existed.
Slideshows
The Best of the 2012 Labbies
The Best of the 2012 Labbies
Check out image finalists and winners, as well as other memorable submissions to this year’s Labby Multimedia Awards.
The Salinella salve Mystery
The Salinella salve Mystery
Salinella salve, an organism described as a single layer of cells, ciliated on both inner and outer surfaces and surrounding…
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Regenesis and The Half-Life of Facts
Infographics
The Epigenetic Lnc
The Epigenetic Lnc
Long non-protein-coding RNA (lncRNA) sequences are often transcribed from the opposite, or antisense, strand of a protein coding gene. In the past few years, research has shown that these lncRNAs play a number of regulatory roles in the cell. For exa
Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the October 2012 issue of The Scientist.
Multimedia
2012 Labbies Honorable Mentions
2012 Labbies Honorable Mentions
Check out other memorable images and videos that were submitted to this year’s Labby Multimedia Awards.