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News Analysis

Dutch Universities, Journal Publishers Agree on Open-Access Deals
Diana Kwon | Apr 17, 2018 | 5 min read
Despite some difficult negotiations, academic institutions in the Netherlands have been securing subscriptions that combine publishing and reading into one fee.
Texas Stem Cell Law Opens Door for Controversial Treatments
Anna Azvolinsky | Mar 27, 2018 | 7 min read
The Scientist looks at one such Houston-based purveyor that has been treating patients abroad for years with mesenchymal stem cells.
Animals Start New Lives After Time in the Lab
Ashley Yeager | Mar 16, 2018 | 5 min read
Scientists and others have been opening their homes to research animals after the studies conclude, with legislation in some states now mandating adoption.
Love in the Scientific Literature
Cassandra Willyard | Feb 12, 2018 | 3 min read
There are countless ways for scientists to say, “I love you.” Naming a slime-mold beetle after your wife (and another after your ex-wife) is, apparently, one of them.  
FDA Declares Kratom an Opioid. We’re Here to Explain What It Does.
Jim Daley | Feb 7, 2018 | 3 min read
The Scientist speaks with a clinical toxicologist to discuss how the supplement acts in the brain and what the agency's declaration means for research.
How Toxic is the World’s Most Popular Herbicide Roundup?
Katarina Zimmer | Feb 6, 2018 | 9 min read
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is designed to be toxic to plants, but scientists observe some untoward effects on animals in the lab. 
How to Build a Better Flu Shot
Ashley Yeager | Jan 29, 2018 | 5 min read
In the midst of a brutal influenza season, researchers are working toward a single vaccine that could ward off multiple strains of the virus.
“Retired” Mice Find New Life as Top Models for Autism
Jessica Wright | Jan 28, 2018 | 4 min read
After years of obscurity, strains of mice with mutations in particular genes are thrust to the fore of autism research.
Flu Forecasters Predict This Year’s Season to Peak Early
Christina Reed | Jan 23, 2018 | 3 min read
Influenza cases normally top out in February. This year brought an early start and an early peak, but how long flu season will remain is uncertain. 
Do Human Pheromones Exist?
Diana Kwon | Jan 23, 2018 | 5 min read
Despite the prevalence of pheromone products on the market, substantial evidence that they can induce sexual attraction is lacking.
Canadian Science Community Gathers Momentum in Improving Gender Equity
Viviane Callier | Jan 18, 2018 | 5 min read
Institutions document the effects of unconscious bias and set specific goals for gender balance.
How Do Infant Immune Systems Learn to Tolerate Gut Bacteria?
Diana Kwon | Jan 10, 2018 | 6 min read
Scientists are beginning to unravel the ways in which we develop a healthy relationship with the bugs in our bodies.
To Give Cancer Survivors a Chance to Conceive, Scientists are Designing Artificial Ovaries
Ashley Yeager | Dec 31, 2017 | 4 min read
The goal is to house patients’ follicles in a specially designed tissue matrix and reinsert them after treatment.
Top Technical Advances in 2017
Shawna Williams | Dec 24, 2017 | 3 min read
The year’s most impressive achievements include new methods to extend CRISPR editing, patch-clamp neurons hands-free, and analyze the contents of live cells.
Top 10 Retractions of 2017
Retraction Watch | Dec 18, 2017 | 4 min read
Making the list: a journal breaks a retraction record, Nobel laureates Do the Right Thing, and Seinfeld characters write a paper 
The Biggest Science Scandals of 2017
Jef Akst | Dec 15, 2017 | 5 min read
This year’s controversial news included unethical behavior among politicians, a murder, and multiple accusations of gender discrimination and sexual harassment, in addition to the usual spate of research misconduct.
The Year in Science Policy
Kerry Grens | Dec 15, 2017 | 3 min read
How a new administration in the U.S. affected scientists around the world throughout 2017
A Turbulent Year in the Publishing World
Diana Kwon | Dec 15, 2017 | 4 min read
In 2017, scientists, regulators, and publishers clashed in a series of lawsuits, boycotts, mass resignations, and more.
Antiviral Immunotherapy Comes of Age
Lucas Laursen | Dec 4, 2017 | 5 min read
T-cell therapies are not just for cancer. Researchers are also advancing immunotherapy methods to protect bone marrow transplant patients from viral infections. 
The Rising Research Profile of 23andMe
Catherine Offord | Nov 30, 2017 | 7 min read
An exploration of the genetics of earlobe attachment is just the latest collaborative research project to come out of the personal genetic testing company.
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