Freezing Time
Targeting the briefest moment in chemistry may lead to an exceptionally strong new class of drugs.
By Vern L. Schramm
May 2012
Table of Contents
Cover Story
Features
Data Diving
By Kerry GrensWhat lies untapped beneath the surface of published clinical trial analyses could rock the world of independent review.
Telomeres in Disease
By Rodrigo Calado and Neal YoungTelomeres have been linked to numerous diseases over the years, but how exactly short telomeres cause diseases and how medicine can prevent telomere erosion are still up for debate.
Departments
Editorial
With All Due Consideration
By Mary Beth AberlinScientists and their many hats
Notebook
The Sound of Color
By Jef AkstA completely colorblind musician and painter perceives the world in a new way with help from technology.
Mighty Moth Man
By Cristina LuiggiAn evolutionary biologist’s posthumous publication restores the peppered moth to its iconic status as a textbook example of evolution.
It’s Raining Mice
By Sabrina RichardsA new brown tree snake control strategy takes to the skies as scientists scatter toxic rodents over Guam’s forest canopy.
From Squeaks to Song
By Hannah WatersHouse mice sing melodies out of the range of human hearing, and the crooning is impacting research from evolutionary biology to neuroscience.
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
May 2012′s selection of notable quotes
Modus Operandi
Bubble Vision
By Edyta ZielinskaTurning a liability into an asset, cryo-electron microscopists exploit an artifact to probe protein structure.
Critic At Large
Cooking Up Creative Solutions
By H. Steven WileyMore collaborators and more data are the key ingredients.
The Literature
The Sugar Lnc
By Sabrina RichardsGenes that react to cellular sugar content are regulated by a long non-coding RNA via an unexpected mechanism.
Ginormous Genome
By Sabrina RichardsResearchers find organisms with huge, highly mutable genomes, overturning a common expectation in evolutionary biology.
Tumor Turnabout
By Megan ScudellariA cytokine involved in suppressing the immune system may activate it to kill cancer cells.
Reading Frames
Dopamine: Duality of Desire
By Marc LewisBeing an ex-drug-addict turned neuroscientist brings a unique insight into the physiological and phenomenological realities of addiction.
Profile
Burgers and Flies
By Megan ScudellariInspired by Darwin, Mohamed Noor has uncovered the molecular dance by which a single species becomes two.
Scientist to Watch
Robert Blelloch: Teacher, Doctor, Scientist
By Jef AkstAssociate Professor, Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco. Age: 45
Lab Tools
SPRead Your Antibody Capabilities
By Carina StorrsUsing surface plasmon resonance to improve antibody detection and characterization: four case studies
Pure Pursuits
By Katherine BagleyTechniques for simpler, cheaper, and better antibody purification
Bio Business
Treating Fat with Fat
By Edyta ZielinskaIs brown fat ready for therapeutic prime time?
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
By Bob GrantMasters of the Planet, Learning from the Octopus, Darwin’s Devices, and Psychology’s Ghosts
Foundations
Boyle’s Monsters, 1665
By Sabrina RichardsFrom accounts of deformed animals to scratch-and-sniff technology, Robert Boyle’s early contributions to the Royal Society of London were prolific and wide ranging.
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the May 2012 issue of The Scientist.
Multimedia
Spot the Moth
By Cristina LuiggiIt’s a well-known story: The peppered moth’s ancestral typica phenotype is white with dark speckles. In the decades following the…
Telomere Basics
By Rodrigo Calado and Neal YoungTelomeres are repetitive, noncoding sequences that cap the ends of linear chromosomes. They consist of hexameric nucleotide sequences (TTAGGG in…
Designing Transition-State Inhibitors
By Vern L. SchrammA transition-state mimic has the power to bind an enzyme at its tipping point as strongly as any available inhibitor…
