CONTENTS
July 2008
What genes contribute to social interactions such as cheating or altruism? And what could cheating genes tell us about sociality, multicellularity, and cancer? A social soil amoeba could hold the answers, says GAD SHAULSKY. |
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Four hundred years ago, a small group of French citizens began settling in Quebec, where founding couples averaged 36 children and grandchildren, and created an isolated population with unique rates of disease. DAVID SECKO reports on how geneticists have used the population to find information about genes involved in heart disease, asthma, and other common maladies. But as the population loses its isolation, is time running out for science? |
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A shift in focus - and a couple of robots - have helped researchers at a Max Planck Institute pinpoint the genetics underlying entire systems. |
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EDITORIAL Africa Needs Basic Science Why science can save the future - not just the people - of these impoverished nations COLUMNS Research Locally, Think Globally Focusing on details may get you published, but what do we lose in the process? OPINION Mobilizing Students for Change An organization focused on neglected diseases links trainees North and South. Notebook The Agenda; Good golly, Miss Molly; Drug fishing; Video: Zebrafish ; A Southern mystery; Bio-antibiotics? A Sultan's gift? FOUNDATIONS PROFILES Cool Cloning Lynn Cooley figured she'd study sea creatures, then decided to revolutionize Drosophila genetics instead. Scientist to Watch: Martin Burke The smart synthesizer BIOBUSINESS: Irreverent Genetics At Merck, Eric Schadt takes an iconoclastic approach to drug discovery - and dressing. THE LITERATURE Hot paper: Calcium Signaling Out of the Gate Uncovering the molecular identity of a strange cellular channel triggers a rush of discoveries in calcium regulation. Hot paper in Plant Genetics: Mapping methylation Hot paper in Gene Expression: Caution: RNAi Hot paper in Biochemistry: A mini modification Citation Classic: 50 Years Ago in Immunology The discovery of the first human leukocyte antigen group LAB TOOLS In the Live Light How to troubleshoot your in-vivo fluorescence imaging studies. Researchers share some of the tricks they've devised: Source lighting; Vital mask; Background check; Light protection; and Double ratio. And tips for in vivo imaging CAREERS Management for Beginners So you're a principal investigator - now what? |