Breast cancer behaviour: more than mutations

Normal pressure

Many a cancer study seeks to tally dangerous mutations, but factors besides genes may yield insights that are just as important. Two laboratories at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco this week presented work on cancer-relevant findings that are independent of particular mutations: one group shows that a few minutes’ compression reverts malignant cells to normal, another that changes in breasts’ cellular composition may remove barriers for malignant growth.  Read more

Is the scientific literature self-correcting?

A session on scientific reproducibility today quickly became a discussion about perverse incentives. Robust research takes more time and complicates otherwise compelling stories. This turns scientists who cut corners into rising stars while discouraging the diligent. It also produces highly-cited scientific publications that cannot be reproduced.  Read more

Complete Genomics CEO rebuts warnings of national security risks

In a letter to employees, sequencing company Complete Genomics CEO Cliff Reid predicts that the acquisition of his company by Chinese sequencing giant BGI will win approval by national security regulators and be completed by the end of March in 2013.  Read more