Talking points
In the May Editorial, Nature Methods' Editors list their top ten pet peeves about conference presentations. Check out the list and add your tips!
April 29, 2008
March 28, 2008
Compare and conquer
Experimental comparisons of methods, technology platforms or reagents are time-consuming and expensive, but hugely beneficial. An Editorial in the April issue of Nature Methods illustrates how such comparisons have been very useful for scientists in various research disciplines. Nature Methods has now adopted an article format called ‘Analysis’ to accommodate publication of such comparative analyses. Broad guidelines of what the editors will be looking for are provided in the April Editorial.
December 20, 2007
Method of the Year
Nature Methods has named next-generation sequencing its inaugural Method of the Year.
Check out the special feature (freely accessible online) with Commentaries by Stephan Schuster and by Barbara Wold and Rick Myers. In addition to celebrating the Method of the Year 2007 the special feature contains a shortlist of Methods to Watch in the years to come.
Here, we welcome your comments on our choices as well as your suggestions of other methods to keep an eye on. We firmly intend this event to become an end-of-the-year tradition, and we hope for your participation in next year’s nominations!
November 29, 2007
An intelligently designed response
Sooner or later, any scientist is likely to be confronted by a supporter of “intelligent design” (ID), or questioned by a student, friend or neighbor intrigued by the concept of ID. Check out our idea of a response here and share your thoughts on what yours would be.
October 22, 2007
Research in situ, where it is most needed.
The Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development went live today: 235 scientific journals coordinated the publication of articles specifically addressing issues related to human condition in poverty-stricken areas. This initiative was spearheaded by the Council of Science Editors and the full list of articles can be found on their web site. A special event was hosted at the US NIH on the occasion of the coordinated publication.
Continue reading "Research in situ, where it is most needed. " »
August 30, 2007
A 'rough guide' to publication.
The process of getting a manuscript published can be a long and sometimes convoluted one. The more transparent it is, however, the more likely that members of the scientific community will be able to negotiate it to their benefit. In our September editorial, we provide a brief primer on key steps in the process, especially those where problems are likely to be encountered.
July 30, 2007
No faulty-gene carrier need apply
A bill designed to prohibit discrimination based on genetic information in terms of health insurance and employment is awaiting a vote in the US Senate. There have been several similar but ultimately unsuccessful legislative attempts over the past 12 years. It is crucial that this bill be enacted into law to address a public fear likely to limit patient access to predictive genetic testing and to discourage participation in genetic research.
June 28, 2007
Staff picks
In an editorial in the July issue, we suggest some recent popular science books that would make a nice summer read and hope that summer will not be the end of it. To keep you going, here are an extended list of older books, including some of our favorites and some of the genre classics. The list was assembled with the kind advice of editors, scientists and science writers.
June 06, 2007
The quest for the antibody grail
One of the most common frustrations among biologists is the difficulty to get their hands on a good antibody with a decent chance to work well in the particular assay they have in mind.
There is not one universal quality control test for antibodies and many commercial antibodies which are advertised to work well, say, in Western blot will perform poorly in immunoprecipitation and abysmally in a FACS machine. Examples abound and researchers often lament about the money spent on re-testing antibodies or repeating experiments that have failed due to poor antibody quality.
May 30, 2007
Geneticist seeks engineer: must like flies and worms
For geneticists working on model organisms, the job is all about linking genotype and phenotype. But nowadays, these researchers are facing a historical reversal in terms of experimental limitations. As more microarrays and other genomic tools become available—and hopefully increasingly affordable—the genotyping part of the problem, which traditionally has been most time-consuming, is not that complicated anymore. The real bottleneck is now phenotyping.
In an Editorial in Nature Methods June issue, we argue that this realization should be a call to arms for engineers.
Continue reading "Geneticist seeks engineer: must like flies and worms" »
February 28, 2007
Social software
Don’t be mistaken, Nature Methods’ material sharing policy includes the requirement to make custom-developed software available upon publication. But there are several ways of making software available. We examine the various degrees of disclosure and the choice of formats and try to clarify our position. Let us know if we are heading in the right direction!
February 20, 2007
New teeth. Old news?
A paper by Takashi Tsuji and colleagues describing a general method to reconstitute ectodermal organs such as teeth and whiskers has met with criticism by members of the community who claim there is nothing substantively new reported. The development and transplantation of engineered teeth was previously reported but the changes described in the new report, though small, do seem to represent an important advance as attested to by others in the field.
February 10, 2007
Open communication
The discussion topics below and some insightful comments illustrate how a commenting forum like this one can empower readers, allowing them to participate in important discussions of direct interest to their work. But readers are slow to seize this opportunity. We have taken a look at this attitude in a recent editorial.
Welcome to methagora, Nature Methods’s commenting forum. Check here regularly for discussions on methodological topics of interest to your community. If you have a question or comment for the Nature Methods team or wish to propose a discussion topic, please e-mail methagora at natureny.com
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