Archive by category | Author benefits

Focus on symbiosis at Nature Reviews Microbiology

This month (October 2008) Nature Reviews Microbiology publishes a Focus on Symbiosis . Microbial symbioses include beneficial, harmful and neutral relationships and are important in animal and plant health, immunity and disease, as well as in ecology and the environment. The special Focus issue of Nature Reviews Microbiology highlights exciting advances in understanding of partnerships between organisms and their environments.  Read more

Nature podcast US election special

In the third of Nature‘s election-themed podcasts available online, the journal looks at where US innovation policy might go under a new president. You can listen or read a trascript at the journal’s podcast index page. In the latest podcast, Stephen Ezell of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation says that “substantial amounts of research into basic science must occur before we can ever reach technology and therefore government has a substantial role to play in being a funder of basic and applied research in the United States. When you look at a great number of US companies and industries, specific companies like Google, like (UNCLEAR 14:18), like Oracle, these were all companies that got their initial funding from basic government grants for research in science and technology.  Read more

Upcoming scientific events in Second Life

On Monday 22 September, the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology will be running their first consultation session, A Vision for Science and Society, in the virtual world of Second Life, at Second Nature Island. (Time: 1850 – 2000 GMT/1050 – 1200 PDT.) The UK Government has issued a new consultation document entitled A Vision for Science and Society. The resource centre for woman is keen to ensure that issues of gender equality are part of the agenda and are holding a series of focus groups to discuss the topic. Monday’s event will be held entirely in Second Life and all are very welcome to attend.  Read more

Free poster on pluripotent cells

Pluripotent cells offer great promise for the future of regenerative medicine. However, cells with pluripotent potential are difficult or impossible to isolate from patients, which makes methods for experimentally induced pluripotency in readily available somatic cells invaluable. Accompanying the September issue of Nature Reviews Molecular and Cell Biology, and free to access online, is a poster by Christopher Lengner and Rudolf Jaenisch, which compares and contrasts the properties of pluripotent embryonic stem cells with those of laboratory-generated pluripotent cells.  Read more

Sign up for the Nature Network Berlin Dinners

Nature Network’s Berlin group, run by Philipp Selenko, is organizing a series of dinners during the Twentieth International Genetics Conference (to be held in Berlin from 12 to 17 July). The dinners are free to attend and are intended to provide the opportunity to meet some of the distinguished scientists who are speaking at the conference in a relaxed atmosphere.  Read more

Web focus on smoking, nicotine and addiction

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Understanding the genetic and pharmacological factors surrounding nicotine and other substances of abuse will lead to insight into ways to prevent psychological dependence and addiction A special web focus, presented by Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, is a compilation of some key articles from Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Nature Medicine, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Neuropsychopharmacology and The Pharmacogenomics Journal on smoking, nicotine and addiction; many of them free to access online. Examples of featured articles include:  … Read more

Development of RNAi as a therapeutic strategy

Molecular Therapy presents a special web focus, gathering together top articles on RNAi originally published in Molecular Therapy, Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Reviews Genetics, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, British Journal of Cancer and other NPG journals, free to access for a limited time. This collection covers latest research on the development of RNAi-based tools for drug target and gene function analysis as well as work describing the development of the technology for therapeutic applications.  Read more

Special issue of Heredity on experimental evolution

The journal Heredity is publishing a special issue on experimental evolution, under the guest editorship of Graham Bell. The goal of experimental evolution is to understand the mechanics of adaptation by observing the outcome of natural selection in simplified laboratory microcosms. The experimental approach allows us to study fundamental features of evolution such as the fixation of beneficial mutations, the extent of specialization, the repeatability of adaptation and the effect of sex. The May issue of Heredity marks the great expansion of the field in recent years. It features mainly work on microbial and viral systems concerned with the genetic basis of adaptation, and the complications introduced by conflicting sources of selection and complex social interactions.  Read more

Nature Insight Molecular Cancer Diagnostics

A key priority in translational cancer research is the discovery of molecular biomarkers that improve the early diagnosis of cancer and guide cancer prognosis, including the design and assessment of new therapeutic avenues. A Nature Insight in the current issue (Nature 452, 547-589; 3 April 2008) highlights key approaches for the discovery and validation of cancer biomarkers, at the level of DNA, RNA and protein analysis. It also focuses on non-invasive imaging tools and serum analyses that will be important in detecting tumours and monitoring the course of cancer therapy. Translating these advances into personalized cancer care will entail challenges far beyond the scientific discovery and validation strategies.  Read more