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Nature 406, 463-464 (3 August 2000) | doi:10.1038/35020160
Open Innovation Challenges
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Direct Molecular Detection of Proteins and Nucleic Acids
This Challenge is looking for novel approaches to protein and nucleic acid detection. This is an Id...
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Optimizing Sub-cellular Localization Tags
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Biodiversity's ups and downs
Peter J. Morin
Abstract
Natural ecosystems are devilishly difficult to study. Hence the resort to laboratory simulations, involving short-lived organisms like bacteria, to tackle the question of why some ecosystems support more species than others.
Perhaps the greatest unsolved ecological riddle is why some natural habitats are home to more species than others. Why, for instance, does a hectare of tropical rainforest harbour an estimated 200–300 tree species, while the same area of temperate forest contains only 20–30 tree species (Fig. 1
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