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The drive to acquire intellectual property from research contributes to the wealth of nations, but can also undermine science if carried to excess. Exaggerated claims threaten to undermine the funding and climate of basic research.
As European environmentalists launch a boycott of US oil firms, other energy companies are winning praise for their efforts to tackle climate change. Mark Schrope examines the oil giants' divergent strategies.
A small Canadian institute is producing a disproportionate number of highly cited biology papers. Trisha Gura visited the Amgen Institute, to find out what its members are doing right.
Four British insect species have increased their geographical range as a result of climate warming. The underlying mechanisms vary from a change in food to an increase in habitat. Other species may not be quite so lucky.
Superconductivity seems to have been forever waiting in the wings. Although superconducting power cables are about to go live, will the newest material, magnesium diboride, become the class act of the future?
Morphogens are long-range signalling molecules that are proposed to organize tissue patterning in animals. But their existence in vertebrates has been controversial. One suspect is now shown to fit the bill.
Doubts about a fundamental model of the chemistry of Earth's deep interior have now been transmuted into doubts about a standard used to calibrate these studies — gold's equation of state.
Crohn's disease is characterized by inflammation and destruction of the bowel. Identification of defective variants of a gene that predispose people to the disease is an encouraging development.
What are the forces that control the twisting and folding of molecules into complex shapes? Don't look for the answers in your organic chemistry textbook.
To a certain extent, the response of immune cells to infection is preset. T cells seem to be activated early on or not at all, and, once stimulated, embark on a complete programme of division and specialization.
The TRP family of ion channels is proving rather strange. The latest quirks of behaviour include a new enzymatic activity and second messenger, the ability to conduct magnesium ions, and an involvement in cell survival.
