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A new report provides a useful overview of issues surrounding the mutual and conflicting interests of academic researchers and business. Its recommendations should inspire caution rather than unalloyed enthusiasm.
A Californian book dealer has created a unique archive of molecular biology's achievements. But some historians are uneasy about such a valuable resource resting in private hands, says Rex Dalton.
The worldwide network of seismometers is detecting some surprising events, from bouncing kangaroos to changes in climate. Larry O'Hanlon talks to the seismologists who have found unusual uses for their data.
Electrons can be shuttled around according to their 'spin', as well as their charge. Do this efficiently in a semiconductor and the future of electronics starts to look very different.
Many bacteria communicate by using dedicated signalling molecules. Signal-degrading enzymes from other bacteria interrupt the conversation, and can protect tobacco and potato plants from infection.
Perhaps the most scientifically challenging phase of the terrestrial carbon cycle occurs below ground. Innovative experiments, carried out in northern Sweden, illustrate the huge influence of roots and associated fungi.
The ability of ants to travel far from their nests in search of food and to accurately chart their way back has intrigued researchers. Presenting the insects with a hilly challenge now throws light on these navigational skills.
Understanding the formation of asymmetrical shapes during the growth of symmetrical crystalline structures is a first step towards understanding asymmetry in biology.
The huge creatures that once roamed Australia were wiped out at about the same time. From the latest analyses, these extinctions look more than ever to be a matter of not what but who dunnit.
Errors in DNA replication are thought to underlie the lengthening of tracts of repeated DNA that occurs in some neurodegenerative diseases. But mechanisms for repairing damaged DNA may also be responsible.
The study of how cells communicate impinges on all aspects of biology, from development to disease. At first glance it's a horrendously complicated business, but some simple themes are emerging.
Natural selection has honed the defence strategies of plants over 1.6 billion years. Besides exciting practical applications such as engineering disease resistance, a theme that emerges throughout this Insight is how molecules and mechanisms involved in plant defence have direct homologues in animals. But plant defence strategies have evolved in directions and to levels of sophistication not seen in animals.
