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The European Commission has made good progress in gathering support for its new programme of basic and applied research. Now Europe's industries and heads of state need to fulfil promises made two years ago.
The Office of Management and Budget always exerts a powerful influence over the US government. But it is now taking a higher profile, and a stronger interest in science. Should researchers be alarmed? Colin Macilwain reports.
By developing programs that mimic some of the functions of the immune system, computer scientists are tackling problems from fighting fraud to controlling robots. Erica Klarreich investigates.
New studies predict that the risk of extreme rainfall over Europe and Asian monsoon regions is increasing, with more floods likely worldwide. Such long-range forecasting is pushing at the limit of current climate models.
Many breast-cancer patients receive unnecessary treatment for possible tumour spread after the removal of a primary tumour. Molecular profiling should offer more accurate predictions of who needs such treatment.
Controlled binding of atoms or molecules within a larger structure could offer new routes to drug delivery or nanoscale materials. Synthetic dendrimers can be tailored to bind ions in just such a regulated manner.
Crystallography has provided an unusual route to the characterization of a bacterial signalling agent: the molecule concerned has been accidentally caught in the clutches of its receptor.
Since the demise of the dinosaurs, no land vertebrate has matched them for size. Why? The answer may lie in the particular conditions prevailing in the Cretaceous period.
A new type of highly porous film — dubbed Langblofilm — could be used to remove moisture, and smell molecules, from air. Analysis of this 'fug' might reveal the hidden dynamics of social gatherings.