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The success of the extreme right in the first round of the French presidential elections serves as a warning to all responsible citizens — scientists included — not to disengage from the political process.
It was discovered more than a century ago, but cell biologists are still debating whether the Golgi complex is an autonomous entity. Erika Check profiles an organelle in identity crisis.
On the surface, beehives and ant nests seem to be model societies, with each individual striving for the common good. But maintaining this social order sometimes calls for brutal tactics. John Whitfield reports.
The cosmic rays that permeate our Galaxy have been attributed to various sources. The discovery of high-energy γ-rays from a supernova remnant at last provides concrete evidence for one of the proposed theories.
A newly described fossil sits on one of the lowest branches of the placental-mammal family tree. But its paws and claws suggest that, where actual vegetation was concerned, it could climb further than its contemporaries.
As electronic devices become smaller, so the challenge of maintaining their electrical properties grows. Identifying the positions of introduced impurities in a semiconductor crystal is a major first step.
Pinot Meunier grapevines – one of the varieties used in making champagne – have hairier leaves and stems than Pinot noir, from which they were derived. The genetic basis of this difference has been tracked down, with surprising results.
Microorganisms that infect plants must suppress their hosts' defence mechanisms before they take up residence. But some plants use molecular guards to sense when they are being manipulated by pathogens.
We take for granted that physical 'constants', such as the speed of light, are fixed values. But they might not be, and experiments in space may allow us to investigate this possibility.
Vertebrate eggs pause at a crucial stage in their development, starting again only after being fertilized by sperm. Another component of the activity that ensures this arrest has been identified.
Daedalus wonders why the Earth is populated with so many specialized species and plans an elaborate computer simulation to investigate whether each species occupies its own niche.
Milstein, who died on 24 March, was coinventor with Georges Köhler of the hybridoma technique of producing monoclonal antibodies – an innovation that revolutionized wide areas of biomedicine.
