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Conditions could not be worse for collaborative science between Israel and its neighbours. But the interests of politics, regional development and science all favour such collaborations. Institutions as well as individuals should promote them.
Mathematical prodigy Stephen Wolfram has laboured for a decade on what he claims is a revolutionary book. Jim Giles meets a supremely confident scientific loner, but finds expert opinion on the work's merits divided.
By combining chemical analyses with digital image reconstruction, it is possible to complete virtual restorations of deteriorated paintings. Celeste Biever considers the technology's potential.
A conjunction of ecology and evolution has recently produced offspring — the discipline known as macroecology. This bonny baby takes a large-scale view of the world and finds it full of contradictions.
Using infrared spectroscopy, the separate stages of the dissociation of hydrogen chloride molecules on an ice surface have been revealed. The formation of hydrogen bonds seems to be a decisive factor in the process.
Many human disorders — a well-known example being Alzheimer's disease — are characterized by the misfolding and aggregation of key proteins. New small-molecule drugs may help to destabilize these aggregates.
Has Mars always been cold and dry or was it once warm and wet? Reanalysis of spacecraft data reveals a signature from the surface rocks that indicates their composition has been altered in the presence of water.
The discovery of a gene that is inactivated in stomach cancers illustrates the value of mouse models for finding tumour-suppressor genes that are switched off by mechanisms other than mutation.
Ceramics based on silicon nitride have already proved their worth in terms of engineering applications. A technique that allows greater control over their final structure opens up yet further possibilities.
The various functional states of glutamate receptors control much of the brain's neuronal activity. Our understanding of how one of those states — desensitization — occurs has taken a leap forward.
Cell signalling pathways triggered by Wnt proteins control gene expression and cell behaviour, especially during development. Work on frogs reveals another specific role for these proteins, and the signalling involved.
DREADCO biologists are developing 'augmented' eggs that give birds more room to develop before hatching. They hope to use the eggs to answer a range of questions, such as whether the ability to fly is still inherent in the chicks of flightless birds.
Nervous systems come in all shapes and sizes, and have evolved to match the needs of specific organisms. Non-mammalian neuroscience offers a host of preparations with interesting behaviours and neural circuitry. The reviews in this Insight sample the advantages of several of these experimental preparations in elucidating general neural principles.
