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Nature 440, 1111 (27 April 2006) | doi:10.1038/4401111a; Published online 26 April 2006

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Crunch time for New Jersey lab

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A global merger will put the long-suffering Bell Labs through the wringer yet again. But could joint ownership benefit the world-famous facility in the long run? Kurt Kleiner investigates.

Bell Labs has suffered a few setbacks in recent years, as its owner, telecoms company Lucent, has cut back on basic research. Now, the 1,100 scientists and engineers at the lab in Murray Hill, New Jersey, face another: they've been bought out by a French telecoms company.