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Volume 444 Issue 7121, 14 December 2006

Volume 444 Issue 7121

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Editorial

  • A conviction, the passage of a bill, and the arrival of some new committee chairmen have markedly improved the immediate outlook for biomedical research in the United States.

    Editorial

    Advertisement

  • Researchers who work with animals should join the discussion on animal experimentation.

    Editorial
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Research Highlights

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News

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News in Brief

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Correction

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Business

  • A spin-off from a UK university has established a solid niche as a leading supplier of microsatellites. But taking the company to the next level is a challenge. Geoff Brumfiel reports.

    Business
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News Feature

  • Many scientists have nuanced views on animal research. But they are rarely heard, says Emma Marris.

    • Emma Marris
    News Feature

  • Researchers aren't the only ones who concern themselves with animal welfare in the lab. Vets are asked regularly to monitor and care for these animals — a role that can call for some difficult decisions. Kerri Smith talks to Sarah Wolfensohn, head of veterinary services at the University of Oxford, UK, about the challenges and conflicts presented by caring for experimental animals.

    • Kerri Smith
    News Feature

  • Primate researchers have long faced violent protests over their work. But in some countries, regulatory obstacles are taking a greater toll. David Cyranoski meets European scientists who feel that bureaucratic pressures are closing their labs.

    • David Cyranoski
    News Feature

  • Coordination and integration of the results of animal research are an ever-increasing challenge. Jane Qiu finds out what happens when big biology meets a small rodent.

    • Jane Qiu
    News Feature
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Correspondence

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Books & Arts

  • What's special about the best popular science books?

    • Jon Turney
    Books & Arts

  • A selection of books on the lighter side of science for the holiday period.

    Books & Arts
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News & Views

  • How much momentum does light transfer to a material through which it passes? This is a surprisingly opaque matter, contested for almost a century, that is still the object of theory and experimentation.

    • Ulf Leonhardt
    News & Views

  • The infectious form of the malaria parasite has thousands of proteins, making it tough to develop a vaccine for it. Narrowing down which proteins cause protective immune responses may help resolve the problem.

    • Stephen L. Hoffman

    Focus:

    News & Views

  • Leukaemic cells and normal blood-producing cells relate differently to their surroundings. This concept has now been extended to leukaemic stem cells, suggesting a fresh approach to therapy.

    • David A. Williams
    • Jose A. Cancelas
    News & Views

  • Fabricating large-scale semiconducting surfaces for the flexible screens of the future is a bothersome business. A simple technique for growing single-crystal organic semiconductors brings new vision to the field.

    • Paul Heremans
    News & Views

  • Nerve impulses that convey pain signals to the brain are produced by sodium channels in the neuronal membrane. Studies on people who are unable to feel pain identify one specific sodium channel as essential to the process.

    • Stephen G. Waxman
    News & Views

  • Observations of a phenomenon known as the magnetic fountain effect in superfluid helium are not just beautiful experiments, but could also supply a tool for studying many other exotic magnetic phenomena.

    • Shaun Fisher
    • George Pickett
    News & Views

  • Inhibition of the insulin-signalling pathway leads to insulin resistance, an early step in the development of type 2 diabetes. A novel family of protein activators seems to act near the pathway's inception.

    • Catherine Jackson
    News & Views
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Brief Communication

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Introduction

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Review Article

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Article

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Letter

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Technology Feature

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Prospects

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Special Report

  • Five scientists nominated by their peers have created nurturing research environments and fostered fields and careers far beyond their labs. Carina Dennis and Janet Wright give credit where it's long overdue.

    • Carina Dennis
    Special Report
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Futures

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Authors

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Brief Communications Arising

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Insight

  • The incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes are increasing rapidly, threatening health worldwide. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome, an obesity-related condition and risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is also increasing. Greater understanding of the processes involved in these disorders is therefore urgently required, as are new treatment options.

    Insight
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