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For the past half-century, biologists have been uncovering details of countless molecular events. Linking these data to dynamic models requires new software and data standards, argue Marvin Cassman and his colleagues.
Synthetic biology, which involves the engineering of new biological components and organisms and the redesign of existing ones, will require community discipline and openness if it is to flourish safely, says George Church.
Regional climate change should not be seen only as a threat; changes to weather patterns could generate opportunities for large-scale innovations, say Pavel Kabat, Pier Vellinga and their colleagues.
The next large-scale human genome project after HapMap should catalogue inherited variation in the general population that directly affects gene function, argues Richard Gibbs.
Andrew Polaszek and colleagues propose an open-access web-register for animal names, which they believe is vital to move taxonomy into the twenty-first century.
Research using chimpanzees has been crucial in the fight against human diseases such as hepatitis. John L. VandeBerg, Stuart M. Zola and colleagues urge that this now dwindling resource be sustained.
In the wake of the chimpanzee genome publication, Pascal Gagneux, James J. Moore and Ajit Varki consider the ethical and scientific challenges for scientists who work on captive great apes.
A plan to restore animals that disappeared 13,000 years ago from Pleistocene North America offers an alternative conservation strategy for the twenty-first century, argue Josh Donlan and colleagues.
In fisheries across the world, fish stocks are declining fast. Future preservation and management of the ocean's resources will require a transformation of our relationship with the seas, argues John Marra.
Useful science or unregulated commercial whaling? Nicholas J. Gales, Toshio Kasuya, Phillip J. Clapham and Robert L. Brownell Jr consider the scientific merits of Japan's whaling activities.
To protect the integrity of science, we must look beyond falsification, fabrication and plagiarism, to a wider range of questionable research practices, argue Brian C. Martinson, Melissa S. Anderson and Raymond de Vries.
The European Space Agency has a strong track record and plenty of ambition to propel it into its next 30 years, says Giovanni Bignami. But key decisions must be made in the context of a new Europe.
There is no bigger acute microbial threat to China, and to the rest of the world, than an influenza pandemic, and no better time to prepare for this eventuality than now. David Ho asks what more China could be doing.
Early detection and rapid response to bird flu, on a global scale, will drastically cut the costs of dealing with a full-blown human flu pandemic, argue Ron Fouchier, Thijs Kuiken, Guus Rimmelzwaan and Albert Osterhaus.
A committed, transparent research effort into the detection, prevention and treatment of bird flu is now critical. Anthony S. Fauci presents the questions that need answers.
Global agricultural authorities should harmonize with the public-health sector to ensure the exchange of flu virus samples, and establish a single international standard for vaccines, say Robert Webster and Diane Hulse.
