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Law enforcement agencies in the UK are acting before trouble develops to protect researchers from threats and harassment by animal rights extremists. Other countries should consider adopting similar policies and tactics.
The number of biology PhDs has increased without a corresponding change in tenure-track positions. This oversupply has led to an intense competition for jobs and funding that may be damaging the culture of science.
Mentoring is important to early career success, but is not always available locally. Several new programs are improving the professional prospects of young scientists by matching them with good mentors elsewhere in the world.
Regulation of emotion is becoming better understood, but despite the societal costs of disorders like depression and anxiety, their causes remain unclear. Five review articles in this issue provide perspective on this literature.
Data sharing is not only good citizenship for researchers, but is also required by funding agencies and many journals. The scientific community needs to develop better incentives to encourage compliance and reward those who share.
Some data suggest that portable music players may damage hearing, but it will take years to settle the issue. In the meantime, it would be prudent to pursue educational efforts to help users choose their volume sensibly.
Despite the lack of scientific evidence that childhood vaccines cause autism, extreme tactics used by those convinced that this hypothesis is correct have been increasingly successful in influencing public opinion and legislation.
