SCIENCE CAREERS: Playing Well With Industry

Elisabeth Pain
Science 14 March 2008: 1548-1551.
Industry is an important source of funding for academic research, but industry-funded scientists must maintain a careful balance between academic and industrial needs. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

SCIENCE CAREERS: Business Financing for Your Research

Alan Kotok
Science 14 March 2008: 1549.
The fluctuating federal research budgets of recent years have given researchers reasons to go looking for alternative funding sources. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

SCIENCE CAREERS: Finding Industry Funding

Siri Carpenter
Science 14 March 2008: 1550-1551.
Most collaborations between companies and academic researchers are initiated by industry scientists looking for specific technologies or expertise. But university researchers don't have to sit and wait for the phone to ring; it helps to be proactive. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

This Week in Science

Editor summaries of this week's papers.
Science 14 March 2008: 1453.
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Editorial:
The IPCC Must Maintain Its Rigor

Susan Solomon and Martin Manning
Science 14 March 2008: 1457.
Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Editors' Choice

Highlights of the recent literature.
Science 14 March 2008: 1459.
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Science Podcast

Science 14 March 2008: 1547.
Summary »|   Transcript »|  

NEW PRODUCTS

Science 14 March 2008: 1547.
Summary »|   PDF »|  

News of the Week

SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT: Two Papers From Korean Lab Found to Lack 'Scientific Truth'

Jennifer Couzin and Dennis Normile
Science 14 March 2008: 1468-1469.
An investigation by a prominent South Korean university has revealed that two papers by its researchers "do not contain any scientific truth." Both will likely be retracted by the journals in which they appeared, Science and Nature Chemical Biology. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: $300 Million in Private Money for New Investigators

Jocelyn Kaiser
Science 14 March 2008: 1469.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute announced this week that it will spend $300 million over 6 years to support researchers it considers promising but who are struggling to obtain their first independent federal research grant. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

U.S. CONGRESS: Physicist Wins Open Illinois Seat

Eli Kintisch
Science 14 March 2008: 1470.
Last weekend, Bill Foster, a former researcher at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, won a special election to fill the seat held by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert in a race that attracted national attention. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

SCIENTIFIC WORKPLACE: Indian Government Offers Helping Hand to Women Scientists

Pallava Bagla
Science 14 March 2008: 1470.
At a conference in New Delhi to mark International Women's Day on 8 March, India's science minister announced new measures to attract more women into research careers, including more flexible work hours for women with young children. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

NEUROSCIENCE: Hiding From Biting Insects in Plain Scent

Mitch Leslie
Science 14 March 2008: 1471.
Researchers report online in Science this week that instead of driving away biting bugs, the insect repellent DEET actually conceals us from them, dulling the insects' sensitivity to certain body odors. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY: Proposed Frog Ban Makes a Splash

Gretchen Vogel
Science 14 March 2008: 1472.
A proposal to ban the sale of African clawed toads in the United Kingdom has that country's developmental biologists worried about the availability of their favorite research animal--and conducting studies to surmount the reason for the ban. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

EDUCATION: Spanish Scientists Question Accreditation Plan

Elisabeth Pain
Science 14 March 2008: 1472.
Many in Spain's scientific community are lobbying the country to change a new accreditation system for professors, complaining that it emphasizes nonresearch activities such as patenting, consulting, university management, and work in governmental and state agency offices. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

INNOVATION: U.K.'s Royal Society Ventures Into Funding Start-Up Companies

Daniel Clery
Science 14 March 2008: 1473.
The Royal Society, the United Kingdom's academy of science, last month announced the creation of an Enterprise Fund, with the aim of funneling money into start-up companies seeking to commercialize the fruits of academic research. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceScope

Science 14 March 2008: 1471.
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Random Samples

Science 14 March 2008: 1465.
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Newsmakers

Science 14 March 2008: 1467.
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News Focus

AGRICULTURE: Dueling Visions for a Hungry World

Erik Stokstad
Science 14 March 2008: 1474-1476.
Sparks began to fly when scientists and activists against genetically modified crops came together to assess agricultural knowledge and the role of biotech in development. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

GRADUATE TRAINING: NSF Fellowships Called Powerful Tool for Building the Pipeline

Jeffrey Mervis
Science 14 March 2008: 1477.
A prestigious program is slated for a big increase next year thanks in part to recent data showing its ability to draw talented students into science. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

MEDICINE: Blood-Matching Goes Genetic

Elizabeth Quill
Science 14 March 2008: 1478-1479.
Hoping to prevent adverse transfusion reactions and save lives, European researchers are lobbying to replace serology-based blood typing with matching based on DNA tests. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

COMPUTER SCIENCE: Cryptologists Cook Up Some Hash for New 'Bake-Off'

Dana Mackenzie
Science 14 March 2008: 1480-1481.
A worldwide competition aims to keep the algorithms for authenticating electronic documents a jump ahead of forgers' ability to defeat them. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

COMPUTER SCIENCE: Hash of the Future?

Dana Mackenzie
Science 14 March 2008: 1481.
By incorporating a tangled, three-dimensional maze the size of the Milky Way into a hash function, a cryptographer is betting that neither you nor anyone else will solve it. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Letters

This Week's Letters

Science 14 March 2008: 1483.
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 The Right Pitch for Saxophonists

Peter King
Science 14 March 2008: 1483.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 Second Basket's Negative Impact

Claus-Christian Carbon
Science 14 March 2008: 1483.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 Going Public with the Scientific Process

Ruth Cronje
Science 14 March 2008: 1483.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 Corrections and Clarifications

Science 14 March 2008: 1484.
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 Hoyle's Role in B²FH

Geoffrey Burbidge
Science 14 March 2008: 1484.
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Books et al.

COMMUNICATING SCIENCE: Fresh Renderings of Physics

David Kaiser
Science 14 March 2008: 1485.
Viewing popular science as the presentation of science content through the techniques of literature, the author explores popular presentations of quantum mechanics, the big bang, chaos, and complexity. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY: On Ends and Means

Michael A. Goldman
Science 14 March 2008: 1486.
Drawing heavily on interviews with Blackburn, her colleagues, and her students, the author provides a "life and science" that addresses approaches to carrying out groundbreaking research and working for policies that nurture such science. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books Received

Science 14 March 2008: 1486.
Summary »|  

Policy Forum

SCIENCE PRIORITIES: Inappropriate Use and Portrayal of Chimpanzees

S. R. Ross, K. E. Lukas, E. V. Lonsdorf, T. S. Stoinski, B. Hare, R. Shumaker, and J. Goodall
Science 14 March 2008: 1487.
Depictions of chimpanzees as caricatures can lead people to think these animals are not endangered and is a problem for conservation and welfare efforts. Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Perspectives

PLANETARY SCIENCE: Observing Our Origins

Fred J. Ciesla
Science 14 March 2008: 1488-1489.
Infrared observations of water and organic materials will help astronomers determine how our solar system formed. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

SYSTEMS BIOLOGY: Customized Signaling Circuits

Peter M. Pryciak
Science 14 March 2008: 1489-1490.
Altering cellular behaviors can be achieved through a synthetic approach by refashioning signaling circuitry. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

MATERIALS SCIENCE: The New Diamond Age?

Paul W. May
Science 14 March 2008: 1490-1491.
After the hype, what realistic applications might synthetic diamond films have in the near future? Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PHYSICS: This Coincidence Cannot Be Accidental

Douglas J. Scalapino
Science 14 March 2008: 1492-1493.
Metal superconductors such as lead and niobium were thought fully understood 40 years ago, but they have now presented some fresh puzzles. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ARCHAEOLOGY: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Fiona Coward
Science 14 March 2008: 1493-1495.
Archaeological studies are helping to understand how humans acquired the ability for cultural transmission. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

NEUROSCIENCE: A Quiescent Working Memory

Stefano Fusi
Science 14 March 2008: 1495-1496.
Many of our actions or decisions are guided by what we experienced in the recent past. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Review

The Late Pleistocene Dispersal of Modern Humans in the Americas

Ted Goebel, Michael R. Waters, and Dennis H. O'Rourke
Science 14 March 2008: 1497-1502.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Brevia

Predators Induce Cloning in Echinoderm Larvae

Dawn Vaughn and Richard R. Strathmann
Science 14 March 2008: 1503.
Sand dollar larvae respond to mucus from fish predators by rapid asexual reproduction, producing an increased number of smaller individuals that may be less visible. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Reports

Organic Molecules and Water in the Planet Formation Region of Young Circumstellar Disks

John S. Carr and Joan R. Najita
Science 14 March 2008: 1504-1506.
Simple organic molecules and water are abundant in the inner disk of a star like our early Sun, implying that organic synthesis is occurring there. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Superconductivity in Hydrogen Dominant Materials: Silane

M. I. Eremets, I. A. Trojan, S. A. Medvedev, J. S. Tse, and Y. Yao
Science 14 March 2008: 1506-1509.
Under pressure, the insulator silane (SiH₄) transforms to a metallic phase and, at even higher pressures and low temperatures, becomes superconducting. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Energy Gaps and Kohn Anomalies in Elemental Superconductors

P. Aynajian, T. Keller, L. Boeri, S. M. Shapiro, K. Habicht, and B. Keimer
Science 14 March 2008: 1509-1512.
Published online 21 February 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1154115] (in Science Express Reports)
High-resolution neutron-scattering experiments reveal behavior in pure lead and niobium superconductors beyond that described by the standard theoretical framework. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Synthesis of Macrocyclic Copolymer Brushes and Their Self-Assembly into Supramolecular Tubes

Michel Schappacher and Alain Deffieux
Science 14 March 2008: 1512-1515.
A three-block polymer can generate long cyclic polymers in solution, which can be further functionalized to form polymer brushes and tubular assemblies. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Splitting of the 520-Kilometer Seismic Discontinuity and Chemical Heterogeneity in the Mantle

Ashima Saikia, Daniel J. Frost, and David C. Rubie
Science 14 March 2008: 1515-1518.
A reaction in calcium-rich rocks in Earth’s mantle can explain a seismic signal that varies geographically and with depth, providing a means to map mantle compositions. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

The Chlorine Isotope Composition of Earth's Mantle

M. Bonifacie, N. Jendrzejewski, P. Agrinier, E. Humler, M. Coleman, and M. Javoy
Science 14 March 2008: 1518-1520.
Analysis of ocean basalts imply that Earth’s mantle has a different chlorine isotopic ratio than crust or seawater, perhaps reflecting a late addition of material to Earth. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Caribbean Reef Development Was Independent of Coral Diversity over 28 Million Years

Kenneth G. Johnson, Jeremy B. C. Jackson, and Ann F. Budd
Science 14 March 2008: 1521-1523.
An analysis of fossil and modern Caribbean corals shows that, for the last 28 million years, coral reef growth and persistence have not required high coral diversity. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Amyloid Fibrils of the HET-s(218–289) Prion Form a β Solenoid with a Triangular Hydrophobic Core

Christian Wasmer, Adam Lange, Hélène Van Melckebeke, Ansgar B. Siemer, Roland Riek, and Beat H. Meier
Science 14 March 2008: 1523-1526.
A structural model of a yeast prion shows that the amyloid fibrils form a left-handed β solenoid stabilized by hydrophobic and polar interactions and salt bridges. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

A Retrotransposon-Mediated Gene Duplication Underlies Morphological Variation of Tomato Fruit

Han Xiao, Ning Jiang, Erin Schaffner, Eric J. Stockinger, and Esther van der Knaap
Science 14 March 2008: 1527-1530.
The gene causing elongated tomatoes arose from an unusual, transposon-mediated duplication that provided a new regulatory environment that increased its expression. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Evidence for Karyogamy and Exchange of Genetic Material in the Binucleate Intestinal Parasite Giardia intestinalis

Marianne K. Poxleitner, Meredith L. Carpenter, Joel J. Mancuso, Chung-Ju R. Wang, Scott C. Dawson, and W. Zacheus Cande
Science 14 March 2008: 1530-1533.
The unusual lack of accumulated mutations in asexual Giardia can be explained by the exchange of plasmid DNA between its two nuclei during the cyst phase. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Direct Visualization of Horizontal Gene Transfer

Ana Babic, Ariel B. Lindner, Marin Vulic, Eric J. Stewart, and Miroslav Radman
Science 14 March 2008: 1533-1536.
Visualization of DNA exchange between two bacteria reveals that the process is highly efficient, is mediated by the pilus, and occurs about once per replication cycle. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Neurokinin 1 Receptor Antagonism as a Possible Therapy for Alcoholism

David T. George, Jodi Gilman, Jacqueline Hersh, Annika Thorsell, David Herion, Christopher Geyer, Xiaomei Peng, William Kielbasa, Robert Rawlings, John E. Brandt, Donald R. Gehlert, Johannes T. Tauscher, Stephen P. Hunt, Daniel Hommer, and Markus Heilig
Science 14 March 2008: 1536-1539.
Published online 14 February 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1153813] (in Science Express Reports)
A drug that inhibits a neural signaling pathway linked to behavioral stress may be a useful therapy in preventing relapse in alcoholics. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Using Engineered Scaffold Interactions to Reshape MAP Kinase Pathway Signaling Dynamics

Caleb J. Bashor, Noah C. Helman, Shude Yan, and Wendell A. Lim
Science 14 March 2008: 1539-1543.
A yeast signaling pathway acquires new regulatory properties (such as adaptation) when additional protein-protein interaction sites are engineered into a scaffolding protein. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Synaptic Theory of Working Memory

Gianluigi Mongillo, Omri Barak, and Misha Tsodyks
Science 14 March 2008: 1543-1546.
Stronger synapses induced by calcium currents are responsible for working memory rather than the more metabolically expensive action potential firing, as had been thought. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|