Editors' Choice

Geology: Tracking the Deluge

In the channeled scablands of eastern Washington State, great ripples and scoured rock, visible by satellite, mark periodic massive flood outbursts from a dammed glacial lake. Their recognition early in … [Read more]

Chemistry: Corralling Peptides

There's an inherent entropic challenge in preparing cyclic molecules from linear precursors, because the two ends must be coaxed together before they can form a bond. In zwitterionic peptides, the … [Read more]

Virology: Weathering Influenza

One sneeze and influenza is drifting through the air, plastered across palms of hands and around door handles, poised for its next victim. How long can the virus survive outside … [Read more]

Evolution: Polar Bear, Polar Bear

Polar bears are adapted to living in one of the harshest environments on earth, their range being determined by the extent of Arctic polar sea ice. They arose from the … [Read more]

Infectious Disease: Grounding Mosquitoes for Dengue Control

Dengue fever affects 50 to 100 million people each year and can be accompanied by symptoms so severe that it has been called “breakbone fever.” It is caused by a … [Read more]

Cell Biology: Familial Ties in the Nucleus

Inherited mutations in tumor suppressor genes cause an increased risk of developing familial cancer syndromes. Many of these familial tumor suppressor genes are also frequently mutated in somatic cancers. The … [Read more]

Materials Science: Mass Transit

In a crystalline material, plastic (or permanent) deformation involves the movement of dislocations in a series of elementary glide steps. Dislocations are defects in crystalline ordering, and their motion in … [Read more]