Online Editorials
Eugenics: German geneticits plead guilty
At the Congress of Genetics in Berlin, the German Society of Human Genetics presented a statement on the foundation of the "Eugenics" programme set up by the Nazis during the German Third Reich. Karin Hollricher reports.
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More than 2,300 scientists, including six Nobel Prize winners, are attending the 20th Congress of Genetics - ICG 2008 - in Berlin
This week, more than 2,300 people are expected to trail into the huge International Congress Centre that is reminiscent of a damaged aircraft carrier. Over 800 scientists are from Germany alone. However, the organisers had optimistically anticipated more - especially from North America. Is their absence indicative of the high dollar-euro exchange rate? Karin Hollricher reports
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Look out for Aliens beneath the waves!
An army of marine species, alien to UK coastal waters, have hitchhiked around the globe thanks to activities such as aquaculture, recreational boating and shipping. The 'Marine Aliens' consortium is now appealing for help from the British public to hunt down and identify these invaders, reports Jeremy Garwood.
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Genome Sequencing - On Special Offer.
Kick-started by the Human Genome Project, sequencing methods have rapidly evolved, becoming faster and less expensive. In the latest announcement by Swedish scientists, a new approach has been presented that aims for $1000 genomes. Melanie Estrella reports.
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The 'Virtual Human'
Once the human genome has been deciphered, Systems Biologists will reach out to 'map' humans as a whole. Within the next 30 years they plan to create a virtual functioning model of a human. Melanie Estrella reports on their ambitious enterprise.
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Ullrich's Third Deal
The Japanese pharma trust Daiichi Sankyo has taken over a small German drug developer. At least one prominent researcher will be delighted.
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Unicellular giants
How does one of the world's largest bacteria,
Epulopiscium, attain its relatively enormous size? Melanie Estrella reports that scientists may have unravelled a possible explanation.
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Who is actually being paid by industry?
Are mobiles a danger for your health? A recent study by Schwarz et al presents evidence that electromagnetic fields from mobiles leads to DNA breakage in human fibroblasts. Biologist Alexander Lerchl however finds serious faults in this study. By Siegfried Bär.
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Issue 04-2008 of LabTimes is open for online viewing.
It is no longer possible to turn the explosively increasing datasets of modern research into biological insights without mathematical modelling. Fortunately, new software packages open this door to even the most entrenched mathophobe. more
"Hey Owl! Why exactly did you quit active research?" That was the question I referred to in last issue's column, do you remember? Well, it triggered off a tirade about how much the whole science busines has changed for the worse during the last two decades. more
Type 2 diabetes caused by insulin resistance is one of the most widespread diseases in the western world. Amy Cameron et al. of Dundee have found that components in black tea have insulin-mimetic properties and many contribute in the search for a therapeutic molecule that can substitute for insulin. more
Everyone handling liquid nitrogen is familiar with that horrible fealing if the -196°C cold liquid seeps through to the fingers, freezing them to ice. There are, however, various tricks to avoid frostbitten fingertips. more