Cell signaling news
Here we present recent news items specially selected from Nature, Nature Medicine and Nature Biotechnology.
June 2005
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News | News in brief | News Features
News
Japan's university shake-up wins faint praise after first year
Last year, the Japanese government drastically reformed the country's university system in the hope of making science more competitive, but few are convinced that research standards will rise.
Nature (30 June 2005)
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Drug targeting: is race enough?
The expected approval in the United States of the first drug targeted to a specific racial group is sparking debate about the future of 'personalized' medicine.
Nature (23 June 2005)
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Retracted papers damage work on DNA repair
The retraction of a paper in the journal Science has left biologists picking up the pieces as revelations continue about the misdeeds of Tony Leadon, formerly a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Nature (23 June 2005)
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Biologists asked to breed a culture of responsibility in face of terrorism
Diplomats and biosecurity experts meeting in Geneva this week are urging life scientists to act responsibly and prevent potential misuse of their work.
Nature (16 June 2005)
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Look out for rough drafts of mammal genomes
The scaly pangolin, the wide-eyed bushbaby and a deadly mosquito are among 13 new organisms to be sequenced by the US National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in Maryland, by a strategy called low-density draft coverage, which will help biologists to find the genome regions that have changed least through time.
Nature (16 June 2005)
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Chemistry society goes head to head with NIH in fight over public database
PubChem, a free database launched by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) last September, threatens the fee-based Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS)'s monopoly.
Nature (09 June 2005)
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One in three scientists confesses to having sinned
More than a third of US scientists, in a survey of thousands, have admitted to misconduct in the past three years, which ranges from faking results outright to dropping suspect data points.
Nature (09 June 2005)
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Blue Brain boots up to mixed response
A team of neuroscientists in Switzerland plans to use a supercomputer to create a biologically realistic simulation of the neural circuits responsible for higher mental processes in humans and other mammals.
Nature (09 June 2005)
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Europe halts decisions on stem-cell patents
The European Patent Office (EPO) has put patent applications involving human embryonic stem-cell technology on ice, and there are no immediate prospects for a thaw.
Nature (09 June 2005)
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Reduced grants set off short fuses among US scientists
Infectious disease researchers are irate over a decision by the US National Institutes of Health to shorten the length of some existing grants by three to six months, as part of a plan to stagger the agency's grant-review workload through the year.
Nature Medicine (June 2005)
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Spanish scientists say goodbye to popular Juan March meetings
Much to Spanish scientists' dismay, the Fundación Juan March, which has for decades supported international meetings and research grants for biomedical research, has decided to end its commitment to biology.
Nature Medicine (June 2005)
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Idle computers get busy screening drug targets for cancer
Any computer with access to the Internet can now help discover cancer drugs by running a special screensaver that uses parallel computing power and virtual screening to assess the interactions between small drug-like molecules and predetermined cancer-causing targets.
Nature Medicine (June 2005)
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Unchecked by government, genetic tests sell hope and hype
US federal agencies don't regulate consumer tests for genetic disorders, as the latest to join the market is a controversial set of tests to check potential reasons for infertility and multiple pregnancy loss.
Nature Medicine (June 2005)
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Acquisition signals shift from US market
The US biotech market may be losing its former center-stage position for European companies, judging by the acquisition of Transkaryotic Therapies of Pennsylvania, by the mid-sized European pharmaceuticals firm Shire of the UK.
Nature Biotechnology (June 2005)
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Multi-kinase inhibitors create buzz at ASCO
A new class of targeted drugs could rival existing approved personalized therapies.
Nature Biotechnology (June 2005)
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Network aims to knit disparate European initiatives
Umbrella organizations are sprouting around Europe to boost biotech development.
Nature Biotechnology (June 2005)
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Flu in wild birds sparks fears of mutating virus
The deaths in China of more than 1,000 migratory birds from the flu strain H5N1 has left experts struggling to square the outbreak with their knowledge of the virus.
Nature (02 June 2005)
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UK research councils claim success for open-access publishing plan
Britain's main public funders for research have come up with a policy that pleases both sides in the debate over open-access publishing — papers based on funded research will be posted on free websites.
Nature (02 June 2005)
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Protein structures hint at the shape of things to come
In less than a year, an Anglo-Canadian group has worked out the structures of 50 complex proteins that are relevant to human disease and says it will add a further 100 structures to its free-access database in the coming year.
Nature (02 June 2005)
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Special report: Back in the race
An almost unthinkable defeat for President Bush in Congress has put embryonic stem-cell research firmly back on the US agenda. But with South Korea setting a pace the United States will still struggle to match, the field's future is fraught.
Nature (02 June 2005)
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Yeast feeds debate on prolonging life
'Eating less helps you live longer' has for decades been the message from researchers of ageing, but now a research team from University College London proposes that it could be what you eat, not how much you eat, that really counts.
Nature (02 June 2005)
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Drug giants fail to name compounds in trial database
An international group of medical editors is challenging several leading pharmaceutical companies, saying that their reporting of clinical trials is deliberately incomplete.
Nature (02 June 2005)
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News in brief
Germany ends impasse over university funding
| Biologists weigh up risks of synthetic genomes
| Japan steps up training of science communicators
| China and US streamline visas for visiting scientists
| Truce declared over free access chemical database
| NIH set for 'disappointing' increase in 2006 budget
| Germany casts doubt on extra Framework funding
| Treaty on transgenics hits trouble over labelling
| Japan plays trump card to get kids into science
| US academy sets rules for stem cell research
| UK okays screening for 'savior siblings'
| Lizard spits up diabetes drug
| US Supreme court strikes against frivolous litigation
| Blueprint North America winds down
| Smoker's lung deal
| Union scraps boycott of Israeli universities
| Freedom of choice leads Italy to failed cancer drug
News Features
Educational research: Big plans for little brains
Experts in neuroscience, computing and education are coming together in a massive effort to put the way in which children are taught on a sounder scientific footing. Trisha Gura profiles this ambitious — some might say foolhardy — initiative.
Nature (30 June 2005)
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Science education: Hothouse High
Do US high schools dedicated to science generate future academics or burnt-out whiz kids? Kendall Powell catches up with some of the first pupils to graduate from 'nerd school'.
Nature (16 June 2005)
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Stem-cell therapies: The first wave
Treatments that use stem cells to replace damaged or diseased tissues are thought to lie many years away. But the cells might find other clinical applications in the near future, says Catherine Zandonella.
Nature (16 June 2005)
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Space physiology: Lie back and think of science
Twelve women have taken to bed for two months in the name of space research. Nicola Jones joins them for a few days, and asks what physiologists hope to learn from this marathon lie-in.
Nature (09 June 2005)
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One for the money
The US National Institutes of Health is set to pour up to $315 million more into HIV vaccine research over the next seven years. So why is the scientific community so angry? Apoorva Mandavilli investigates.
Nature Medicine (June 2005)
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Better living through microbes
Genetically engineered bacteria made biotech drugs possible. Now, they are becoming drugs in their own right, Monya Baker reports.
Nature Biotechnology (June 2005)
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Scientists with disabilities: Access all areas
Scientific research can be tricky at the best of times, but people with disabilities face additional challenges both in the lab and when dealing with data. Jessica Ebert meets the researchers who are building their own customized solutions to overcome these problems.
Nature (02 June 2005)
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Molecular medicine: Lost in translation
A mysterious disease that causes children's brains to melt away is caused by errors in RNA translation. But biologists are realizing that this horrifying condition could shed light on more common problems. Claire Ainsworth reports.
Nature (02 June 2005)
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