Cell signaling news
Here we present recent news items specially selected from Nature, Nature Medicine and Nature Biotechnology.
November 2007
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News | News in brief | News Features
News
Monuments and instruments
The architecture of the buildings in which researchers work can have a crucial effect on the fruits of their labor, as exemplified by the Ray and Maria Stata Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Nature News (29 November 2007)
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Brazil to boost science spend
Brazilian president Inácio Lula da Silva has announced a US$28-billion package to boost science and technology research over the next three years.
Nature News (29 November 2007)
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Now in Arabic...
A non-profit group has announced an ambitious plan to translate hundreds of science books, including classics by Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking, into Arabic for the first time.
Nature News (29 November 2007)
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Plant-disease controls sap outbreak responses
Microbiologists in the US are expressing concern about a government proposal to limit research on several plant pathogens because of their potential to be used as bioweapons.
Nature News (29 November 2007)
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Graphic Detail: The real value of a scientist's wage
A report from the European Commission displays data on the 2006 salaries of thousands of scientists working in the public and private sectors in 38 countries.
Nature News (29 November 2007)
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Race to mimic human embryonic stem cells
The production of cloned primate embryonic stem cells and the reprogramming of adult human cells have taken scientists one step closer to producing 'pluripotent' cells that can develop into almost any kind of human cell.
Nature News (22 November 2007)
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Drug firms accused of biasing doctors' training
Preliminary data have emerged suggesting that pharmaceutical industry-sponsored courses for doctors skew training material in favor of commercial interests.
Nature News (22 November 2007)
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UK 'terrorist' fights science-course ban
A British resident who is under surveillance for suspected terrorist activities is being prohibited from taking secondary-school-level science courses by the governmnet.
Nature News (22 November 2007)
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Pakistan's universities take up protest
Scientists and students in Pakistan have joined countrywide protests against the state of emergency, the suspension of the country's constitution and the sacking of its judiciary that was announced by the president, General Pervez Musharraf, on 3 November 2007.
Nature News (15 November 2007)
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Merck settles Vioxx lawsuits for $4.85 billion
The $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement specifies that Merck "does not admit causation or fault" for the increased risk of heart attack and stroke associated with use of the painkiller.
Nature News (15 November 2007)
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HIV vaccine may raise risk
A failed HIV vaccine made by Merck may have increased the susceptibility of some trial participants to the AIDS virus.
Nature News (15 November 2007)
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Brain waves reveal intensity of pain
The low-frequency brain waves that are emitted from thalamus and the periaqueductal grey area provide an objective measurement for the intensity of pain.
Nature News (15 November 2007)
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New law broadens FDA safety authority, renews user fees
The US' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act expands the FDA's role in monitoring drug safety by improving the "post-market surveillance" of approved drugs.
Nature Biotechnology 25, 1189-1190 (2007)
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Companies jostle for lead in RNAi, despite uncertainties
Biotechnology companies race to develop RNA interference-mediated therapies, despite numerous unresolved technical difficulties, and regulatory and intellectual property disputes.
Nature Biotechnology 25, 1191-1192 (2007)
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Antibodies' long revenue stream spurs pharma acquisitions
The recent success of monoclonal antibody-based therapies has spurred a new round of corporate acquisitions in the biotechnology industry.
Nature Biotechnology 25, 1194-1195 (2007)
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Foreign students face extra UK security checks
The United Kingdom's new Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) requires that foreign graduate students complete questionnaires that must be approved by UK security agencies before applying for visas.
Nature News (8 November 2007)
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Excessive fat intake can throw out the body clock
The body's circadian rhythm is affected by a high-fat diet, although the biological mechanisms behind this effect are not yet known.
Nature News (8 November 2007)
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Attack of the genomes
The genomes of twelve fruitfly species have now been sequenced, affording researchers the chance to apply comparative genomics techniques in the hunt for conserved gene regulatory sequences.
Nature News (8 November 2007)
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Researchers look for 'sweet' method to diagnose cancer
Scientists are investigating whether "glyco-signatures", or the combinations of glycan molecules that dot the exterior of a cell, can be used to improve the specificity and accuracy of diagnostic tests for cancer.
Nature Medicine 13, 1267 (2007)
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Program targets undergrads to make an early start on science
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has launched the pilot project of its new Science Education Alliance: a genomics course that will involve first-year undergraduate students in scientific research.
Nature Medicine 13, 1268 (2007)
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New law gives FDA more influence to monitor drug safety
A new law grants the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) broad power to monitor drug safety, including requiring that drug makers enter all their clinical trial results in a database maintained by the US National Institutes of Health.
Nature Medicine 13, 1269 (2007)
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Model behaviour
Neuroscientists are starting to develop better animal models for psychiatric disorders, such as the disrupted in schizophrenia-1 (Disc-1) mouse knockout.
Nature News (1 November 2007)
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Personalized genomes go mainstream
Two Silicon Valley start-up companies are planning to offer customers the chance to buy their personal genetic information about medical conditions and personal traits.
Nature News (1 November 2007)
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News in brief
| Italy reappoints institute head despite controversy
| Argentina sets up a ministry of science
| Indonesia edges closer to sharing bird-flu samples
| India commits to boosting biotechnology research
| Germany sets up national academy of sciences
| Stem-cell researcher accused of negligence
| Presidential veto leaves NIH facing shortfall
| New Jersey rebuffs loan to fund stem-cell research
| Patient privacy rules hamper US research
| Cap on overheads may put universities off defence
| Sony's biobattery
| Mustard gas enzyme
| Seeking standards
| Wanted: $100 genome
| Congress to vote on open access and NIH funds
| Biomedical agency puts epigenetics on the map
| White males maintain pole positions in US science
| Lack of realism blamed for failed anthrax vaccine
| Europe votes to legalize Afghan opium for medicine
| Genotype data of families with autism are released
News Features
Age research: A new angle on 'old'
The Buck Institute for Age Research has been awarded a US$25 million grant to create a new 'interdiscipline' called geroscience: the study of connections between ageing and age-related disease.
Nature News (29 November 2007)
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Profile: Innate ability
With keen immunological insight and a knockout mouse 'factory', Shizuo Akira leads by quiet example. David Cyranoski visits the world's most-cited scientist as he prepares to run one of Japan's premier research centres.
Nature News (22 November 2007)
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Tracking down tissues
A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) taskforce with the specific mission of tightening the management of human tissue procurement has found that the process is in disarray.
Nature Biotechnology 25, 1204-1206 (2007)
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Blue's clues
Large-scale genome-wide studies may eventually uncover genetic loci that could be used to predict an individual's tendency for depression and projected response to antidepressants.
Nature Medicine 13, 1272-1273 (2007)
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Neuroscience: A gut feeling
Using lobsters as a model organism, Brandeis Professor Eve Marder unraveled how even simple neural networks can create diverse functional repertoires.
Nature News (1 November 2007)
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Philanthropy: A country without alms
In Japan, an increasing number of people — both scientists and other citizens — are working to change a cultural reticence about charitable donations.
Nature News (1 November 2007)
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