Full Text Available for Selected Articles

First Peek at DNA Transcription

Atomic force microscope images show an enzyme molecule straddling a strand of DNA and pulling it along to complete the transcription phase of manufacturing proteins in cells.

Eye pigments may depend on one amino acid

Changing one amino acid in light-sensitive pigments alters their molecular properties.

Conscience grows on temperamental ground

Children take different paths in developing an internal guide to right and wrong behavior, depending on how well early temperament meshes with a mother's child-rearing practices.

Swapping insulin syringes for tiny beads

Coating substances with plastics that cling to tissue and slowly erode holds promise as a way to deliver medicines.

Meteorite still holds inklings of life

Researchers discuss the latest findings about the possibility that traces of ancient, primitive life remain in a Martian meteorite.

New glucose test on the way for diabetes

A novel polymer offers the possibility of lowering the cost and increasing the reliability of blood-sugar monitoring.

Newfound gene linked to several cancers

Investigators have found a single gene whose inactivation may contribute to a variety of cancers, including a rare malignancy that affects the brain and a common form of breast cancer.

Florida manatees' future: Grim or golden?

A population viability analysis of Florida's manatees paints a precarious future for the animals.

Research Notes:

Astronomy

Callisto conundrum

Close-up images of small patches of Callisto's surface reveal that this icy Jovian moon is curiously devoid of small and midsize craters.

Biomedicine

Study casts doubt on breast self-exam

Malignant tumors are detected at the same rate in a self-exam group as in a control group.

A complicating view of breast implants

One-quarter of all women with breast implants develop serious complications.

Earth Science

When glaciers covered the entire Earth

Twice in the planet's distant past, ice ages have engulfed the globe.

Searching for life in fire and ice

Scientists are gearing up to hunt for microbes hiding out in unusual places.

Physics

Particle tracking and liquid flow

Tracking the erratic path of a microsphere immersed in a tiny volume of fluid allows researchers to determine the liquid's flow properties.

Cooking up carbon doughnuts

The ends of a cylindrical carbon nanotube can join to form a doughnut-shaped ring.

Probing atomic migration in thin wires

Researchers can use X-ray microbeams to track atomic rearrangements in narrow wires and measure stress buildup during electromigration.

Articles:

Deep Dwellers

Microbes thrive far below ground

Once considered sterile, Earth's deep crust turns out to be rife with life.

Forbidden Flavors

Scientists consider how disgusting tastes can linger surreptitiously in memory

The tendency of a wide variety of animals to avoid food or drink associated with nausea has spawned research into the biology of taste aversion, predator control, social communication about dangerous food, and anorexia nervosa.

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