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A decision by the French national bioethics committee to recommend a ban on human cloning for reproductive purposes sets a dangerous precedent, pre-empting a much-needed public debate.
Temperatures remain high in US faculties as what started as a relatively esoteric debate on the nature of scientific knowledge continues to reverberate. Whatever their differences, both sides agree that important issues are at stake–including the role of universities themselves.
In the first-ever analysis of peer-review scores for postdoctoral fellowship applications, the system is revealed as being riddled with prejudice. The policy of secrecy in evaluation must be abandoned.
Combining the geometry of plate tectonics, and the computational advantage of digital sea-floor topography, provides a new method for locating plumes rising from the Earth's deep mantle and for tracing the history of plate motions.
Competitive job markets and the shifting sands of funding in the United States and Europe may prompt agricultural and plant researchers to look at industry, academic–industry collaborations or a stint in a developing country.