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The loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its seven astronauts has cast a shadow over America's space agency. But it also presents an opportunity to redirect the US space programme towards the lofty goal of exploration.
Public-sector research into classical crop breeding is withering, supplanted by 'sexier' high-tech methods. But without breeders' expertise, molecular-genetic approaches might never bear fruit. Jonathan Knight reports.
Why do some plants and animals become pests when they are introduced to new areas? Part of the answer seems to be that they have left most of their parasites behind, gaining vigour as a consequence.
The idea of producing electricity from sunlight is attractive, but in practice the technology to do so is expensive. A new device, moving away from the traditional silicon design, shows promise.
Mutations in ion-transport proteins can destabilize the electrical activity of the heart, causing sudden death. It now seems that mutations in a protein that anchors ion transporters to cell membranes can have the same effect.
Researchers investigating heat exchange between the ocean floor and the ocean have various long-standing issues to tackle. The latest measurements of heat flux in hydrothermally active crust will add to these debates.
In tropical forests, many species of lichen gain a place in the sun by living on the leaves of other plants. It seems they can do so without compromising the photosynthetic capacity of their host.
The successes of two pioneering groups are now brought together to create trains of identical ultrashort laser pulses that can control what's happening inside an atom.
Activation of the nuclear factor NF-κB has been linked with many human cancers. But in tumours of some tissues this molecule is inactive. New work examines how turning off NF-κB promotes cancer in one tissue, the skin.
The insatiable demands of the pharmaceutical industry are helping to drive labs into the automated world of industrial production lines. Tim Chapman joins the quest for speed.
