The Scientist

July 2008

Features:

• the cheatin’ amoeba coVer storY » What genes contribute to social interactions such as cheating or altruism? And what could cheating genes tell us about sociality, multicellularity, and cancer? A social soil amoeba could hold the answers, says GAD
• rare History, common Disease Four hundred years ago, a small group of French citizens began settling in Quebec, where found- ing couples averaged 36 children and grandchil- dren, and created an isolated population with unique rates of disease. DAViD
• a Planck Walk A shift in focus - and a couple of robots - have helped researchers at a Max Planck Institute pinpoint the genetics underlying entire systems.
• editorial Africa needs Basic science Why science can save the future – not just the people – of these impoverished nations BY
• notebooks Agenda; Good golly, Miss Molly; Drug ishing; A southern mystery; Bio-antibiotics? A sultan’s gift?
• 6 opinion Mobilizing students for change An organization focused on neglected diseases links trainees North and South. BY
• 9 column Research Locally, think Globally Focusing on details may get you published, but what do we lose in the process? BY
• 4 Proile cool cloning Lynn Cooley figured she’d study sea creatures, then decided to revolu- tionize Drosophila genetics instead. BY
• 9 the Literature Hot Papers: Molecular secrets of a strange cellular channel revealed; long-term expression of short hairpin RNA kills mice; the first genome-wide DNA methylation map of any organism, and a Web tool to view it. Citation Classic: Jean Dausset recalls experiments in which he mixed blood derivatives, leading him to suspect that human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) stimulated an im- mune response. Scientist to Watch: Martin Burke
• 5 Lab tools In the Live Light How to troubleshoot your in-vivo fluorescence imaging studies. BY
• BioBusiness Irreverent Genetics At Merck, Eric Schadt takes an iconoclastic approach to drug dis- covery – and dressing. BY
• careers Management for Beginners So you’re a principal investigator – now what? BY
• 4 Foundations First patch clamp, circa 1974 BY