One for all UNIVERSAL stem cells that can turn into any body tissue have been extracted from the bone marrow of mice. "It's the final nail in the coffin of the idea that cells are irreversibly fated," says Neil Theise of New York University School of Medicine and a co-leader of the study. Theise and his colleagues discovered … News
Westminster Diary FRANKLIN ORR, dean of earth sciences at Stanford University, and Peter Brewer of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, both in California, impressively outlined some of the techniques that could be used to lock away carbon dioxide emissions (Chemistry & Industry, 4 September 2000, p 567). I sent a copy of the article to Lord … Opinion
Heart and soul Great discoveries bring lasting fame – if not always fortune. But in the days before patents or articles in learned journals established who did what first, credit didn't always go to the right person. Before books beccame commonplace, new ideas travelled slowly. And those that did filter out were often ignored: in the great European … Features
Jewels of the Lake The Cichlid Fishes by George Barlow, Perseus, $28, ISBN 0738203769 Homosexuality, polygyny, sex-changing, babysitting and mass orgies among fish? Surely not? Prepare to be amazed. George Barlow's The Cichlid Fishes reveals fish behaviour that you may have overlooked. He describes, for example, how a tiny male Neolamprologus callipterus kidnaps a female from a neighbouring colony … Books & Arts
Feedback ANYONE lucky enough to attend a function at the Royal Society in London will notice that lunch is served in a room with a prominent notice proclaiming: "We do not serve any food derived from genetically modified materials." Does this represent an important shift in Royal Society policy? Readers will remember that not so long … Regulars