In 1964, some of the most prominent scientists in the history of ecology and evolutionary biology met on the Pacific coast at Asilomar, California to discuss the genetics of colonizing species. Pointed (but polite) exchanges were recorded between ErnstMayr, G. Ledyard Stebbins, E. O. Wilson, Theodosius Dobzhansky, Richard Lewontin, JohnHarper, C.H.Waddington, R.W.Allard, Herbert Baker, and 21 o...

enzymology, the sensitive nature of RNA structure Twenty years have passed since the initial discovery brings new complexities to these experiments. Considof catalytic RNA. Although initial discoveries of riboeration of RNA catalysis in general [7, 8] and more spezymes (RNA enzymes) involved phosphoryl transfer cific discussions of ribozyme structure and function [9, reactions on RNA substrates...

As the ASME Division of Fluids Engineering celebrates its 90th Anniversary, I make a broad-brush sweep of progress in the field of fluid mechanics during this period. Selected theoretical, numerical, and experimental advances are described. The inventions of laser and computer have profound effects on humanity, but their influence on fluid mechanics is particularly elucidated in this review. [D...

Received 6 January 2015; accepted 5 November 2015; published online 6 May 2016; doi:10.1038/nbt.3423 and together with Sergey Bezrukov at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), had established the conditions that were necessary to avoid spontaneous gating (pore closure) of the a-hemolysin channel3. This was important, because spontaneous gating would have hindered, or confused, observation...

The search for scientific knowledge extends far back into antiquity. At some point in that quest, at least by the time of Aristotle, philosophers recognized that a fundamental distinction should be drawn between two kinds of scientific knowledge—roughly, knowledge that and knowledge why. It is one thing to know that each planet periodically reverses the direction of its motion with respect to t...

The world of gastroenterology changed forever when flexible endoscopes became available in the 1960s. Diagnostic and therapeutic techniques proliferated and entered the mainstream of medicine, not without some controversy. Success resulted in a huge service demand, with the need to train more endoscopists and to organise large endoscopy units and teams of staff. The British health service strug...

A h i s t o r i c a l r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e m a i n e v e n t s o f a t r u l y r e v o l u t i o n a r y p e r i o d of d r u g r e s e a r c h w h i c h l e d t o a r a t i o n a l m e d i c a l a p p r o a c h i n t h e t r e a t m e n t of h y p e r t e n s i o n i s t o s h e d l i g h t o n t h e c o n v e r s i o n of p h a r m a c o l o g i c a l s u b s t a n c e s i n ...