Fifty years ago pharmacological discoveries transformed psychiatry but progress since then has been relatively slow and there is unease about the role of industry. Despite this, the possibilities of pharmacological treatment have improved in recent years but exploiting developments for the benefit of patients requires psychotherapeutic skill as well as a high level of scientific knowledge.

The constantly growing body of scholarly knowledge of science, technology, and humanities is an asset of the mankind. While new discoveries expand the existing knowledge, they may simultaneously render some of it obsolete. It is crucial for scientists and other stakeholders to keep their knowledge up to date. Policy makers, decision makers, and the general public also need an efficient communic...

The ESF-EMBO meeting on 'Cell Polarity and Membrane Traffic' took place in Poland in April 2012. It brought together scientists from two once separate fields and highlighted their emerging interdependence. The wealth of scientific insights and discoveries presented laid a path for future research.

This year marks the 150(th) anniversary of the presentation by Gregor Mendel of his studies of plant hybridization to the Brunn Natural History Society. Their nature and meaning have been discussed many times. However, on this occasion, we reflect on the scientific enterprise and the perception of new discoveries.

Lily and Yuh Nung Jan's collaboration started with the identification of Shaker as the first known potassium channel gene and has flourished to produce over 100 former students and postdocs who are now leading their own research groups. In an interview with Neuron, they reflect on their scientific discoveries, serendipity in science, and the value of curiosity-driven basic research.

Patents do not always promote innovation, particularly when they restrict access to fundamental scientific discoveries and the tools of basic research. However, there are legal and policy approaches that may help to ameliorate problems associated with patenting these sorts of inventions.

Economics experiments have been used to study theories and policies that are often difficult to evaluate with data from naturally occurring markets. This paper is a selective summary of my work in the main areas of experimental economics: markets, individual decisions, games, and public choice. The discussion pertains both to scientific discoveries and teaching innovations.

Animal models (bioassays) have been of great service to humanity in all sorts of scientific-related advancements. Aves, specifically chickens, played an important role in vitamin discoveries, as it was the first species to be used in 1890’s to study beriberi. We briefly review its 30-year trajectory as an investigational tool in science and medicine.

The current problems the medical research community is presently confronting has also featured in this issue. As scientific progress continues to achieve accomplishments at a faster face, the moral and ethical questions posed by these new discoveries and technology should prominently mark future ethical discussions. The authors have chosen to speculate on where some of these conversations may l...

Treating cancer with drugs is an ancient art, but it is from discoveries made during and after the Second World War that real clinical success with cancer chemotherapy has occurred. Human and veterinary cancer chemotherapy have coevolved in the context of fascinating historical, political, and scientific events created by equally fascinating individuals.