The international hydrogenase community stages a meeting every 3-4 years, and this time it was held in the University of Reading. Each congress has revealed new aspects of the complex nature of hydrogenases: their structure, molecular mechanisms and biosynthesis are all yielding up their secrets. This following introduction provides background information, and the highlights of the meeting are ...

L aboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae enjoy a much more comfortable life than their undomesti-cated relatives. Váchová et al. detail the complex colonies that wild strains of budding yeast form in order to survive the hostile conditions of their natural environment (1). Most microorganisms can form highly organized multicellular structures known as biofilms. These aggregates attach to...