Australia gets a new science minister

Science Networking Gets Serious

A new breed of networking applications offers scientists much more than typical social networking sites, but how useful are they? Amy Maxmen reports.

FoxP3 gets a new gig

On page 1141, the one-trick transcription factor FoxP3 reveals a new function. According to Chang and colleagues, FoxP3 does more than just drive regulatory T (T reg) cell development; it also promotes the proliferation of developing thymocytes. FoxP3 is required for the development of CD4 CD25 T reg cells, which subdue the activation of conventional T cells and thus protect against chronic inf...

Utrophin gets a new look

In This Issue In This Issue trophin, a member of the spectrin superfamily of actin-binding proteins ubiquitously expressed in human cells, helps link the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix. Galkin et al. report on page 231 that a newly developed image analysis method identifies two different modes of utrophin binding to F-actin. The findings contradict earlier studies on utrophin–ac...

Anne McLellan: new direction from a new minister?

minister last January, Anne McLellan was off and running. On CTV’s Question Period, the new minister broke a Liberal taboo by raising the possibility that companies could build and run private hospitals that might be allowed to operate within the Canadian health care system. “Does corporate structure necessarily matter in terms of a hospital, as long as when I take my Alberta health card they t...

New Faculty Orientation Gets a Facelift