Winning Darwin design takes root

Next-generation phylogenetics takes root.

It has been a tumultuous 5 years in phylogeography and phylogenetics during which both fields have struggled to harness the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS) (Ekblom & Galindo 2010; McCormack et al. 2012a). Fortunately, several methodological approaches appear to be taking root. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, O’Neill et al. (2013) employ one such method – parallel tagged sequencing...

Root patterning: it takes two to tangle

The mechanisms that pattern lateral root primordia are essential for the elaboration of root system architecture , a trait of key importance for future crop breeding. But which are most important: periodic or local cues? In this issue of Journal of Experimental Botany (pages 1411–1420), Kircher and Schopfer manipulate growth direction to demonstrate the importance of both sources of patterning ...

Stereotactic radiation takes root in cancer therapy.

Herbal medicine takes root in Germany.

The sale of Herbal Medicine is a growth industry in Germany, where physicians routinely prescribe these products and annual sales have surpassed $ 2 billion. Pam Harrison says the rising popularity has been driven by German patients, who began demanding herbal alternatives to synthetic drugs. Medical schools responded by reintroducing lessons on a topic that had been phased out of the medical c...

Darwin, Dover, 'Intelligent Design' and textbooks.

ID ('intelligent design') is not science, but a form of creationism; both are very different from the simple theological proposition that a divine Creator is responsible for the natural patterns and processes of the Universe. Its current version maintains that a 'Designer' must intervene miraculously to accomplish certain natural scientific events. The verdict in the 2005 case Kitzmiller, et al...