Physical models are increasingly used to inform our understanding of biology. Where such models still run into limits was the question that Cell's Robert Kruger posed to Julie Theriot, K.C. Huang, and Mark Goulian. Annotated excerpts from this conversation are presented below, and the full conversation is available with the article online.

COULD there be anything more exciting than International Accountants Day? Well, perhaps . . . Accountancy, unfortunately has an undeserved reputation for being an uncreative art form, yet November 10 is a hallowed day for an industry which prides itself on the adage ‘everyone counts’. To mark this ‘special event’, we’ve put together a few ‘interesting’ facts about accountancy that may just give...

Although the epileptogenic properties of estrogens have been widely demonstrated in several models and species, the mechanism(s) by which estrogens can acutely change seizure parameters including after discharge and seizure duration remain remains to be determined. In the present study, we examined the role of NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate), non-NMDA and estrogenic receptors in estradiol benzoate ...