Editorials in 2011

Understanding the molecules and mechanisms that microbes use to interact with each other and their environments can lead to better antimicrobial drug design as well as a richer understanding of bacterial physiology, ecology and evolution.

Chemical synthesis plays a critical and creative role in chemical biology, providing new chemical materials to investigate biological systems.

Professional editors provide the perspective, consistency and responsiveness needed to identify and communicate groundbreaking scientific advances.

Defining the scope and venue of a scientific paper requires a balance between the authors' goals for the study and reasonable feedback gleaned through peer review.

The sensors and switches that convert environmental inputs to specific biological outputs inspire the tools chemical biologists engineer and apply to better understand these complex systems.

Balancing big science projects with smaller-scale mechanistic studies provides a collaborative approach for integrating scientific knowledge and addressing major scientific challenges.

Unsupported assumptions have no place in scientific research, so why should they be tolerated when judging the talents and motivations of women in science?

If scientists do not participate in public conversations about science, decisions affecting science will be made without them.

Scientists must be attentive to ensure the integrity of the published record and find new ways to facilitate scientific debate in the electronic age.