Viviane Callier

Contrasting Developmental Trajectories in the Earliest Known Tetrapod Forelimbs

Ichthyostega and Acanthostega are the earliest tetrapods known from multiple near-complete skeletons, with Acanthostega generally considered the more primitive. New material indicates differing ontogenetic trajectories for their forelimbs: In Ichthyostega, the pattern of muscle attachment processes on small humeri (upper arm bones) resembles that in “fish” members of the tetrapod stem group such as Tiktaalik, whereas large humeri approach (but fail to attain) the tetrapod crown-group condition; in Acanthostega, both small and large humeri exhibit the crown-group pattern. We infer that Ichthyostega underwent greater locomotory terrestrialization during ontogeny. The newly recognized primitive characteristics also suggest that Ichthyostega could be phylogenetically more basal than Acanthostega.

Biomedical research workforce summit makes strides in implementing change for postdocs

Experts from industry and academia have begun the process of putting the biomedical research enterprise on a more sustainable path.

The Traditional Training of PhDs Threatens the Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship Pipeline While Innovative Programs Provide Unique Recovery Opportunities

The flaws in the training of PhDs in life science disciplines are impacting the state of academic biomedical science in the United States (U.S.) as well as the fate of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. In the absence of sweeping changes to the U.S. graduate training model, these circumstances will degrade the pipeline of highly educated scientific innovators and entrepreneurs. To counter this, a wide range of unique programs are emerging with the objective of providing opportunities for PhDs to more easily transition into the job market, where they will be able to sustain and build innovation within the marketplace. In this article, we describe the current challenges faced by emerging PhDs in the life sciences, address the negative implications of the existing training paradigm, and introduce some of the unique programs that will help PhD trainees be better prepared for the non-academic career paths that they are likely to follow. PhDs from all disciplines are key contributors to the innovations that drive technology transfer and entrepreneurship. As such, graduate programs should serve as the common training grounds for these individuals to gain the subject matter expertise, research experience, and vision needed to develop scientific advancements for the benefit of society.

Ailing academia needs culture change

In her Working Life column “The stressed-out postdoc” (1 August, p. [594][1]), C. Arnold describes the pressure felt by many postdocs, in part because there are not enough jobs available in academia. The problems they face are a symptom of a bigger issue: The research enterprise has become

Connecting Undergraduate Science Education with the Needs of Today's Graduates

Undergraduate science programs are not providing graduates with the knowledgebase and skills they need to be successful on today’s job market. Curricular changes relevant to today’s marketplace and more opportunities for internships and work experience during students’ secondary education would facilitate a smoother transition to the working world and help employers find graduates that possess both the hard and soft skills needed in the workplace. In this article, we discuss these issues and offer solutions that would generate more marketplace-ready undergraduates.

Have a sweet tooth? New blood test could tell

Monitoring—and modifying—diet isn9t easy, as people struggling with obesity or diabetes are well aware. Keeping track of the added sugars that lurk in foods from soft drinks to cereals is especially hard. Researchers have now come up with a blood test that could help both average people trying to stay on top of their diets and nutritionists—and they9ve shown that it is as good at monitoring added sugars as the complex diet reporting usually used in medicine and research. The test, based on the ratio of common carbon isotopes in blood serum, has shown that just one sugar-sweetened beverage is enough to produce a detectable increase in carbon-13 in the blood. Researchers hope the test will eventually be a part of standard clinical blood panels.

The bee whisperer

A new biography reveals how an ethologist with Jewish heritage earned the Nobel Prize for Nazi-funded research In The Dancing Bees, historian of science Tania Munz recounts the fascinating story of Karl von Frisch, the Austrian ethologist who discovered that honeybees communicate the direction and distance of food sources through elaborate dancelike behaviors. The book is a biography of a remarkable and gifted scientist whose work proved foundational for the discipline of comparative physiology, but it is also much more than that. Von Frischs scientific research occurred during a time period that spanned two world wars and the Cold War. His seminal discovery, which would later earn him a Nobel Prize, was made while he was funded by the Nazi Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

PhD trainees should be empowered to leverage dueling priorities

For young scientists, awareness of how academic institutions function is key for making the most of their trainee years.