The history of three scientific societies: the Society for the Study of Fertility (now the Society for Reproduction and Fertility) (Britain), the Société Française pour l'Etude de la Fertilité, and the Society for the Study of Reproduction (USA)

Three scientific societies devoted to the study of reproduction were established in Britain, France and USA in the middle of the twentieth century by clinical, veterinary and agricultural scientists. The principal motivation for their establishment had been the study of sterility and fertility of people and livestock. There was also a wider perspective embracing other biologists interested in reproduction more generally. Knowledge disseminated through the societies' scientific meetings and publications would bear upon human and animal population problems as well as basic reproductive physiology and its applications. New journals dealing with reproductive physiology, having worldwide appeal, were established in Britain and USA. The financial resources of at least one of the societies and its journal are directed towards charitable functions, including financial support for travel to scientific meetings, for visits to particular laboratories, and for research in the short term, including that of undergraduates. Perhaps the example of the British society has given rise to others having a more specialised focus, as well as to the formation of the European Society for the Study of Human Reproduction and Embryology.     

Signs,markers, profiles,and signatures: clinical haematology meets the new genetics (1980–2000)

We propose that a fruitful way to understand the extension of molecular biology into clinical practice is through the notion of biomedical platform. In this article, we analyze the development of the new genetics in clinical haematology since the mid‐1980s, focusing on two recent instantiations of the molecular biology platform: RT‐PCR and DNA microarrays. We show how clinical research is more closely entwined with “fundamental” biology than is often imagined and simultaneously caution that the use of techniques in clinical research does not automatically entail their use in routine clinical practice. The article calls attention to the work of articulation and regulation as constitutive aspects of a platform that enters standard clinical use.     

Introduced mangroves in the Society Islands,French Polynesia (South Pacific): invasive species or novel ecosystem?

Biological Invasions - Biotic mixing, where introduced and native species mix into a newly formed ecosystem, is an increasing phenomenon worldwide. It particularly affects islands, where the number...     

The 8~(TH) Conference of The Chinese Society for Cell Biology (CSCB) Nanjing, November 2003

The 8~(th) conference of the Chinese Society for Cell Biology will be held in Nanjing,November 2003.The conference iscalling for abstracts of original works on all aspects of cell biology.The conference will invite distinguished scholarsto give talks on cutting-edge topics in cell biology research.Programs will include plenary lectures,platform and     

Report on the third annual meeting of the Society for Biological Radiation Research, GBS ’99

During the past few decades radiation research has developed into specialized sub-disciplines, ranging from basic physics and chemistry to tumor biology and experimental radiotherapy. Scientific issues as well as the techniques and methodologies applied are subject to diverging discussion. The annual scientific meetings of the German ”Gesellschaft für Biologische Strahlenfor-schung (GBS)” were established with the primary aim of allowing up-to-date transfer of current knowledge in any of the topics in radiation research and of promoting interaction between different research groups. This report provides a summary of the presentations at the third annual meeting which took place in 1999 in Dresden, Germany. The meeting particularly focussed on frontline research in radiation chemistry, modeling of radiation effects, dosimetry of non-ionizing radiation and unconventional radiation qualities, e.g., heavy ions or soft x-rays, stochastic radiation effects, DNA repair, and various aspects of radiobiological research of cells, normal tissues and tumors. Received: 3 February 2000 / Accepted: 10 May 2000     

Lessons Learned as President of the Institute for Systems Biology(2000–2018)

正I stepped down as president of the Institute for Systems Biology(ISB)on Jan 1,2018.As I think about my 17-year term as President,I am astounded at how much I have learned,not only about science but also about,among other things,what it takes to build a unique world-class institution.The beginningsI came to the non-pro?t,independent ISB from 30 years in academia.For 22 years,I was a faculty member of Division of Biology at the California Institute of Technology(Caltech),     

Cleft,Crevice, or the Inner Thigh: ‘Another Place’ for the Establishment of the Invasive Barnacle Austrominius modestus (Darwin, 1854)

The proliferation of anthropogenic infrastructure in the marine environment has aided the establishment and spread of invasive species. These structures can create novel habitats in areas normally characterised as void of suitable settlement sites. The habitat requirements of the invasive acorn barnacle Austrominius modestus (Darwin, 1854) were assessed using a novel sampling site at Crosby Beach, Liverpool. Austrominius modestus has spread rapidly around the UK since its initial introduction, becoming locally dominant in many estuarine areas including the Antony Gormley art installation, ‘Another Place’, at Crosby Beach. The installation consists of 100 replicate solid cast-iron life-size human figures, located at a range of heights on the shore. We recorded the distribution and abundance of A. modestus present on all of the statues at various positions during the summer of 2006. The positions varied in location, exposure, direction, and rugosity. Although parameters such as rugosity and exposure did influence patterns of recruitment, they were less important than interactions between shore height and direction, and specific location on the beach. The addition of a suitable substrate to a sheltered and estuarine region of Liverpool Bay has facilitated the establishment of A. modestus. Understanding the habitat requirements of invasive species is important if we are to make predictions about their spread and the likelihood of invasion success. Austrominius modestus has already become locally dominant in some regions of the UK and, with projections of favourable warming conditions and the global expansion of artificial structures, the continued spread of this species can be expected. The implications of this on the balance between native and invasive species dominance should be considered.