Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Scientists may have finally developed the techniques to reconstruct complete wiring diagrams for the neuronal circuitry of the human brain. Nathan Blow reports.
In the context of this month's global theme on poverty and human development, we are turning the spotlight to diagnostic methods—more specifically, tests for diagnosing infectious diseases in poverty-stricken areas.
Research performed where epidemics hit the hardest is necessary to bring solutions to the major health crises that plague poverty-stricken areas. Far from being limited to these areas, 'research in situ' can benefit health management worldwide. There are pressing technological needs to be addressed in order to facilitate such research.
A special Focus (beginning on p. 781) on mass spectrometry in proteomics applications is intended to inspire more cell biologists to take advantage of this powerful technology.
Mass spectrometry has been rapidly maturing as the core technology at the heart of proteomics. The application of these powerful methods to the study of human diseases and their translation to the clinic, however, has been beset with unique challenges.
PCR—the workhorse of modern molecular biology—is charging forward using both conventional and digital methods to explore single cells and even single molecules. Nathan Blow reports.