Article & Web Alert (May/June 2009) - New Delhi

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY34. MAGIC AND THE BRAINBy Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen L. Macknik. Scientific American, v. 299, no. 6,December 2008, pp. 72-79.http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=magic-and-the-brainMagicians have been testing and exploiting the limits of cognition andattention for centuries; neuroscientists are just beginning to catch up.Magic tricks often work by covert misdirection, drawing the spectator'sattention away from the secret method that makes a trick work.Neuroscientists are scrutinizing magic tricks to learn how they can be putto work in experimental studies that probe aspects of consciousness notnecessarily grounded in current sensory reality. Brain imaging shows thatsome regions are particularly active during certain kinds of magic tricks.35. A NEW MOLECULE OF LIFEBy Peter E. Nielsen, Scientific American, v. 299, no. 6, December 2008, pp. 64-71.http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=triple-helix-designing-a-new-moleculePeptide nucleic acid, a synthetic hybrid of protein and DNA, couldform the basis of a new class of drugs–and of artificial life unlikeanything found in nature. A synthetic molecule, peptide nucleicacid (PNA) combines the information-storage properties of DNAwith the chemical stability of a protein-like backbone. Drugs basedon PNA would achieve therapeutic effects by binding to specificbase sequences of DNA or RNA, repressing or promoting thecorresponding gene. Some researchers working to construct artificiallife forms out of chemical mixtures are also considering PNA auseful ingredient for their designs. PNA-like molecules may haveserved as primordial genetic material at the origin of life.36. HIV 25 YEARS LATER: THE BIG CHALLENGESBy David I. Watkins. Scientific American, v. 299, no. 5, November 2008, pp. 68-76.http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-aids-vaccine-search-goes-onRepeated failures in the quest for an AIDS vaccine have sent investigatorsback to the drawing board. HIV has defeated the best efforts of vaccinescientists because the virus evades and undermines the immune system.If HIV infection can't be prevented, a second goal of vaccine makersis to reduce the virus's spread and the severity of illness it causes.Researchers are returning to basic science to follow new leads.ARTICLE & WEB ALERT 28