The EMBO Reports

Jacobs, Howy

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.30pmid: 22466135

Universities worldwide compete to produce the most impressive performance statistics. Howy worries that the universities' primary function of scholarship is being neglected in the process.

Pulverer, Bernd

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.38pmid: 22466136

Appropriate statistical analysis is vital to the integrity of the scientific record, but experience and intuition also play a role in interpreting results. Scientific progress should not be hampered through statistical over‐evaluation.

Morris, Simon Conway

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.21pmid: 22370728

Transmembrane proteins with seven helices, whether they are in the insect ‘nose’ or the mammalian eye, are the molecule of choice for detecting the world. No matter the kingdom, evolution seems to settle on the optimal solution time and time again.

Bublik, Débora Rosa; Oren, Moshe

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.33pmid: 22422000

Premature triggering of cell death by p53 has to be avoided. A recent study in EMBO reports demonstrates how the anti‐apoptotic protein Apak represses the expression of the pro‐apoptotic p53 target gene p53AIP1 in non‐stressed cells.

Gillies, Jennifer; Hochstrasser, Mark

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.34pmid: 22422001

A new class of SUMO protease, DeSUMOylating enzyme (DeSI)—that has different substrates and localization to SENP SUMO proteases—is characterized in this issue of EMBO reports. The implications for the field are discussed here.

Scott, Kristin; Hammarlund, Marc

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.27pmid: 22402665

The Cold Spring Harbour Asia conference on ‘Assembly, Plasticity, Dysfunction and Repair of Neural Circuits’ took place in Suzhou, China, in October 2011. Developmental, cell, molecular and systems neuroscientists convened to discuss the establishment, function and plasticity of neural circuits in diverse organisms.

Trewavas, Anthony J; Baluska, Frantisek

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.22pmid: N/A

Recognising that every organism is conscious opens opportunities for experimental investigation and evidence‐based understanding of this crucial biological capability.

Olsson, I Anna S; Forkman, Björn

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.20pmid: 22388566

Consciousness is more than just a collection of adaptive responses. Rather than a broader definition of the phenomenon, we need agreement on what constitutes real evidence of consciousness in non‐human beings.

Ray, Krishanu

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.28pmid: 22410832

Vaux, David L; Fidler, Fiona; Cumming, Geoff

doi: 10.1038/embor.2012.36pmid: 22421999

Replicate samples are important, but they cannot be used to properly test the validity of a scientific hypothesis.