The Hottest Research of 1997
It was a year in which science made headlines-when a lamb
named Dolly came on like a lion, and the Pathfinder mission bounced to a perfect Martian
landing. And, as always, Science Watch was watching. Here is the annual citation
roundup for 1997... 
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 Timothy A. Springer on Cell Adhesion Molecules
It was no more than 20 years ago that
biologists believed that cell adhesion molecules were simply the glue of life, the stuff
that served to hold cells and ligaments and everything else together. Since then, however,
understanding of these molecules has gone through a paradigm shift. It is now known that
they play roles in just about every aspect of human biology-from the embryo, where they
are crucial for tissue and organ development, to the adult, where they act as traffic
signals to direct the actions of immune-system cells in wound-healing, inflammation,
cancer, and even AIDS.
Today the study of cell adhesion
molecules has been transformed from a back-water of biology into one of the hottest fields
around. "There are ... |
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