Conference reports

From starting your own podcast to self-publishing an e-book, sometimes a science writer just feels the need to go it alone. Although it can be a challenge to make such ventures turn a profit, they can be worthwhile, said panelists during a session titled "DIY publishing — Does it yield?" held during the Science Writers 2015 Conference in Cambridge, Mass.

In recent years, Karl Deisseroth has revolutionized neuroscience research. Through the development of ingenious techniques, he has brought researchers closer to understanding how the brain works and how neurons determine behavior.

A million billion viral infections occur every second in the biosphere. And if the quadrillion quadrillion viruses inhabiting just the oceans were lined up, they would span the 120,000 light years of the Milky Way’s diameter a hundred times.

They may not have much to say, but skeletons excavated in Northern Italy could provide a trove of information and a novel approach to studying disease.

A dynamic and novel approach is needed to reduce the accidental catch of pelagic predators, such as the leatherback sea turtle, in the world’s fishing grounds, according to Stanford biologist Larry Crowder.

The deep ocean is the final frontier on Earth and could hold a reservoir of untapped resources to support humanity’s growing population. Robots will soon reveal the deep ocean’s potential to provide for us.

Of the 325 wrongful convictions documented by the non-profit organization the Innocence Project, more than three quarters of them are due to faulty human memory. Figuring out how malleable victims’ memories can be has become a pressing issue in neuroscience research.

The ability of pathogenic microbes to resist the arsenal of antibiotic drugs that have successfully held disease at bay for generations is becoming more widespread throughout the world and is a growing threat to public health.

Parasites have a reputation for their sinister side effects, and malaria is a clear example. There is a little explored skeleton in its closet, though — a link perhaps to a once-peaceful past.