DNA methylation Credit: Christoph Bock (Max Planck Institute for Informatics) (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
This week's publication of two dozen epigenetics papers provides a good look at where the field stands, Tabitha M. Powledge writes: "The study of epigenetics is about how nurture shapes nature. It seeks to explain how the environment turns genes off and on in particular cells at particular times." Also, the ethics of robot-driven cars: "If an accident is inevitable, should a robocar kill its passengers or a schoolbus full of kids?" And Mars One — is it just reality TV?