Metrics for evaluating papers and reputation in science have
traditionally centered on the journal in a one-size-fits-all
approach. Neylon and Wu offer their perspective
on the richer and more accurate picture of scientific impact and
relevance now possible with the advent of article-level metrics,
such as comments, ratings, download and page view statistics,
citations, and trackbacks from other websites, which more
directly relate to individual articles.
A new synopsis
explains a study by
Burgoyne et al. in which small-interfering RNAs are used to
disrupt the function of the more than 100 copies of the
Sly gene on the mouse Y chromosome. This leads to
defective sex chromosome repression during spermatid
differentiation and, as a consequence, sperm malformations and
near-sterility.
This synopsis
discusses a study by Köster
and colleagues in which imaging cerebellar granule neurons in
zebrafish embryos reveals a further role for Cadherin-2 in
neurogenesis. It regulates cohesive and directional granule cell
migration via intra-membranous Cadherin-2 relocalisation and
centrosome stabilization.
David Shulenburger offers his Perspective
on how a new and better order to make scholarship available for
free to all is emerging through deposit mandates such as those
adopted by Harvard, MIT, and Kansas. Illustration: BioMed
Central/Andrzej Krauze.
A collection
of essays, perspectives, and reviews, produced with support
from Google.org, describes how genomics can revolutionize our
understanding of emerging infectious disease. The collection has
contributions from nearly all the PLoS Journals; PLoS
Biology offers an introductory Editorial from Jonathan Eisen and
Catriona MacCallum, a Perspective
from W. Florian Fricke et al. on the role of genomics in
biosecurity, and Google.org's Perspective from Rajesh Gupta et al.
advocating an Infectious Disease Genomics Project. You can
listen to an audio interview discussion of the issues raised
by this collection.
