Science: What kind of science makes the best dance? asked Science magazine, which sponsored the 2010 “Dance Your PhD” contest. This year’s winner was chemistry: “Selection of a DNA Aptamer for Homocysteine Using SELEX,” presented by chemistry PhD candidate Maureen McKeague and fellow students at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Their presentation centered on a chemical technique called SELEXsystematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichmentwhich generates short segments of DNA and RNA called aptamers. The nucleic acids can be designed to stick to almost any target molecule; for McKeague’s PhD research, the target molecule is the amino acid homocysteine. Physicists can also check out the finalist in the physics category, Steven Lade’s “Directed Transport Without Net Bias in Physics and Biology.”
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
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