Catálogo de publicaciones - revistas

<jats:p>Tania Singer helped found the field of social neuroscience. Now she wants to apply what has been learned—by training the world to be more compassionate through meditation.</jats:p>

<jats:p> Vilcinskas <jats:italic>et al</jats:italic> . (Reports, 17 May 2013, p. 862) proposed that infectious microsporidia of the invasive ladybird <jats:italic>Harmonia axyridis</jats:italic> act against intraguild predators, rather than ladybird alkaloid defenses. However, as both microsporidia and the harmonine defense alkaloid were administered to predators by microinjection rather than into the gut, such a conclusion is premature. Alkaloids also provide defense when predation occurs, whereas microsporidia act much later. </jats:p>

<jats:p> Conclusions about the nontarget effects of putatively invasive pathogens should be based on biologically relevant data. We disagree that the research experiments on a microsporidium isolated from <jats:italic>Harmonia axyridis</jats:italic> conducted by Vilcinskas <jats:italic>et al</jats:italic> . (Reports, 17 May 2013, p. 862) can explain the decline of native coccinellid species in the absence of such data. </jats:p>

<jats:p> Comments by de Jong <jats:italic>et al</jats:italic> ., Solter <jats:italic>et al</jats:italic> ., and Sloggett question the ecological relevance of the abundant microsporidia found in the invasive ladybird <jats:italic>Harmonia axyridis</jats:italic> . We contend that there is abundant evidence that native ladybirds feed on <jats:italic>H. axyridis</jats:italic> eggs and that interspecific microsporidial transfer is a common phenomenon, supporting the proposed role of these parasites as biological weapons. </jats:p>

<jats:p> We comment on the implications that Vilcinskas <jats:italic>et al</jats:italic> . (Reports, 17 May 2013, p. 862) attach to the finding that the exotic, invasive ladybird <jats:italic>Harmonia axyridis</jats:italic> carries microsporidia to which this species is insensitive but that is lethal to species that are native to the invaded areas. The authors suggest that these microsporidia might serve as “biological weapons” against the native competitors, but we cast doubt on the importance of this suggestion in the field. </jats:p>

<jats:p>In this wide-ranging critique of alternative medicine, Offit focuses on factors that motivate people to turn to such therapies.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Meyer holds that the emergence of animal phyla in the Cambrian demonstrates the existence of an intelligent designer.</jats:p>