Design and characterization of 5 IAs. (A, B) Schematic diagrams show the structures of IAs, which are scFv-hIgG-Fc–like molecules bearing antibody-binding domains to gp120 or human CD4. scFv, single-chain variable fragment; hIgG, human immunoglobulin G, VH, variable heavy chain; VL, variable light chain; CH, constant heavy chain. (C) The released IAs in culture supernatants were detected by Western blot analysis under reducing conditions. (D) Each IA displayed neutralizing activity against pseudovirus HIV-1ADA. (E) Paired IAs were tested for synergistic effects in a checkerboard neutralization assay. The synergy volumes of –50 to 50, 50 to 100, and >100 in a synergy plot at the 95% CI were used to define additive, slight synergistic, and synergistic effects, respectively...

WASP-18b is a ‘hot Jupiter’ located 325 light-years from Earth. Credit: NASA/GSFC

Abell 39, the 39th entry in a catalog of large nebulae discovered by George Abell in 1966, is a beautiful example of a planetary nebula. It was chosen for study by George Jacoby (WIYN Observatory), Gary Ferland (University of Kentucky), and Kirk Korista (Western Michigan University) because of its beautiful and rare spherical symmetry. This picture was taken at the WIYN Observatory’s 3.5-m (138-inch) telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, AZ, in 1997 through a blue-green filter that isolates the light emitted by oxygen atoms in the nebula at a wavelength of 500.7 nanometers. The nebula has a diameter of about five light-years, and the thickness of the spherical shell is about a third of a light-year...

Although unappetizing in this lab shot, these creatures are already used for many other purposes, including as an ingredient in Asian cuisine. Credit: Johan Foster