A recent open access article by Yuri Wolf and Eugene Koonin in Biology Direct (Biol Direct 2, 14; 2007) is discussed in Nature this week.  In the Journal Club section of the magazine, where a researcher presents a paper of their choice from the last year, Eőrs Szathmáry highlights the significance of Wolf and Koonin’s hypothesis regarding the origin of translation and the genetic code. Szathmáry recommends researchers to read what he describes as a "well-written, thought-provoking paper”.  Why not join the discussion in the journal club forum on the Nature web site, or alternatively post a comment on the article on the Biology Direct website itself.

Biology Direct aims to publish articles of high calibre from across the full spectrum of biology. The journal already covers genomics, bioinformatics, systems biology and immunology, with additional subject areas in development.  Biology Direct offers authors a unique open peer review system, whereby authors identify suitable reviewers from the  journal’s Editorial Board, and referees’ reports are published alongside articles.