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The resonant behaviour of clusters of gold nanoparticles has been tuned by gradually bringing the particles together. The approach could have many applications, including chemical and biological sensing.
The ratio of nutrient elements in marine subsurface waters is much the same everywhere, even though biogeochemically distinct ocean biomes exist. A modelling study that includes mixing solves this conundrum. See Article p.550
Projects such as building dams and diverting watercourses enhance water security for humans. But they do little to protect the biodiversity of associated ecosystems, and that's a long-term necessity. See Article p.555
Plasmodium falciparum is the agent of the deadliest form of human malaria. A survey of Plasmodium diversity in African apes reveals that western gorillas are the reservoir species for this parasite. See Article p. 420
A fresh analysis of data from gravitational microlensing surveys for planets orbiting stars other than the Sun finds that gas-giant planets similar to Jupiter are more common than previously thought.
Enhancer sequences increase gene transcription with the help of a co-activator complex, the Mediator. Another protein complex — cohesin — seems to work with Mediator to bring together enhancers and promoters. See Article p. 430
How does a Salmonella pathogen outcompete beneficial intestinal microorganisms? It triggers an immune response that generates a compound from intestinal gas that it can utilize as an energy source. See Article p. 426
Nanoparticles that generate light through a mechanism known as second harmonic generation have been used to image live tissue. The particles overcome many problems associated with fluorescent probes for bioimaging.
Theory suggests that the risk of critical transitions in complex systems can be revealed by generic indicators. A lab study of extinction in plankton populations provides experimental support for that principle. See Letter p. 456
Do excited molecules relaxing to their ground state pass through a 'seam' connecting the potential energy profiles of the states? Experimental data suggest the answer to this long-standing question is 'yes'. See Letter p. 440
A fine marriage between two approaches to X-ray microscopy — computed tomography and ptychographic imaging — delivers high-resolution, three-dimensional images of samples without the need for lenses. See Letter p. 436
Methods for generating embryonic-like stem cells have been established. The focus now is on finding ways to coax these cells into matching their natural counterparts as closely as possible, should this be desired.
Patients with disorders of the blood protein haemoglobin often depend on lifelong blood transfusions. That could change, given the success of gene therapy in a patient with one such disorder.
Jumps resulting from the measurement of discrete state changes in single quantum systems have fascinated scientists from the early days of quantum theory. They have now been observed in solid-state quantum bits.
Mitochondria — the cell's power plants — increase their energy production in response to calcium signals in the cytoplasm. A regulator of the elusive mitochondrial calcium channel has now been identified.
Glaciers frozen to bedrock may have protected the southernmost Andes from erosion, providing an explanation for the mountains' topography and fresh constraints on possible links between climate and tectonics.
