Opinion

Recognizing hollow strengths in research communities p493

A review of physics in the United Kingdom highlights the usefulness of external scrutiny and the challenge of getting a part of the community to set itself new standards. Who will take the lead?

doi:10.1038/35014749

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News

Researchers take US government to court over threat to turtles... p495

Natasha Loder

doi:10.1038/35014751

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...as amphibians come under study p495

Rex Dalton

doi:10.1038/35014754

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Green light for plans to sell off US helium reserve p496

Colin Macilwain

doi:10.1038/35014757

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UK labs impeded by old equipment p496

Natasha Loder

doi:10.1038/35014760

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Clinical trials end at gene-therapy institute... p497

Paul Smaglik

doi:10.1038/35014762

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...as Harvard keeps its ethics guidelines p497

Steve Nadis

doi:10.1038/35014765

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France plans marine research port at Brest p498

Declan Butler

doi:10.1038/35014767

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Transmutation of nuclear waste branded 'Trojan horse' p498

Colin Macilwain

doi:10.1038/35014770

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Germany edges towards stem-cell accord p499

Quirin Schiermeier

doi:10.1038/35014772

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Survey nets volcanic prize p499

Peter Pockley

doi:10.1038/35014775

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French scientists turn to journals in English p500

Declan Butler

doi:10.1038/35014778

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World's academies seek a sustainable future p501

Robert Triendl

doi:10.1038/35014781

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News in brief p502

doi:10.1038/35014784

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News

correction p502

doi:10.1038/35014793

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News Feature

Requiem for an observatory p504

One of NASA's most productive satellites is about to meet a fiery end. Henry Bortman assesses the achievements of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, and considers the missions that will follow in its footsteps.

Henry Bortman

doi:10.1038/35014787

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Correspondence

To conserve rainforest, we have to help local people live sustainably p507

S. Jennings, N. D. Brown, T. C. Whitmore, J. N. M. Silva, J. do C. A. Lopes and A. M. V. Baima

doi:10.1038/35014661

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Impact factors aren't relevant to taxonomy p507

Frank-Thorsten Krell

doi:10.1038/35014664

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We have moral authority to apologize for the past p508

Damian Grace and John Carmody

doi:10.1038/35014666

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Offside researchers score an own goal p508

Winfried S. Peters, Bernd Herkner, Alex Webb and Julian Hibberd

doi:10.1038/35014668

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Let Armenia show why it's the place for Sesame p508

J. S. Hovnanian

doi:10.1038/35014670

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Giving Arabs credit for Persian works (again) p508

Payman Arabshahi

doi:10.1038/35014672

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Commentary

Time for voices to be raised p509

Scientists must become more involved in controversial public debates.

doi:10.1038/35014674

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Book Reviews

The house that Jim built p511

Writings from a scientist who has never rested on his Nobel laurels.

Sydney Brenner reviews A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes and Society by James D. Watson

doi:10.1038/35014690

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Mozart, McCartney and sexual selection p512

Margaret A. Boden reviews The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature by Geoffrey Miller

doi:10.1038/35014693

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Vistas of love p512

doi:10.1038/35014695

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Statistical detective p513

Ian Hacking reviews Statistics on the Table: The History of Statistical Concepts and Methods by Stephen M. Stigler

doi:10.1038/35014698

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Aventis Prizes for Science Books 2000 p513

doi:10.1038/35014700

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Making sense of a small world p514

The Aventis Junior Science Book Prize 2000 shortlist

Maxine Clarke reviews

doi:10.1038/35014702

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Millennium Essay

A double-edged sword p515

The technical fix for one genetic disorder had unforeseen repercussions.

Diane Paul

doi:10.1038/35014676

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Futures

Catching crumbs from the table p517

In the face of metahuman science, humans have become metascientists.

Ted Chiang

doi:10.1038/35014679

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News and Views

Evolutionary ecology: Pax Argentinica p519

Colonizing species often lose genetic variation. Usually this has harmful effects, but in Argentine ants it has led to loss of clan warfare and formation of supercolonies that overwhelm native species.

David C. Queller

doi:10.1038/35014705

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Gene regulation: Neutralizing noise in gene networks p520

Timothy S. Gardner and James J. Collins

doi:10.1038/35014708

Full Text | PDF (99K)

Glass transition: Hard knock for thermodynamics p521

Salvatore Torquato

doi:10.1038/35014711

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100 and 50 years ago p523

doi:10.1038/35014714

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Cognitive neuroscience: Learning how the brain learns p523

Eilon Vaadia

doi:10.1038/35014716

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Quantum decay: A watched pot boils quicker p525

Peter W. Milonni

doi:10.1038/35014719

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Geomorphology: Case of the bends p525

Tim Lincoln

doi:10.1038/35014721

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Immunology: The footprint of a killer p527

Klas Kärre and Gunter Schneider

doi:10.1038/35014724

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Daedalus: Air currents p528

David Jones

doi:10.1038/35014727

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Brief Communications

Pacific leatherback turtles face extinction p529

Fisheries can help avert the alarming decline in population of these ancient reptiles.

James R. Spotila, Richard D. Reina, Anthony C. Steyermark, Pamela T. Plotkin and Frank V. Paladino

doi:10.1038/35014729

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (120K)

Palaeontology: Fossil record of mass moth migration p530

Jes Rust

doi:10.1038/35014733

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (241K)

Neurobiology: Presenilin-1 mutations in Alzheimer's disease p531

C. Russo, G. Schettini, T. C. Saido, C. Hulette, C. Lippa, L. Lannfelt, B. Ghetti, P. Gambetti, M. Tabaton and J. K. Teller

doi:10.1038/35014735

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (258K) | Supplementary information

Astronomy: A massive cool dust torus around Carinae? p532

Kris Davidson and Nathan Smith

doi:10.1038/35014740

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (100K)

Hypothesis

Inferring the statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics from the classical limit p533

Kurt Gottfried

doi:10.1038/35014500

Abstract | Full Text | PDF (120K)

Article

Crystal structure of an NK cell immunoglobulin-like receptor in complex with its class I MHC ligand p537

Jeffrey C. Boyington, Shawn A. Motyka, Peter Schuck, Andrew G. Brooks and Peter D. Sun

doi:10.1038/35014520

Abstract | Full Text | PDF (451K)

See also: News and Views by Kärre & Schneider

Letters to Nature

Rossby waves on the Sun as revealed by solar 'hills' p544

J. R. Kuhn, J. D. Armstrong, R. I. Bush and P. Scherrer

doi:10.1038/35014530

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (278K)

Acceleration of quantum decay processes by frequent observations p546

A. G. Kofman and G. Kurizki

doi:10.1038/35014537

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (183K)

See also: News and Views by Milonni

Absence of thermodynamic phase transition in a model glass former p550

Ludger Santen and Werner Krauth

doi:10.1038/35014561

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (143K)

See also: News and Views by Torquato

Dynamics of the silicon (111) surface phase transition p552

J. B. Hannon, H. Hibino, N. C. Bartelt, B. S. Swartzentruber, T. Ogino and G. L. Kellogg

doi:10.1038/35014569

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (218K)

Old radiocarbon ages in the southwest Pacific Ocean during the last glacial period and deglaciation p555

Elisabeth L. Sikes, Catherine R. Samson, Thomas P. Guilderson and William R. Howard

doi:10.1038/35014581

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (176K)

Multiple seismic discontinuities near the base of the transition zone in the Earth's mantle p559

N. A. Simmons and H. Gurrola

doi:10.1038/35014589

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (332K)

Are lemmings prey or predators? p562

P. Turchin, L. Oksanen, P. Ekerholm, T. Oksanen and H. Henttonen

doi:10.1038/35014595

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (152K)

Highly fecund mothers sacrifice offspring survival to maximize fitness p565

Sigurd Einum and Ian A. Fleming

doi:10.1038/35014600

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (152K)

Cortical ensemble activity increasingly predicts behaviour outcomes during learning of a motor task p567

Mark Laubach, Johan Wessberg and Miguel A. L. Nicolelis

doi:10.1038/35014604

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (249K) | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Vaadia

An electroneutral sodium/bicarbonate cotransporter NBCn1 and associated sodium channel p571

Inyeong Choi, Christian Aalkjaer, Emile L. Boulpaep and Walter F. Boron

doi:10.1038/35014615

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (288K)

Cyclin D control of growth rate in plants p575

Claire E. Cockcroft, Bart G. W. den Boer, J. M. Sandra Healy and James A. H. Murray

doi:10.1038/35014621

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (269K)

Peptides accelerate their uptake by activating a ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway p579

Glenn C. Turner, Fangyong Du and Alexander Varshavsky

doi:10.1038/35014629

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (388K)

Recombination signal sequences restrict chromosomal V(D)J recombination beyond the 12/23 rule p583

Craig H. Bassing, Frederick W. Alt, Maureen M. Hughes, Margaux D'Auteuil, Tara D. Wehrly, Barbara B. Woodman, Frank Gärtner, J. Michael White, Laurie Davidson and Barry P. Sleckman

doi:10.1038/35014635

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (702K) | Supplementary information

Intraprotein radical transfer during photoactivation of DNA photolyase p586

Corinne Aubert, Marten H. Vos, Paul Mathis, André P. M. Eker and Klaus Brettel

doi:10.1038/35014644

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (312K)

Engineering stability in gene networks by autoregulation p590

Attila Becskei and Luis Serrano

doi:10.1038/35014651

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (161K)

See also: News and Views by Gardner & Collins

New on the Market

Answering life's big questions... p595

... such as 'how long is a telomere?' or 'found any good genes lately?'.

doi:10.1038/35014743

Full Text | PDF (267K)

Careers and Recruitment

US Congress encouraged to lay out the welcome mat for skilled foreigners p597

US high-tech industry is crying out for skilled foreign workers, but there just aren't enough visas to go round. Diane Gershon explores...

Diane Gershon

doi:10.1038/35014682

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Germany faces up to its labour shortage p597

Diane Gershon

doi:10.1038/35014685

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The economic impact of Silicon Valley's immigrant entrepreneurs p598

Diane Gershon

doi:10.1038/35014687

Full Text | PDF (132K)