Editorials

Science and religion in harmony p889

A spiritual leader with an interest in research has encountered opposition to his plans to speak at a scientific meeting. But he is perfectly entitled to do so.

doi: 10.1038/436889a

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Ratings games p889

Researchers have two rare opportunities to influence the ways in which they may be assessed in future.

doi: 10.1038/436889b

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Climate for progress p890

The painstaking US approach to the assessment of climate-change science yields some useful results.

doi: 10.1038/436890a

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Research Highlights

Research highlights p892

doi: 10.1038/436892a

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News

Synthetic biologists face up to security issues p894

Do technological advances need new rules?

Erika Check

doi: 10.1038/436894a

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NASA draws up blueprint for craft to reach Moon and Mars p895

Mars Society hears plans for shuttle successor

Kendall Powell

doi: 10.1038/436895a

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Warming debate highlights poor data p896

Studies of troposphere show trends are consistent with warming world.

Jenny Hogan

doi: 10.1038/436896a

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Climate sceptics place bets on world cooling down p897

Solar physicists make $10,000 wager with climate modeller.

Jim Giles

doi: 10.1038/436897a

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Sidelines p898

doi: 10.1038/436898a

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Survey questions safety of alternative medicine p898

Adverse reactions must be monitored, warns expert.

Alison Abbott

doi: 10.1038/436898b

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WHO urges regional offices to stockpile flu drug for staff p899

Internal plan says obtain drugs for a third of staff.

Declan Butler

doi: 10.1038/436899a

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Kansas backs lessons critical of evolution p899

School board adopts language from 'intelligent-design' documents.

Geoff Brumfiel

doi: 10.1038/436899b

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Index aims for fair ranking of scientists p900

'H-index' sums up publication record.

Philip Ball

doi: 10.1038/436900a

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News in brief p901

doi: 10.1038/436901a

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News Features

International Space Station:  Testing times p902

Preparing astronauts for a journey to the red planet has become NASA's research priority for the International Space Station. But such experiments will need more than the skeleton crew now running the station. Tony Reichhardt reports.

doi: 10.1038/436902a

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See also: Editor's summary

Complex systems:  Order out of chaos p905

Can the behaviour of complex systems from cells to planetary climates be explained by the idea that they're driven to produce the maximum amount of disorder? John Whitfield investigates.

doi: 10.1038/436905a

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Deep-sea biology:  The life aquatic p908

Cindy Lee Van Dover likes nothing better than to be on the ocean floor. Emma Marris meets the unconventional biologist who has devoted her life to studying the exotic ecosystems of the deep.

doi: 10.1038/436908a

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Business

Drug firms back-pedal on direct advertising p910

The pharmaceutical industry is taking a long, hard look at how it promotes its products to the public. Colin Macilwain reports.

doi: 10.1038/436910a

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In brief p911

doi: 10.1038/436911a

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Market watch p911

doi: 10.1038/436911b

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Correspondence

Buddhism is no bar to an open mind. Is science? p912

Janis L. Dickinson

doi: 10.1038/436912a

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Power-plant design should prepare for carbon capture p912

Jon Gibbins

doi: 10.1038/436912b

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Answering the critics of Japanese whale research p912

Hiroshi Hatanaka

doi: 10.1038/436912c

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Commentary

Re-wilding North America p913

A plan to restore animals that disappeared 13,000 years ago from Pleistocene North America offers an alternative conservation strategy for the twenty-first century, argue Josh Donlan and colleagues.

doi: 10.1038/436913a

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See also: Editor's summary

Books and Arts

Live long and prosper p915

Science can boost your chance of reaching a healthy old age — but don't hold your breath for immortality.

Tom Kirkwood reviews Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman and The Life Extension Revolution: The New Science of Growing Older Without Aging by Philip Lee Miller and The Life Extension Foundation (with Monica Reinagel)

doi: 10.1038/436915a

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Anticlimax p916

Olivia P. Judson reviews The Case of the Female Orgasm: Bias in the Science of Evolution by Elisabeth A. Lloyd

doi: 10.1038/436916a

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Science in culture: Prussian precision p917

Anton Hallmann's technical drawings brought geometry to life.

Martin Kemp

doi: 10.1038/436917a

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News and Views

Biodiversity:  Turning up the heat on hotspots p919

Different measures are used to define concentrations of biodiversity — so-called 'hotspots'. More rigorous, global-scale analyses of how they compare will be essential for efficient resource allocation to conservation.

Hugh P. Possingham and Kerrie A. Wilson

doi: 10.1038/436919a

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Cosmology:  Original questions p920

The lack of a coherent quantum description of gravity has impeded our understanding of the physics that determined how the Universe began. A synthesis of recent ideas may take us a step farther back in time.

Martin Bojowald

doi: 10.1038/436920a

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Atmospheric chemistry:  Natural bleach under scrutiny p921

Cosmic rays produce carbon-14, which enters Earth's carbon cycle after being oxidized. It is of great service to atmospheric chemists in providing a way of tracking the degree to which the atmosphere keeps itself clean.

Patrick Jöckel and Carl A. M. Brenninkmeijer

doi: 10.1038/436921a

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Cell biology:  Shaggy mouse tales p922

First impressions can be misleading. The enzyme telomerase has been well studied because of its initial association with cell ageing processes and cancer — but it now seems that this is not all it can do.

Elizabeth H. Blackburn

doi: 10.1038/436922a

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Astrophysics:  Swift progress p923

The agile, choreographed response of the Swift satellite to -ray bursts tests models to an unprecedented degree. Results from two recent long bursts suggest that the models are good, but require some tweaking.

Dieter H. Hartmann

doi: 10.1038/436923a

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50 and 100 years ago p924

doi: 10.1038/436924a

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Cardiology:  Rips repaired p925

In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, muscle cells die as a result of suffering many tiny membrane ruptures. A compound that increases membrane resealing can protect heart muscle cells from these effects.

Richard A. Steinhardt

doi: 10.1038/436925a

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Brief Communications

Conservation biology:  Lion attacks on humans in Tanzania p927

Understanding the timing and distribution of attacks on rural communities will help to prevent them.

Craig Packer, Dennis Ikanda, Bernard Kissui and Hadas Kushnir

doi: 10.1038/436927a

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (390K) | Supplementary information

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Brownian motion:  Absolute negative particle mobility p928

Alexandra Ros, Ralf Eichhorn, Jan Regtmeier, Thanh Tu Duong, Peter Reimann and Dario Anselmetti

doi: 10.1038/436928a

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (173K) | Supplementary information

Article

Exotoxin A−eEF2 complex structure indicates ADP ribosylation by ribosome mimicry p979

René Jørgensen, A. Rod Merrill, Susan P. Yates, Victor E. Marquez, Adrian L. Schwan, Thomas Boesen and Gregers R. Andersen

doi: 10.1038/nature03871

Abstract | Full Text | PDF (549K) | Supplementary information

See also: Editor's summary

Letters

An unexpectedly rapid decline in the X-ray afterglow emission of long -ray bursts p985

G. Tagliaferri, M. Goad, G. Chincarini, A. Moretti, S. Campana, D. N. Burrows, M. Perri, S. D. Barthelmy, N. Gehrels, H. Krimm, T. Sakamoto, P. Kumar, P. I. Mészáros, S. Kobayashi, B. Zhang, L. Angelini, P. Banat, A. P. Beardmore, M. Capalbi, S. Covino, G. Cusumano, P. Giommi, O. Godet, J. E. Hill, J. A. Kennea, V. Mangano, D. C. Morris, J. A. Nousek, P. T. O'Brien, J. P. Osborne, C. Pagani, K. L. Page, P. Romano, L. Stella and A. Wells

doi: 10.1038/nature03934

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (431K)

See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Hartmann

Young chondrules in CB chondrites from a giant impact in the early Solar System p989

Alexander N. Krot, Yuri Amelin, Patrick Cassen and Anders Meibom

doi: 10.1038/nature03830

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (286K) | Supplementary information

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Experimental measurement of the photonic properties of icosahedral quasicrystals p993

Weining Man, Mischa Megens, Paul J. Steinhardt and P. M. Chaikin

doi: 10.1038/nature03977

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (366K)

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Liquid crystal 'blue phases' with a wide temperature range p997

Harry J. Coles and Mikhail N. Pivnenko

doi: 10.1038/nature03932

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (381K) | Supplementary information

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Short-term variations in the oxidizing power of the atmosphere p1001

Martin R. Manning, David C. Lowe, Rowena C. Moss, Gregory E. Bodeker and William Allan

doi: 10.1038/nature03900

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (265K) | Supplementary information

In situ Os isotopes in abyssal peridotites bridge the isotopic gap between MORBs and their source mantle p1005

Olivier Alard, Ambre Luguet, Norman J. Pearson, William L. Griffin, Jean-Pierre Lorand, Abdelmouhcine Gannoun, Kevin W. Burton and Suzanne Y. O'Reilly

doi: 10.1038/nature03902

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (179K) | Supplementary information

Earthquake rupture dynamics frozen in exhumed ancient faults p1009

Giulio Di Toro, Stefan Nielsen and Giorgio Pennacchioni

doi: 10.1038/nature03910

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (550K) | Supplementary information

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Silurian brachiopods with soft-tissue preservation p1013

Mark D. Sutton, Derek E. G. Briggs, David J. Siveter and Derek J. Siveter

doi: 10.1038/nature03846

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (264K) | Supplementary information

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Global hotspots of species richness are not congruent with endemism or threat p1016

C. David L. Orme, Richard G. Davies, Malcolm Burgess, Felix Eigenbrod, Nicola Pickup, Valerie A. Olson, Andrea J. Webster, Tzung-Su Ding, Pamela C. Rasmussen, Robert S. Ridgely, Ali J. Stattersfield, Peter M. Bennett, Tim M. Blackburn, Kevin J. Gaston and Ian P. F. Owens

doi: 10.1038/nature03850

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (223K) | Supplementary information

See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Possingham & Wilson

Local translation of RhoA regulates growth cone collapse p1020

Karen Y. Wu, Ulrich Hengst, Llewellyn J. Cox, Evan Z. Macosko, Andreas Jeromin, Erica R. Urquhart and Samie R. Jaffrey

doi: 10.1038/nature03885

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (494K) | Supplementary information

Dystrophic heart failure blocked by membrane sealant poloxamer p1025

Soichiro Yasuda, DeWayne Townsend, Daniel E. Michele, Elizabeth G. Favre, Sharlene M. Day and Joseph M. Metzger

doi: 10.1038/nature03844

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (387K) | Supplementary information

See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Steinhardt

ERM is required for transcriptional control of the spermatogonial stem cell niche p1030

Chen Chen, Wenjun Ouyang, Vadim Grigura, Qing Zhou, Kay Carnes, Hyunjung Lim, Guang-Quan Zhao, Silvia Arber, Natasza Kurpios, Theresa L. Murphy, Alec M. Cheng, John A. Hassell, Varadaraj Chandrashekar, Marie-Claude Hofmann, Rex A. Hess and Kenneth M. Murphy

doi: 10.1038/nature03894

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (293K) | Supplementary information

Deficiency of glutaredoxin 5 reveals Fe−S clusters are required for vertebrate haem synthesis p1035

Rebecca A. Wingert, Jenna L. Galloway, Bruce Barut, Helen Foott, Paula Fraenkel, Jennifer L. Axe, Gerhard J. Weber, Kimberly Dooley, Alan J. Davidson, Bettina Schmidt, Barry H. Paw, George C. Shaw, Paul Kingsley, James Palis, Heidi Schubert, Opal Chen, Jerry Kaplan, The Tübingen 2000 Screen Consortium and Leonard I. Zon

doi: 10.1038/nature03887

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (442K) | Supplementary information

Animal virus replication and RNAi-mediated antiviral silencing in Caenorhabditis elegans p1040

R. Lu, M. Maduro, F. Li, H. W. Li, G. Broitman-Maduro, W. X. Li and S. W. Ding

doi: 10.1038/nature03870

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RNA interference is an antiviral defence mechanism in Caenorhabditis elegans p1044

Courtney Wilkins, Ryan Dishongh, Steve C. Moore, Michael A. Whitt, Marie Chow and Khaled Machaca

doi: 10.1038/nature03957

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Conditional telomerase induction causes proliferation of hair follicle stem cells p1048

Kavita Y. Sarin, Peggie Cheung, Daniel Gilison, Eunice Lee, Ruth I. Tennen, Estee Wang, Maja K. Artandi, Anthony E. Oro and Steven E. Artandi

doi: 10.1038/nature03836

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (681K) | Supplementary information

See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Blackburn

Endonucleolytic processing of covalent protein-linked DNA double-strand breaks p1053

Matthew J. Neale, Jing Pan and Scott Keeney

doi: 10.1038/nature03872

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (640K)

Naturejobs

The lie of the land p1059

More geophysicist PhDs are becoming postdocs

Paul Smaglik

doi:10.1038/nj7053-1059a

Full Text | PDF (137K)

Meeting (to move) up p1060

Scientific conferences give new faculty members a chance to meet the leaders in their field and to give themselves some much-needed exposure. Kendall Powell works the room.

Kendall Powell

doi:10.1038/nj7053-1060a

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Corrections p1061

doi:10.1038/nj7053-1061a

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David Wallace, director, Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge p1062

Mathematical approaches can solve career conundrums

David Wallace

doi:10.1038/nj7053-1062a

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Scientists & Societies p1062

Graduate students band together to foster communication

Benno Quade and Ajaybabu Pobbati

doi:10.1038/nj7053-1062b

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Graduate Journal:  Master of my fate p1062

Another stage, another choice

Tobias Langenhan

doi:10.1038/nj7053-1062c

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Spotlight on Malaysia

doi:10.1038/nj0079

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Futures

The bell-curve drug p1064

Choose your poison.

Jim Kling

doi: 10.1038/4361064a

Full Text | PDF (181K)