Table of contents
Volume 449 Number 7159 pp115-258
(this content only available online) indicates content that is available online only
Editorials
Peer review reviewed p115
The US research community is responding vigorously to calls to help change the system of grant assessment at the National Institutes of Health. A radical transformation is urgently needed.
doi:10.1038/449115a
Meeting obligations p115
Climate change should take ever-increasing priority in the Asia-Pacific region.
doi:10.1038/449115b
Turkey's transformation p116
A European vision and a commitment to openness will foster good science.
doi:10.1038/449116a
News
Borysiewicz to head UK medical council p121
Vaccinologist from Imperial College set to succeed Colin Blakemore.
Michael Hopkin
doi:10.1038/449121a
Russian scientists see red over clampdown p122
Microbiologist taking samples to France is accused of smuggling bioweapons.
Quirin Schiermeier
doi:10.1038/449122a
Mystery ox finds its identity p124
Near-extinct kouprey reclassified as distinct species.
Ewen Callaway
doi:10.1038/449124a
Long-held theory is in danger of losing its nerve p124
Doubts raised over influential work on neurotransmitter release.
Declan Butler
doi:10.1038/449124b
Sidelines p125
doi:10.1038/449125a
Interferon discovery and ferret flu p126
Jean Lindenmann, who discovered how inactivated viruses help to protect cells, talks to Alison Abbott about his career.
doi:10.1038/449126a
Gorillas on the list p127
Ebola virus and poaching put pressure on Africa's primates.
Michael Hopkin
doi:10.1038/449127a
Business
A commodity no more p131
The flat-screen television boom has materials scientists scrambling to replace the valuable metal oxide that coats the screens. Andrea Chipman reports.
doi:10.1038/449131a
News Features
Accelerator physics: The plasma revolution p133
Particle accelerators that use plasma technology promise to shake up the fields of high-energy particle physics and cancer treatment. Challenges remain, but smaller, cheaper machines are within reach. Navroz Patel reports.
doi:10.1038/449133a
Fungal roles in soil ecology: Underground networking p136
Above ground, plants compete for life-giving sunlight, but below the surface a more complex picture emerges. John Whitfield explores the role of mycorrhizae in plant ecology.
doi:10.1038/449136a
See also: Editor's summary
Correspondence
Cover: choosing the right gecko is a sticky business p139
Travis LaDuc
doi:10.1038/449139a
Cover story may obscure the plane truth p139
Lawrence Sincich
doi:10.1038/449139b
Researchers' ethical duties are not to be outsourced p139
Leonard H. Glantz
doi:10.1038/449139c
The Vietnam War added a motive to go on studying p139
F. Christian Thompson
doi:10.1038/449139d
Starstruck science should appreciate philosophy p139
Mark Wexler & Stéphanie Dupouy
doi:10.1038/449139e
Commentary
Universities and the money fix p141
Funding woes plague US biomedical researchers. But calls for more funding ignore the structural problems that push universities to produce too many scientists, argues Brian C. Martinson.
doi:10.1038/449141a
See also: Editor's summary
Books and Arts
A challenge to Kyoto p143
Standard cost–benefit analysis may not apply to the economics of climate change.
Partha Dasgupta reviews Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming by Bjorn Lomborg
doi:10.1038/449143a
Max Perutz: Max in three dimensions p144
Gregory A. Petsko reviews Max Perutz and the Secret of Life by Georgina Ferry
doi:10.1038/449144a
Max Perutz: One man and his molecule p145
Ermanno Gherardi reviews Piccole Visioni: La Grande Storia di una Molecola by Marta Paterlini
doi:10.1038/449145a
Science in culture: Heaven in grains of sand p146
Nanoscientists and Tibetan monks unite to explore the mysteries of the mandala.
Martin Kemp
doi:10.1038/449146a
News and Views
Extrasolar planets: The one that got away p147
Hanging around a star that has passed through its red-giant phase doesn't seem a likely place for a planet. But one planet apparently managed to avoid being engulfed by its bloated star — might others, too?
Jonathan Fortney
doi:10.1038/449147a
See also: Editor's summary
Epigenetics: Perceptive enzymes p148
Adding methyl groups to DNA is a way of regulating some genes and genomic sequences. Structural analysis reveals that the enzyme complex that mediates this process shows unexpected sequence specificity.
Anne C. Ferguson-Smith & John M. Greally
doi:10.1038/449148a
Chemistry: Molecular socks in a drawer p149
Dynamic combinatorial chemistry is a deft way to identify the most stable forms in a complex mixture of interconverting compounds. Even more cunningly, it can also be used to sort related molecules by crystallization.
Michael D. Ward
doi:10.1038/449149a
Ecology: Scaling laws in the drier p151
The vegetation of arid ecosystems displays scale-free, self-organized spatial patterns. Monitoring of such patterns could provide warning signals of the occurrence of sudden shifts towards desert conditions.
Ricard Solé
doi:10.1038/449151a
See also: Editor's summary
Atomic physics: A whiff of antimatter soup p153
A molecule consisting of two electrons and two anti-electrons is similar to, but different from, the familiar hydrogen molecule H2. Its creation heralds a new chapter in the formation of matter–antimatter states.
Clifford M. Surko
doi:10.1038/449153a
See also: Editor's summary
50 & 100 Years Ago p153
doi:10.1038/449153b
See also: Editor's summary
Evolutionary genetics: You are what you ate p155
Sadaf Shadan
doi:10.1038/449155a
Obituary: Ernst Otto Fischer (1918–2007) p156
Organometallic chemist, and cosmopolitan Bavarian patriot.
Wolfgang A. Herrmann
doi:10.1038/449156a
Outlook: Neglected Diseases -
Outlook: Neglected Diseases
Neglected Diseases p157
David O'Connell
doi:10.1038/449157a
Lost in translation p158
The culture of academia needs to change if scientists are to bridge the gap between research and the development of drugs and vaccines for neglected diseases in the developing world, says Declan Butler.
Declan Butler
doi:10.1038/449158a
A tough transition p160
What is holding back biotechnology in the developing world? Peter A. Singer and his colleagues listen to those on the ground.
Peter A. Singer, Kathryn Berndtson, C. Shawn Tracy, Emma R. M. Cohen, Hassan Masum, James V. Lavery & Abdallah S. Daar
doi:10.1038/449160a
Full Text | PDF (818K) | Supplementary information
The path to new medicines p164
Governments must help accelerate the development of drugs needed to treat infectious diseases in the developing world, say Bénédicte Callan and Iain Gillespie.
Bénédicte Callan & Iain Gillespie
doi:10.1038/449164a
Mission possible p166
One billion people worldwide suffer from tropical diseases. Andrew L. Hopkins, Michael J. Witty and Solomon Nwaka explain how drug-discovery networks might be scaled up to address the lack of treatments cost-effectively.
Andrew L. Hopkins, Michael J. Witty & Solomon Nwaka
doi:10.1038/449166a
A prescription for drug delivery p170
Improvements in basic infrastructure are the key to saving millions of lives each year, say Julian Lob-Levyt and his colleagues.
Rebecca Affolder, Ivone Rizzo, Craig Burgess, Abdallah Bchir & Julian Lob-Levyt
doi:10.1038/449170a
Patent sense p174
Protecting intellectual property saves lives in the developing world, argues Paul Herrling.
Paul Herrling
doi:10.1038/449174a
At what price? p176
Differential pricing could make global medicines affordable in developing countries. But drugs for diseases that have no market in the developed world will require additional subsidies, says Patricia M. Danzon.
Patricia M. Danzon
doi:10.1038/449176a
The road to recovery p180
Brazil urgently needs to improve infrastructure for generating pharmaceuticals to alleviate the plight of its poor and marginalized populations, say Carlos M. Morel et al.
Carlos M. Morel, José R. Carvalheiro, Carmen N. P. Romero, Eduardo A. Costa & Paulo M. Buss
doi:10.1038/449180a
Article
MicroRNA control of Nodal signalling p183
Graziano Martello, Luca Zacchigna, Masafumi Inui, Marco Montagner, Maddalena Adorno, Anant Mamidi, Leonardo Morsut, Sandra Soligo, Uyen Tran, Sirio Dupont, Michelangelo Cordenonsi, Oliver Wessely & Stefano Piccolo
doi:10.1038/nature06100
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (598K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Letters
A giant planet orbiting the 'extreme horizontal branch' star V 391 Pegasi p189
R. Silvotti, S. Schuh, R. Janulis, J.-E. Solheim, S. Bernabei, R. Østensen, T. D. Oswalt, I. Bruni, R. Gualandi, A. Bonanno, G. Vauclair, M. Reed, C.-W. Chen, E. Leibowitz, M. Paparo, A. Baran, S. Charpinet, N. Dolez, S. Kawaler, D. Kurtz, P. Moskalik, R. Riddle & S. Zola
doi:10.1038/nature06143
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (277K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Fortney
Dynamics of ice ages on Mars p192
Norbert Schorghofer
doi:10.1038/nature06082
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (308K)
See also: Editor's summary
The production of molecular positronium p195
D. B. Cassidy & A. P. Mills, Jr
doi:10.1038/nature06094
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (226K)
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Surko
Coupling of surface temperatures and atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the Palaeozoic era p198
Rosemarie E. Came, John M. Eiler, Ján Veizer, Karem Azmy, Uwe Brand & Christopher R. Weidman
doi:10.1038/nature06085
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (342K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
A link between large mantle melting events and continent growth seen in osmium isotopes p202
D. G. Pearson, S. W. Parman & G. M. Nowell
doi:10.1038/nature06122
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (232K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Placing late Neanderthals in a climatic context p206
P. C. Tzedakis, K. A. Hughen, I. Cacho & K. Harvati
doi:10.1038/nature06117
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (213K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Positive feedbacks promote power-law clustering of Kalahari vegetation p209
Todd M. Scanlon, Kelly K. Caylor, Simon A. Levin & Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe
doi:10.1038/nature06060
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (921K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Solé
Spatial vegetation patterns and imminent desertification in Mediterranean arid ecosystems p213
Sonia Kéfi, Max Rietkerk, Concepción L. Alados, Yolanda Pueyo, Vasilios P. Papanastasis, Ahmed ElAich & Peter C. de Ruiter
doi:10.1038/nature06111
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (535K)
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Solé
A general integrative model for scaling plant growth, carbon flux, and functional trait spectra p218
Brian J. Enquist, Andrew J. Kerkhoff, Scott C. Stark, Nathan G. Swenson, Megan C. McCarthy & Charles A. Price
doi:10.1038/nature06061
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (337K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Dscam diversity is essential for neuronal wiring and self-recognition p223
Daisuke Hattori, Ebru Demir, Ho Won Kim, Erika Viragh, S. Lawrence Zipursky & Barry J. Dickson
doi:10.1038/nature06099
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (633K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Glucose sensing by POMC neurons regulates glucose homeostasis and is impaired in obesity p228
Laura E. Parton, Chian Ping Ye, Roberto Coppari, Pablo J. Enriori, Brian Choi, Chen-Yu Zhang, Chun Xu, Claudia R. Vianna, Nina Balthasar, Charlotte E. Lee, Joel K. Elmquist, Michael A. Cowley & Bradford B. Lowell
doi:10.1038/nature06098
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (597K) | Supplementary information
The structural basis of yeast prion strain variants p233
Brandon H. Toyama, Mark J. S. Kelly, John D. Gross & Jonathan S. Weissman
doi:10.1038/nature06108
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (550K) | Supplementary information
Haematopoietic stem cells do not asymmetrically segregate chromosomes or retain BrdU p238
Mark J. Kiel, Shenghui He, Rina Ashkenazi, Sara N. Gentry, Monica Teta, Jake A. Kushner, Trachette L. Jackson & Sean J. Morrison
doi:10.1038/nature06115
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,096K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
The structural basis for activation of plant immunity by bacterial effector protein AvrPto p243
Weiman Xing, Yan Zou, Qun Liu, Jianing Liu, Xi Luo, Qingqiu Huang, She Chen, Lihuang Zhu, Ruchang Bi, Quan Hao, Jia-Wei Wu, Jian-Min Zhou & Jijie Chai
doi:10.1038/nature06109
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (624K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Structure of Dnmt3a bound to Dnmt3L suggests a model for de novo DNA methylation p248
Da Jia, Renata Z. Jurkowska, Xing Zhang, Albert Jeltsch & Xiaodong Cheng
doi:10.1038/nature06146
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (706K) | Supplementary information
See also: News and Views by Ferguson-Smith & Greally
Corrigendum
An experimental test of non-local realism p252
S. Gröblacher,
T. Paterek,
R. Kaltenbaek,
. Brukner,
M. 
ukowski,
M. Aspelmeyer
&
A. Zeilinger
doi:10.1038/nature06190
Naturejobs
ProspectHiking the ups and downs of the science trail. p253
Paul Smaglik
doi:10.1038/nj7159-253a
Regions
Swedish strategies p254
As the line between science and business blurs, Quirin Schiermeier looks at how Sweden's capital region is adapting.
Quirin Schiermeier
doi:10.1038/nj7159-254a
Correction p255
doi:10.1038/nj7159-255a
Career View
Dennis Choi, executive director, Comprehensive Neuroscience Initiative, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia p256
Dennis Choi consolidates neuroscience in Atlanta.
Virginia Gewin
doi:10.1038/nj7159-256a
A pipeline for Europe p256
Europe needs a clear career structure for principal investigators.
Tony Hyman & Kai Simons
doi:10.1038/nj7159-256b
Keeping good scientists p256
Marrying into citizenship and job opportunities
Peter Jordan
doi:10.1038/nj7159-256c
Highlights
Opportunities: The National Institutes of Health
doi:10.1038/nj0170
Highlight: Scandinavia
doi:10.1038/nj0171
Highlight on Francophone Countries
doi:10.1038/nj0172