Table of contents
Volume 451 Number 7176 pp223-372
In this issue (17 January 2008)
Also this week
(this content only available online) indicates content that is available online only
Editorials
How not to prioritize p223
A high-level reprimand to US astronomers highlights the need for the objectives of 'big science' to be openly debated.
doi:10.1038/451223a
Deserting the hungry? p223
Monsanto and Syngenta are wrong to withdraw from an international assessment on agriculture.
doi:10.1038/451223b
Philanthropy needed... p224
... to save a historic home of scientific stimulation.
doi:10.1038/451224a
News
Funding edict for mission has NASA over a barrel p228
Cost of planet-hunting telescope could hold back other space projects.
Eric Hand & Alexandra Witze
doi:10.1038/451228a
Stem cells: a national project p229
Japan rushes to capitalize on 'reprogrammed' adult cells.
David Cyranoski
doi:10.1038/451229a
Nuclear war: the safety paradox p230
In the second of a series of articles, Geoff Brumfiel looks at whether certain nuclear-weapons technology should be shared.
Geoff Brumfiel
doi:10.1038/451230a
Sidelines p232
Scribbles on the margins of science.
doi:10.1038/451232a
Europe to capture carbon p232
New power stations could be forced to store greenhouse-gas emissions.
Quirin Schiermeier
doi:10.1038/451232b
Novartis Foundation to close its doors p233
Time runs out for acclaimed scientific symposia.
Alison Abbott
doi:10.1038/451233a
Genomics sizes up p234
China launches large-scale human sequencing initiative.
Jane Qiu & Erika Check Hayden
doi:10.1038/451234a
Nuclear power gets green light from UK government p235
doi:10.1038/451235a
Health agency recalculates death toll for Iraq conflict p235
doi:10.1038/451235b
Florida funds expansion of Oregon university p235
doi:10.1038/451235c
Budget cuts force early closure of Stanford collider p235
doi:10.1038/451235d
Time is running out for paranormal prize p235
doi:10.1038/451235e
Free bags face the axe in China p235
doi:10.1038/451235f
News Features
Experimental Cosmology: Cosmos in a bottle p236
Physicists often borrow techniques from other fields. But how far can this get you? Geoff Brumfiel asks if simple table-top experiments can provide new insights into the early Universe.
doi:10.1038/451236a
Chemistry: Power Play p240
A German physicist and a hedge-fund magnate are competing to push protein simulations into the realm of the millisecond. Brendan Borrell finds out what is at stake.
doi:10.1038/451240a
Correspondence
Citations: rankings weigh against developing nations p244
D. C. Mishra
doi:10.1038/451244a
Citations: poor practices by authors reduce their value p244
Peter A. Todd & Richard J. Ladle
doi:10.1038/451244b
Glacier programme shows the value of 'ground truth' p244
Mauri Pelto
doi:10.1038/451244c
Restricted access to fossils hinders claim confirmation p244
Christopher P. Heesy
doi:10.1038/451244d
Books and Arts
Twenty-first-century anatomy lesson p245
Polymath pieces together the surprising past of the human body from fins, wings, hangovers and hiccups.
Carl Zimmer reviews Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin
doi:10.1038/451245a
See also: Editor's summary
Interdisciplinary inspiration p246
Alice W. Flaherty reviews Artscience: Creativity in the Post-Google Generation by David Edwards
doi:10.1038/451246a
Biography of a blockbuster text book p247
Ken Arnold reviews The Anatomist: A True Story of Gray's Anatomy by Bill Hayes
doi:10.1038/451247a
News and Views
Behavioural neuroscience: Neurons of imitation p249
In songbirds, a class of neurons shows a striking similarity in activity when the bird sings and when it hears a similar song. This mirroring neuronal activity could contribute to imitation.
Ofer Tchernichovski & Josh Wallman
doi:10.1038/451249a
See also: Editor's summary
Inorganic chemistry: Uranium gets a reaction p250
The most common form of uranium in solution is notoriously unreactive, limiting the use of the element. But interactions of this complex with potassium ions unleash a potentially rich seam of unexpected chemistry
James M. Boncella
doi:10.1038/451250a
See also: Editor's summary
50 & 100 Years Ago p251
doi:10.1038/451251a
Cancer: Hay in a haystack p252
Although some diseases occur when both copies of a gene are mutated, mutation of just one copy of certain tumour-suppressor genes promotes tumorigenesis. Identifying such mutations is arduous, but worth the effort.
Kevin M. Shannon & Michelle M. Le Beau
doi:10.1038/451252a
Astronomy: Elliptical view of galaxies past p253
How and when galaxies assembled their mass to become the structures seen today are among astronomy's big outstanding questions. A comprehensive study of nearby galaxies provides a new angle on the issue.
Andrea Cimatti
doi:10.1038/451253a
Immunology: Cascade into clarity p254
Immune mediator molecules such as antimicrobial peptides are crucial for host responses to pathogens. Akirins are the latest identified components of a signalling cascade that leads to these responses in insects and mice.
Fayyaz S. Sutterwala & Richard A. Flavell
doi:10.1038/451254a
Correction p255
doi:10.1038/451255a
Solid-state physics: Join the dots p256
A new variation on an old theme in atomic physics, a spectral distortion known as the Fano effect, has been revealed — not in an atom, but in an artificial nanostructure known as a quantum dot.
Galina Khitrova & H. M. Gibbs
doi:10.1038/451256a
See also: Editor's summary
Supplement: Year of planet Earth -
Produced with support from:
Supplement: Year of planet Earth
Year of planet Earth p257
Joanna Thorpe, Juliane Mössinger & John VanDecar
doi:10.1038/451257a
A tribe of jobbing ditchers p258
Earth science, a field in which science and profession have been intimately linked, has grown through the practicalities imposed by industrialization and war but must now revamp to address climate change.
Ted Nield
doi:10.1038/nature06581
A planetary perspective on the deep Earth p261
Earth's composition, evolution and structure are in part a legacy of provenance (where it happened to form) and chance (the stochastics of that formation).
David J. Stevenson
doi:10.1038/nature06582
Using seismic waves to image Earth's internal structure p266
Seismic waves generated in Earth's interior provide images that help us to better understand the pattern of mantle convection that drives plate motions.
Barbara Romanowicz
doi:10.1038/nature06583
Mineralogy at the extremes p269
The discovery of a new silicate structure at conditions corresponding to a depth of 2,700 kilometres below Earth's surface has fundamentally changed our understanding of the boundary between the core and mantle.
Thomas S. Duffy
doi:10.1038/nature06584
Earthquake physics and real-time seismology p271
The past few decades have witnessed significant progress in our understanding of the physics and complexity of earthquakes. This has implications for hazard mitigation.
Hiroo Kanamori
doi:10.1038/nature06585
From landscapes into geological history p274
Erosional and depositional landscapes are linked by the sediment-routing system. Observations over a wide range of timescales might show how these landscapes are translated into the narrative of geological history.
Philip A. Allen
doi:10.1038/nature06586
The rise of atmospheric oxygen p277
Clues from ancient rocks are helping to produce a coherent picture of how Earth's atmosphere changed from one that was almost devoid of oxygen to one that is one-fifth oxygen.
Lee R. Kump
doi:10.1038/nature06587
An early Cenozoic perspective on greenhouse warming and carbon-cycle dynamics p279
Past episodes of greenhouse warming provide insight into the coupling of climate and the carbon cycle and thus may help to predict the consequences of unabated carbon emissions in the future.
James C. Zachos, Gerald R. Dickens & Richard E. Zeebe
doi:10.1038/nature06588
Unlocking the mysteries of the ice ages p284
Much progress has been made towards understanding what caused the waxing and the waning of the great ice sheets, but a complete theory of the ice ages is still elusive.
Maureen E. Raymo & Peter Huybers
doi:10.1038/nature06589
Ocean circulation in a warming climate p286
Climate models predict that the ocean's circulation will weaken in response to global warming, but the warming at the end of the last ice age suggests a different outcome.
J. R. Toggweiler & Joellen Russell
doi:10.1038/nature06590
Terrestrial ecosystem carbon dynamics and climate feedbacks p289
Recent evidence suggests that, on a global scale, terrestrial ecosystems will provide a positive feedback in a warming world, albeit of uncertain magnitude.
Martin Heimann & Markus Reichstein
doi:10.1038/nature06591
An Earth-system perspective of the global nitrogen cycle p293
With humans having an increasing impact on the planet, the interactions between the nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle and climate are expected to become an increasingly important determinant of the Earth system.
Nicolas Gruber & James N. Galloway
doi:10.1038/nature06592
A steep road to climate stabilization p297
The only way to stabilize Earth's climate is to stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but future changes in the carbon cycle might make this more difficult than has been thought.
Pierre Friedlingstein
doi:10.1038/nature06593
Small-scale cloud processes and climate p299
Clouds constitute the largest single source of uncertainty in climate prediction. A better understanding of small-scale cloud processes could shed light on the role of clouds in the climate system.
Marcia B. Baker & Thomas Peter
doi:10.1038/nature06594
Earth science and society p301
The unique set of challenges that face humankind today mean that it is more essential than ever that Earth scientists apply their understanding of the planet to benefit society and that society invite them to do so.
Frank Press
doi:10.1038/nature06595
Article
Precise auditory–vocal mirroring in neurons for learned vocal communication p305
J. F. Prather, S. Peters, S. Nowicki & R. Mooney
doi:10.1038/nature06492
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (822K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Tchernichovski & Wallman
Letters
The nonlinear Fano effect p311
M. Kroner, A. O. Govorov, S. Remi, B. Biedermann, S. Seidl, A. Badolato, P. M. Petroff, W. Zhang, R. Barbour, B. D. Gerardot, R. J. Warburton & K. Karrai
doi:10.1038/nature06506
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (419K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Khitrova & Gibbs
Reduction and selective oxo group silylation of the uranyl dication p315
Polly L. Arnold, Dipti Patel, Claire Wilson & Jason B. Love
doi:10.1038/nature06467
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (400K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Boncella
Programming biomolecular self-assembly pathways p318
Peng Yin, Harry M. T. Choi, Colby R. Calvert & Niles A. Pierce
doi:10.1038/nature06451
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,349K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Net production of oxygen in the subtropical ocean p323
Stephen C. Riser & Kenneth S. Johnson
doi:10.1038/nature06441
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,334K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Dry mantle transition zone inferred from the conductivity of wadsleyite and ringwoodite p326
Takashi Yoshino, Geeth Manthilake, Takuya Matsuzaki & Tomoo Katsura
doi:10.1038/nature06427
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (225K) | Supplementary information
Reversal of pathological pain through specific spinal GABAA receptor subtypes p330
Julia Knabl, Robert Witschi, Katharina Hösl, Heiko Reinold, Ulrike B. Zeilhofer, Seifollah Ahmadi, Johannes Brockhaus, Marina Sergejeva, Andreas Hess, Kay Brune, Jean-Marc Fritschy, Uwe Rudolph, Hanns Möhler & Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
doi:10.1038/nature06493
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,175K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Identification of RPS14 as a 5q- syndrome gene by RNA interference screen p335
Benjamin L. Ebert, Jennifer Pretz, Jocelyn Bosco, Cindy Y. Chang, Pablo Tamayo, Naomi Galili, Azra Raza, David E. Root, Eyal Attar, Steven R. Ellis & Todd R. Golub
doi:10.1038/nature06494
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (522K) | Supplementary information
See also: News and Views by Shannon & Le Beau
Cyclic dermal BMP signalling regulates stem cell activation during hair regeneration p340
Maksim V. Plikus, Julie Ann Mayer, Damon de la Cruz, Ruth E. Baker, Philip K. Maini, Robert Maxson & Cheng-Ming Chuong
doi:10.1038/nature06457
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (2,792K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Identification of cells initiating human melanomas p345
Tobias Schatton, George F. Murphy, Natasha Y. Frank, Kazuhiro Yamaura, Ana Maria Waaga-Gasser, Martin Gasser, Qian Zhan, Stefan Jordan, Lyn M. Duncan, Carsten Weishaupt, Robert C. Fuhlbrigge, Thomas S. Kupper, Mohamed H. Sayegh & Markus H. Frank
doi:10.1038/nature06489
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (770K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Listeriolysin O allows Listeria monocytogenes replication in macrophage vacuoles p350
Cheryl L. Birmingham, Veronica Canadien, Natalia A. Kaniuk, Benjamin E. Steinberg, Darren E. Higgins & John H. Brumell
doi:10.1038/nature06479
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,094K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
The bacterial enzyme RppH triggers messenger RNA degradation by 5' pyrophosphate removal p355
Atilio Deana, Helena Celesnik & Joel G. Belasco
doi:10.1038/nature06475
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (363K) | Supplementary information
Translational control of intron splicing in eukaryotes p359
Olivier Jaillon, Khaled Bouhouche, Jean-François Gout, Jean-Marc Aury, Benjamin Noel, Baptiste Saudemont, Mariusz Nowacki, Vincent Serrano, Betina M. Porcel, Béatrice Ségurens, Anne Le Mouël, Gersende Lepère, Vincent Schächter, Mireille Bétermier, Jean Cohen, Patrick Wincker, Linda Sperling, Laurent Duret & Eric Meyer
doi:10.1038/nature06495
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (632K) | Supplementary information
Structural basis of microtubule severing by the hereditary spastic paraplegia protein spastin p363
Antonina Roll-Mecak & Ronald D. Vale
doi:10.1038/nature06482
PDB code
3D view
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (2,094K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Naturejobs
ProspectProspects p369
Postdoc journal keepers embark on their journey.
Gene Russo
doi:10.1038/nj7176-369a
Career View
Leszek Borysiewicz, chief executive, Medical Research Council, London p370
Medical Research Council gets new director.
Jill U. Adams
doi:10.1038/nj7176-370a
Bound for Bangalore p370
India is angling for international students and fellows.
K. S. Jayaraman
doi:10.1038/nj7176-370b
Starting anew p370
Postdoc leaves South Africa for United States.
Aliza le Roux
doi:10.1038/nj7176-370c