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New Plasmodium sequences kick-start comparative genomics Four distinct Plasmodium species are known to regularly infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale. The genome sequence of P. falciparum, the cause of the most severe type of human malaria, was completed in 2002 at the same time as the mosquito vector, Anopheles gambiae. In this week's Nature, which focuses on the malaria parasite, two further malaria genome sequences are described. First that of P. vivax, which contributes significant numbers to malaria incidence in humans, though in contrast to P. falciparum, the resulting disease is usually not fatal. The genome of this rather neglected species is presented together with a comparative analysis with the genomes of other Plasmodium species. The micrograph on the cover (by Elisabet Caler & Jane Carlton) shows an infected liver cell containing P. vivax in the dormant hypnozoite stage. [Article p. 757] Second, we publish the genome sequence of Plasmodium knowlesi. For long regarded as a monkey malaria parasite, it is increasingly becoming recognized as the fifth human-infecting Plasmodium species. In particular, it is prevalent in South East Asia where it is often misdiagnosed as another human malaria parasite P. malariae. As a model organism P. knowlesi stands out: not only is it a primate system, useful for work on vaccines, but it can be cultured in vitro and subjected to efficient transfection and gene knockouts. [Letter p. 799]. In a Review Article, Elizabeth Winzeler considers the progress made towards using the genome sequence to understand basic malaria parasite biology, and in particular the work on developing rational therapeutic approaches to combat P. falciparum infections. [Review Article p. 751]. See also the Editorial [page 707]. For a comprehensive collection of resources visit Nature's past malaria specials online. [http://tinyurl.com/4x95hm; http://tinyurl.com/3n78pn; http://tinyurl.com/3ozy38; http://tinyurl.com/4kv6sx; http://tinyurl.com/5442hp; http://tinyurl.com/42w2a7t]
What makes a successful team? John Whitfield looks at research that uses massive online databases and network analysis to come up with some rules of thumb for productive collaborations.
More creatures live in soil than any other environment on Earth. But what are they all doing there? Amber Dance reports on the world's widest biodiversity.
With the right plan, systems biology can empower drug discovery, say Adriano Henney and Giulio Superti-Furga. Field leaders have contributed and now the authors want to hear from you.
John Updike's 1960 poem vents frustration at the detached and elusive quantum particles that have no consideration for our earthly perceptions, says Martin Kemp.
Some controversial nineteenth-century theories about brain shape and human nature are revealed by an extensive collection of neuroscience memorabilia, reports Alison Abbott
Do longer lives mean that growing numbers of us will spend more time in a state of high-cost dependency? Evidence from one elderly cohort suggests that excessive levels of disability are far from inevitable.
If it is not repaired efficiently, damage to DNA double strands can have dire consequences for both the cell and the organism. Given the gravity of this situation, cells use two pathways to start the process.
Generating currents that rely on the spins of electrons to make electronic devices requiring less power is both desirable and daunting. A neat way of creating such currents eases that task.
Long-term exposure to cocaine changes the organization of synaptic connections within the addiction circuitry of the brain. This process might protect against the development and persistence of addiction.
Prolonged physical interaction between helper T cells and antibody-producing B cells is crucial for efficient immune responses. Mutations in a protein that underlies this process cause human disease.
Almost all vertebrates have teeth of some sort. But where, in developmental terms, do teeth come from? Results drawn from experimental embryology provide an illuminating perspective on this contentious question.
The stability of the margins of the Himalayan–Tibetan mountain belt constitutes a puzzle. Repeated damming of major Tibetan rivers by glaciers, so controlling river erosion, is a possible explanation.