Table of contents
Volume 456 Number 7223 pp675-836
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Editorials
What next for Mars? p675
Future missions to the red planet require coordination — and a keen eye on costs.
doi:10.1038/456675a
See also: Editor's summary
Watching Big Brother p675
The world is sleepwalking into a surveillance society. A European court ruling offers a timely wake-up call.
doi:10.1038/456675b
Failure in the field p676
The US military's human-terrain programme needs to be brought to a swift close.
doi:10.1038/456676a
Research Highlights
Climate change: Climate fallout p678
doi:10.1038/456678a
Astronomy: That's the weigh to do it p678
doi:10.1038/456678b
Developmental biology: Swing time p678
doi:10.1038/456678c
Materials science: Tough shell secrets p678
doi:10.1038/456678d
Molecular biology: Not so common sense p678
doi:10.1038/456678e
Microbiology: The ABC of anthrax p678
doi:10.1038/456678f
Ecology: The alien within p679
doi:10.1038/456679a
Nanotechnology: Scalable solution p679
doi:10.1038/456679b
Animal behaviour: Love bite p679
doi:10.1038/456679c
Immunology: T cells get tired p679
doi:10.1038/456679d
News
Malaria vaccine gets shot in the arm from tests p680
Promising results pave the way for a vaccine candidate to undergo full-blown trials across Africa.
Brendan Maher
doi:10.1038/456680a
France cracks down on Iranian scientists p680
Agency tightens rules for foreign visitors.
Declan Butler
doi:10.1038/456680b
Feathers fly over Hawaiian bird p682
Dispute could stymie efforts to save rare honeycreeper.
Rex Dalton
doi:10.1038/456682a
Rule change for human grants sparks spat at NIH p682
Bid to extend length of certain applications draws fire.
Meredith Wadman
doi:10.1038/456682b
Plant hormone study pulled p683
Canadian lab retracts work on abscisic acid.
Emma Marris
doi:10.1038/456683a
Patent pledge to Indian universities p685
Critics worry that push for technology transfer is moving too fast.
T. V. Padma
doi:10.1038/456685a
India creates funding council for basic science p685
Autonomous agency will begin operations in April.
K. S. Jayaraman
doi:10.1038/456685b
UN suspends leading carbon-offset firm p686
Emissions trading rocked as Norwegian company is left in limbo.
Quirin Schiermeier
doi:10.1038/456686a
Kansas wins race to host biodefence research centre p687
University touts its expertise in researching animal diseases.
Rex Dalton
doi:10.1038/456687a
French research faces shake-up in reform plans p689
doi:10.1038/456689a
Mars mission delayed by concerns over reliability p689
doi:10.1038/456689b
Obama makes green choice for commerce department p689
doi:10.1038/456689c
UK scientists promised £250 million for training p689
doi:10.1038/456689d
Institutions to disclose more commercial ties p689
doi:10.1038/456689e
Hadron collider faces long wait for repairs p689
doi:10.1038/456689f
News Features
Mars exploration: Phoenix: A race against time p690
Eric Hand reports on the short life and hard times of the little Mars lander that sort-of-could.
doi:10.1038/456690a
Cell biology: Stretching the imagination p696
Squash them, pinch them, twist them, pull them — cells react to physical forces, finds Claire Ainsworth.
doi:10.1038/456696a
Correspondence
Bovine TB: don't get rid of the cat because the mice have gone p700
Noel H. Smith & Richard Clifton-Hadley
doi:10.1038/456700a
Bovine TB: stopping disease control would block all live exports p700
Stephen V. Gordon
doi:10.1038/456700b
Right environment can enhance 'innate' entrepreneurial skills p700
Hermann Hauser
doi:10.1038/456700c
Commentaries
The food crisis isn't over p701
Although the credit crunch has lowered the price of food, a global recession now raises the hunger pains of the most vulnerable. The stage is set for the next international food crisis, says Joachim von Braun.
doi:10.1038/456701a
See also: Editor's summary
Towards responsible use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by the healthy p702
Society must respond to the growing demand for cognitive enhancement. That response must start by rejecting the idea that 'enhancement' is a dirty word, argue Henry Greely and colleagues.
doi:10.1038/456702a
See also: Editor's summary
Books and Arts
Entangled quantum histories p706
Two chronicles of quantum mechanics tell a good tale but don't reflect the conflicts between the physicists who struggled to reconcile theory and fact, explains Don Howard.
doi:10.1038/456706a
Back to the roots of crop farming p707
Tobias Plieninger reviews Where Our Food Comes From: Retracing Nikolay Vavilov's Quest to End Famine by Gary Paul Nabhan
doi:10.1038/456707a
See also: Editor's summary
Early days of science broadcasting p708
Tim Boon reviews Science on the Air: Popularizers and Personalities on Radio and Early Television by Marcel Chotkowski LaFollette
doi:10.1038/456708a
Trading Bronze Age technology p709
Josie Glausiusz reviews Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C.
doi:10.1038/456709a
Q&A: Helium walks into a bar... p709
Science comedian Brian Malow is a regular performer on the museum and conference circuit in the United States. He explains why he finds science funny, and how he uses comedy to gain the public's interest.
Nick Thomas
doi:10.1038/456709b
News and Views
Organic chemistry: How to beat an alcohol problem p711
Some alcohols can't be made in a way that controls the crucial arrangement of chemical groups in the molecule. A reaction that uses common laboratory reagents offers a practical route to these compounds.
Karl B. Hansen
doi:10.1038/456711a
See also: Editor's summary
Microbial ecology: Metabolism of the deep p712
Certain microorganisms from the domain Archaea seem to be big players in the marine carbon and nitrogen cycles. A study linking their abundance in the deep sea to their likely metabolic profile refines this view.
Christa Schleper
doi:10.1038/456712a
See also: Editor's summary
50 & 100 years ago p713
doi:10.1038/456713a
Astrophysics: Quest for a habitable world p714
A neat technique, applied to the brightest transiting extrasolar planet known, identifies an indisputable signature of water vapour in the planet's atmosphere. The method might be used to probe a nearby habitable world.
Drake Deming
doi:10.1038/456714a
See also: Editor's summary
Neuroscience: Brain power p715
The brain relies on blood to supply oxygen and glucose for energy. Surprisingly, neuronal activity, acting via supporting cells called astrocytes, can increase or decrease blood flow depending on whether oxygen levels are low or high.
Catherine N. Hall & David Attwell
doi:10.1038/456715a
See also: Editor's summary
Materials science: Deformation of the ultra-strong p716
In situ electron microscopy observations of the extrusion of single nanocrystals from graphitic cages show that these crystals deform near their theoretical strength limits. The question is how this happens.
Subra Suresh & Ju Li
doi:10.1038/456716a
Obituary: Martin Lindauer (1918–2008) p718
Prime mover in behavioural physiology and sociobiology.
Thomas D. Seeley
doi:10.1038/456718a
Insight: Quantitative genetics -
Produced with support from:
Insight: Quantitative genetics
Quantitative genetics p719
Chris Gunter
doi:10.1038/456719a
Next-generation genetics in plants p720
Magnus Nordborg & Detlef Weigel
doi:10.1038/nature07629
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,092K)
Applying mouse complex-trait resources to behavioural genetics p724
Jonathan Flint & Richard Mott
doi:10.1038/nature07630
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,111K)
Progress and challenges in genome-wide association studies in humans p728
Peter Donnelly
doi:10.1038/nature07631
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,406K)
A global network for investigating the genomic epidemiology of malaria p732
The Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network
doi:10.1038/nature07632
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (955K)
Reverse engineering the genotype–phenotype map with natural genetic variation p738
Matthew V. Rockman
doi:10.1038/nature07633
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,384K)
Brief Communication Arising
FCA does not bind abscisic acid pE5
Joanna M. Risk, Richard C. Macknight & Catherine L. Day
doi:10.1038/nature07646
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (161K)
Articles
Brain metabolism dictates the polarity of astrocyte control over arterioles p745
Grant R. J. Gordon, Hyun B. Choi, Ravi L. Rungta, Graham C. R. Ellis-Davies & Brian A. MacVicar
doi:10.1038/nature07525
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,427K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Hall & Attwell
Antigenic variation in Giardia lamblia is regulated by RNA interference p750
César G. Prucca, Ileana Slavin, Rodrigo Quiroga, Eliana V. Elías, Fernando D. Rivero, Alicia Saura, Pedro G. Carranza & Hugo D. Luján
doi:10.1038/nature07585
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (822K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Negative feedback that improves information transmission in yeast signalling p755
Richard C. Yu, C. Gustavo Pesce, Alejandro Colman-Lerner, Larry Lok, David Pincus, Eduard Serra, Mark Holl, Kirsten Benjamin, Andrew Gordon & Roger Brent
doi:10.1038/nature07513
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (607K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
The replisome uses mRNA as a primer after colliding with RNA polymerase p762
Richard T. Pomerantz & Mike O'Donnell
doi:10.1038/nature07527
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,993K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Letters
Strong water absorption in the dayside emission spectrum of the planet HD 189733b p767
Carl J. Grillmair, Adam Burrows, David Charbonneau, Lee Armus, John Stauffer, Victoria Meadows, Jeffrey van Cleve, Kaspar von Braun & Deborah Levine
doi:10.1038/nature07574
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (192K)
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Deming
Strong ocean tidal flow and heating on moons of the outer planets p770
Robert H. Tyler
doi:10.1038/nature07571
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (322K)
See also: Editor's summary
A solid-state light–matter interface at the single-photon level p773
Hugues de Riedmatten, Mikael Afzelius, Matthias U. Staudt, Christoph Simon & Nicolas Gisin
doi:10.1038/nature07607
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (331K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Enantiodivergent conversion of chiral secondary alcohols into tertiary alcohols p778
Jake L. Stymiest, Viktor Bagutski, Rosalind M. French & Varinder K. Aggarwal
doi:10.1038/nature07592
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (3,379K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Hansen
Strain accommodation by slow slip and dyking in a youthful continental rift, East Africa p783
Eric Calais, Nicolas d'Oreye, Julie Albaric, Anne Deschamps, Damien Delvaux, Jacques Déverchère, Cynthia Ebinger, Richard W. Ferdinand, François Kervyn, Athanas S. Macheyeki, Anneleen Oyen, Julie Perrot, Elifuraha Saria, Benoît Smets, D. Sarah Stamps & Christelle Wauthier
doi:10.1038/nature07478
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (838K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Major gradients in putatively nitrifying and non-nitrifying Archaea in the deep North Atlantic p788
Hélène Agogué, Maaike Brink, Julie Dinasquet & Gerhard J. Herndl
doi:10.1038/nature07535
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (333K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Schleper
Strong effect of dispersal network structure on ecological dynamics p792
Matthew D. Holland & Alan Hastings
doi:10.1038/nature07395
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (380K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Coordinate control of synaptic-layer specificity and rhodopsins in photoreceptor neurons p795
Marta Morey, Susan K. Yee, Tory Herman, Aljoscha Nern, Enrique Blanco & S. Lawrence Zipursky
doi:10.1038/nature07419
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,003K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Temporal identity in axonal target layer recognition p800
Milan Petrovic & Thomas Hummel
doi:10.1038/nature07407
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,095K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Generation of a prostate from a single adult stem cell p804
Kevin G. Leong, Bu-Er Wang, Leisa Johnson & Wei-Qiang Gao
doi:10.1038/nature07427
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,246K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
A role for VEGF as a negative regulator of pericyte function and vessel maturation p809
Joshua I. Greenberg, David J. Shields, Samuel G. Barillas, Lisette M. Acevedo, Eric Murphy, Jianhua Huang, Lea Scheppke, Christian Stockmann, Randall S. Johnson, Niren Angle & David A. Cheresh
doi:10.1038/nature07424
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (792K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Deletion of vascular endothelial growth factor in myeloid cells accelerates tumorigenesis p814
Christian Stockmann, Andrew Doedens, Alexander Weidemann, Na Zhang, Norihiko Takeda, Joshua I. Greenberg, David A. Cheresh & Randall S. Johnson
doi:10.1038/nature07445
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (466K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
DNA double-strand breaks activate a multi-functional genetic program in developing lymphocytes p819
Andrea L. Bredemeyer, Beth A. Helmink, Cynthia L. Innes, Boris Calderon, Lisa M. McGinnis, Grace K. Mahowald, Eric J. Gapud, Laura M. Walker, Jennifer B. Collins, Brian K. Weaver, Laura Mandik-Nayak, Robert D. Schreiber, Paul M. Allen, Michael J. May, Richard S. Paules, Craig H. Bassing & Barry P. Sleckman
doi:10.1038/nature07392
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (610K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Erratum
Sex determination involves synergistic action of SRY and SF1 on a specific Sox9 enhancer p824
Ryohei Sekido & Robin Lovell-Badge
doi:10.1038/nature07622
Retraction
The RNA-binding protein FCA is an abscisic acid receptor p824
Fawzi A. Razem, Ashraf El-Kereamy, Suzanne R. Abrams & Robert D. Hill
doi:10.1038/nature07645
Technology Features
Cell imaging: New ways to see a smaller world p825
Advances in imaging are allowing researchers to gain better insights into the function of tissues, cells and even individual molecules. Nathan Blow examines the latest technologies lighting the way.
Nathan Blow
doi:10.1038/456825a
See also: Editor's summary
Cell imaging: Light activated p826
doi:10.1038/456826a
Cell imaging: Table of suppliers p829
doi:10.1038/456829a
Naturejobs
ProspectProspects p831
Finding the passion.
Gene Russo
doi:10.1038/nj7223-831a
Careers and Recruitment
Old fuels, new wealth p832
Staff shortages in the US fossil-fuel industry are good news for geologists, chemists and physicists. The boom is likely to continue despite the economic downturn and the rise of renewable energy, says Emma Marris.
Emma Marris
doi:10.1038/nj7223-832a
