Table of contents
Volume 458 Number 7235 pp125-250
(this content only available online) indicates content that is available online only
Editorials
By common consent p125
Engaging with the public helped US scientists build the consensus that finally overturned federal restrictions on human embryonic stem-cell research. That public outreach should not stop now.
doi:10.1038/458125a
Smart thinking p125
The US electricity grid needs to evolve and requires fresh standards of communication.
doi:10.1038/458125b
Delicate balance p126
China's autocratic approach to environmental issues may not always reap the desired rewards.
doi:10.1038/458126a
Research Highlights
Palaeontology: Brain box p128
doi:10.1038/458128a
Chemical biology: Sweet disguise p128
doi:10.1038/458128b
Proteomics: Worm versus fly p128
doi:10.1038/458128c
Chemistry: Sprouting tubes p128
doi:10.1038/458128d
Marine ecology: Deadly dusting p128
doi:10.1038/458128e
Optics: Beyond the invisibility cloak p128
doi:10.1038/458128f
Palaeontology: Bird in the hand p129
doi:10.1038/458129a
Neurobiology: Second fiddle p129
doi:10.1038/458129b
Ecology: Open goal p129
doi:10.1038/458129c
Materials science: Diaphite domains p129
doi:10.1038/458129d
News
Obama overturns stem-cell ban p130
President's executive order will allow US human embryonic stem-cell research to thrive at last.
Erika Check Hayden
doi:10.1038/458130a
Obama order deals with scientific integrity p130
Memo puts emphasis on transparency and the best advice.
Eric Hand
doi:10.1038/458130b
Personalized cancer therapy gets closer p131
Genetic testing allows doctors to select best treatment.
Erika Check Hayden
doi:10.1038/458131a
Gravity mission to launch p133
GOCE satellite will map variations in Earth's gravity field.
Quirin Schiermeier
doi:10.1038/458133a
Putting China's wetlands on the map p134
Initiative may shed light on bird flu.
David Cyranoski
doi:10.1038/458134a
Web usage data outline map of knowledge p135
Analysis offers fresh perspective on role of humanities and social sciences.
Declan Butler
doi:10.1038/458135a
Obama appoints first federal IT chief p136
Vivek Kundra promises greater transparency and more data.
M. Mitchell Waldrop
doi:10.1038/458136a
Merck strengthens drug pipeline in rival takeover p137
doi:10.1038/458137a
Indonesia to sell carbon credits to conserve forests p137
doi:10.1038/458137b
Drug maker found liable despite FDA warning label p137
doi:10.1038/458137c
NIH-funded primate centre accused of mistreatment p137
doi:10.1038/458137d
Mars orbiter plans to map out methane plumes p137
doi:10.1038/458137e
Hawaiian waters yield corals with thirst for originality p137
doi:10.1038/458137f
News Features
Energy efficiency: The energy should always work twice p138
Waste heat from industrial plants and electricity-generating stations represents a huge amount of lost energy. David Lindley finds out what engineers and regulators need to do to get it back.
doi:10.1038/458138a
Circadian rhythms: Of owls, larks and alarm clocks p142
Could out-of-sync body clocks be contributing to human disease? Melissa Lee Phillips reports.
doi:10.1038/458142a
Correspondence
The belief that genes cannot be changed is now outdated p145
Gerhard Meisenberg
doi:10.1038/458145a
Identifying adaptive differences could provide insight p145
Kathryn Holt
doi:10.1038/458145b
The arrogance of trying to sum up abilities in a number p145
David Colquhoun
doi:10.1038/458145c
Is poverty better explained by history of colonialism? p145
Jonathan Marks
doi:10.1038/458145d
Would you wish the research undone? p146
Jim Flynn
doi:10.1038/458146a
Measured intelligence is a product of social processes p146
David Gillborn
doi:10.1038/458146b
Don't fan the flames of a dead debate p146
Steven Rose
doi:10.1038/458146c
A useful way to glean social information p147
Wendy M. Williams & Stephen J. Ceci
doi:10.1038/458147a
Human rights cannot cover cells that were never in the womb p147
Patricia Pranke & João Carlos Silveiro
doi:10.1038/458147b
Commentary
A smarter way to combat hunger p148
Traditional approaches to supplying food are an inefficient 'band aid', says Pedro A. Sanchez. New evidence shows that helping farmers to help themselves is more effective and would be six times cheaper.
doi:10.1038/458148a
Books and Arts
Shining light upon light p149
Two science histories dissect the transfer of knowledge between the Greco-Islamic and European civilizations, and put right the impression that the flow was one way, explains Yasmin Khan.
Yasmin Khan
doi:10.1038/458149a
Myth of the missing mothers p150
Meg Urry reviews Motherhood, the Elephant in the Laboratory
doi:10.1038/458150a
Storing carbon in forests p151
Michael Obersteiner reviews Climate Change and Forests: Emerging Policy and Market Opportunities
doi:10.1038/458151a
Between life and death p152
Marta Paterlini reviews Mummies: The Dream of Everlasting Life
doi:10.1038/458152a
A gallery of chimaeric curiosities p152
Giovanni Frazzetto reviews Corpus Extremus (LIFE+)
doi:10.1038/458152b
News and Views
Palaeoanthropology: Asian Homo erectus converges in time p153
Re-evaluation of the age of Zhoukoudian, a prominent site of Homo erectus occupation in China, prompts a rethink of the species' distribution in both the temperate north and the equatorial south of east Asia.
Russell L. Ciochon & E. Arthur Bettis III
doi:10.1038/458153a
See also: Editor's summary
Carbon cycle: Fickle trends in the ocean p155
A model analysis of the uptake of carbon dioxide in the North Atlantic carries with it a cautionary reminder about interpreting what may be short-term trends as signals of long-term climate change.
Nicolas Gruber
doi:10.1038/458155a
Neuroscience: Up, down, flying around p156
The Johnston's hearing organ of the fruitfly has newly discovered sensitivities to gravity and wind. As in our inner ear, different sensory signals from this organ travel in parallel to separate zones in the brain.
Ruth Anne Eatock
doi:10.1038/458156a
See also: Editor's summary
Quantum optoelectronics: Swift switch of the strong p157
How fast can light and matter be made to interact? 'Almost instantaneously' is the answer provided in the latest study of semiconductor structures embedded in an optical microcavity.
Claire Gmachl
doi:10.1038/458157a
See also: Editor's summary
Condensed-matter physics: Pressure for change in metals p158
When is a metal not a metal? When it is under high pressure, if it's lithium or sodium. The strange behaviour of dense forms of these elements exposes difficulties with commonly used models of electronic structure.
N. W. Ashcroft
doi:10.1038/458158a
See also: Editor's summary
Cell biology: Detached membrane bending p159
Cells use various protein complexes to remodel membrane-bound organelles. In vitro reconstitution of the activity of one such complex, ESCRT-III, shows that it promotes membrane bending in an unconventional way.
Hélène Barelli & Bruno Antonny
doi:10.1038/458159a
See also: Editor's summary
50 & 100 years ago p159
doi:10.1038/458159b
Obituary: Xiangzhong (Jerry) Yang (1959–2009) p161
Leading light in animal cloning.
Alan Trounson
doi:10.1038/458161a
News and Views Q&A
Evolutionary biology: Speciation p162
On the Origin of Species ... the title of Charles Darwin's great work of 1859 seemed to promise a solution to this "mystery of mysteries". Although we now know vastly more about speciation than we did 150 years ago, the one mystery has become many — and the possible solutions have multiplied.
Andrew P. Hendry
doi:10.1038/458162a
Articles
The neural basis of Drosophila gravity-sensing and hearing p165
Azusa Kamikouchi, Hidehiko K. Inagaki, Thomas Effertz, Oliver Hendrich, André Fiala, Martin C. Göpfert & Kei Ito
doi:10.1038/nature07810
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,995K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Eatock
Membrane scission by the ESCRT-III complex p172
Thomas Wollert, Christian Wunder, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz & James H. Hurley
doi:10.1038/nature07836
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (900K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Barelli & Antonny
Letters
Sub-cycle switch-on of ultrastrong light–matter interaction p178
G. Günter, A. A. Anappara, J. Hees, A. Sell, G. Biasiol, L. Sorba, S. De Liberato, C. Ciuti, A. Tredicucci, A. Leitenstorfer & R. Huber
doi:10.1038/nature07838
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (461K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Gmachl
Transparent dense sodium p182
Yanming Ma, Mikhail Eremets, Artem R. Oganov, Yu Xie, Ivan Trojan, Sergey Medvedev, Andriy O. Lyakhov, Mario Valle & Vitali Prakapenka
doi:10.1038/nature07786
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (700K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Ashcroft
Direct observation of a pressure-induced metal-to-semiconductor transition in lithium p186
Takahiro Matsuoka & Katsuya Shimizu
doi:10.1038/nature07827
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (329K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Ashcroft
Battery materials for ultrafast charging and discharging p190
Byoungwoo Kang & Gerbrand Ceder
doi:10.1038/nature07853
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (818K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Uplift of the Longmen Shan and Tibetan plateau, and the 2008 Wenchuan (M = 7.9) earthquake p194
Judith Hubbard & John H. Shaw
doi:10.1038/nature07837
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (610K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Age of Zhoukoudian Homo erectus determined with 26Al/10Be burial dating p198
Guanjun Shen, Xing Gao, Bin Gao & Darryl E. Granger
doi:10.1038/nature07741
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (159K)
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Ciochon & Bettis III
Distinct sensory representations of wind and near-field sound in the Drosophila brain p201
Suzuko Yorozu, Allan Wong, Brian J. Fischer, Heiko Dankert, Maurice J. Kernan, Azusa Kamikouchi, Kei Ito & David J. Anderson
doi:10.1038/nature07843
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,568K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Eatock
Enhancing SIV-specific immunity in vivo by PD-1 blockade p206
Vijayakumar Velu, Kehmia Titanji, Baogong Zhu, Sajid Husain, Annette Pladevega, Lilin Lai, Thomas H. Vanderford, Lakshmi Chennareddi, Guido Silvestri, Gordon J. Freeman, Rafi Ahmed & Rama Rao Amara
doi:10.1038/nature07662
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (646K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Complete but curtailed T-cell response to very low-affinity antigen p211
Dietmar Zehn, Sarah Y. Lee & Michael J. Bevan
doi:10.1038/nature07657
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,173K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
A single regulatory gene is sufficient to alter bacterial host range p215
Mark J. Mandel, Michael S. Wollenberg, Eric V. Stabb, Karen L. Visick & Edward G. Ruby
doi:10.1038/nature07660
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (569K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Cdc14 inhibits transcription by RNA polymerase I during anaphase p219
Andrés Clemente-Blanco, María Mayán-Santos, David A. Schneider, Félix Machín, Adam Jarmuz, Herbert Tschochner & Luis Aragón
doi:10.1038/nature07652
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (547K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Chromatin signature reveals over a thousand highly conserved large non-coding RNAs in mammals p223
Mitchell Guttman, Ido Amit, Manuel Garber, Courtney French, Michael F. Lin, David Feldser, Maite Huarte, Or Zuk, Bryce W. Carey, John P. Cassady, Moran N. Cabili, Rudolf Jaenisch, Tarjei S. Mikkelsen, Tyler Jacks, Nir Hacohen, Bradley E. Bernstein, Manolis Kellis, Aviv Regev, John L. Rinn & Eric S. Lander
doi:10.1038/nature07672
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (510K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Ubiquitin-related modifier Urm1 acts as a sulphur carrier in thiolation of eukaryotic transfer RNA p228
Sebastian Leidel, Patrick G. A. Pedrioli, Tamara Bucher, Renée Brost, Michael Costanzo, Alexander Schmidt, Ruedi Aebersold, Charles Boone, Kay Hofmann & Matthias Peter
doi:10.1038/nature07643
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (566K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Coenzyme recognition and gene regulation by a flavin mononucleotide riboswitch p233
Alexander Serganov, Lili Huang & Dinshaw J. Patel
doi:10.1038/nature07642
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,136K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Corrigendum
Global distribution and conservation of rare and threatened vertebrates p238
Richard Grenyer, C. David L. Orme, Sarah F. Jackson, Gavin H. Thomas, Richard G. Davies, T. Jonathan Davies, Kate E. Jones, Valerie A. Olson, Robert S. Ridgely, Pamela C. Rasmussen, Tzung-Su Ding, Peter M. Bennett, Tim M. Blackburn, Kevin J. Gaston, John L. Gittleman & Ian P. F. Owens
doi:10.1038/nature07834
Full Text | PDF (39K) | Supplementary information
Addendum
Understanding individual human mobility patterns p238
Marta C. González, César A. Hidalgo & Albert-László Barabási
doi:10.1038/nature07850
Corrigendum
A burst of segmental duplications in the genome of the African great ape ancestor p238
Tomas Marques-Bonet, Jeffrey M. Kidd, Mario Ventura, Tina A. Graves, Ze Cheng, LaDeana W. Hillier, Zhaoshi Jiang, Carl Baker, Ray Malfavon-Borja, Lucinda A. Fulton, Lynne V. Nazareth, Donna M. Muzny, Can Alkan, Gozde Aksay, Santhosh Girirajan, Priscillia Siswara, Lin Chen, Maria Francesca Cardone, Arcadi Navarro, Richard A. Gibbs, Elaine R. Mardis, Richard K. Wilson & Evan E. Eichler
doi:10.1038/nature07881
Technology Features
Transcriptomics: The digital generation p239
Next-generation sequencing is pushing gene-expression profiling further into the digital age. But analog methods still have plenty of wind left. Nathan Blow looks at the looming battle over the cell's transcriptome.
Nathan Blow
doi:10.1038/458239a
Transcriptomics: Rethinking junk DNA p240
doi:10.1038/458240a
Transcriptomics: Table of suppliers p243
doi:10.1038/458243a
Naturejobs
ProspectsAdjuncts get organized p245
Coalition could become an important voice for contingent and adjunct faculty members.
Gene Russo
doi:10.1038/nj7235-245a
Postdocs and Students
Biotech, the community way p246
Community-college programmes in the United States can be a quick, cheap route into the pharmaceutical industry. Ted Agres talks to scientists making the grade.
Ted Agres
doi:10.1038/nj7235-246a
