Table of contents
Volume 460 Number 7257 pp781-924
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Editorials
Lessons from Antarctica p781
Twenty years on, the success of the Montreal Protocol can help inform plans to mitigate climate change.
doi:10.1038/460781a
A change of tone p781
There is every reason to be optimistic about the Obama administration's attitude towards science.
doi:10.1038/460781b
Research Highlights
Canine genetics: Stray genes p782
doi:10.1038/460782a
Cancer biology: Suicide by nucleotide p782
doi:10.1038/460782b
Atmospheric chemistry: Isoprene's fate p782
doi:10.1038/460782c
Physics: Salt mined p782
doi:10.1038/460782d
Speciation: Multiplying effects p782
doi:10.1038/460782e
Neurobiology: Have guts, get nerve p783
doi:10.1038/460783a
Evolution: Reinventing the egg p783
doi:10.1038/460783b
Soil ecology: As different as day and night p783
doi:10.1038/460783c
Molecular biology: A regulator's regulator p783
doi:10.1038/460783d
News
LHC hopes for collisions by Christmas p784
But particle physicists will have to scale back the energies of their experiments for years.
Eric Hand
doi:10.1038/460784a
Science advisers mull priorities p785
Climate change and energy are high on the agenda for Obama's panel.
Alexandra Witze & Lizzie Buchen
doi:10.1038/460785a
Ice-core researchers hope to chill out p786
Fresh freezers needed to preserve ancient gas, scientists say.
Rex Dalton
doi:10.1038/460786a
Flu database rocked by legal row p786
Dispute over ownership raises concerns among flu scientists.
Declan Butler
doi:10.1038/460786b
Climate data spat intensifies p787
Growing demands for access to information swamp scientist.
Olive Heffernan
doi:10.1038/460787a
Return of the rat p788
European investment could see knock-out rats catching up with mutant mice in medical research.
Alison Abbott
doi:10.1038/460788a
Satellite data show Indian water stocks shrinking p789
Groundwater depletion raises spectre of shortages.
Quirin Schiermeier
doi:10.1038/460789a
Europe prepares for drugs from GM plants p791
doi:10.1038/460791a
Presidential panel lays out options for NASA's future p791
doi:10.1038/460791b
Batteries feel the benefit of green car money p791
doi:10.1038/460791c
Stalled science buildings restart in California p791
doi:10.1038/460791d
German scientists found guilty of negligence p791
doi:10.1038/460791e
Novartis targeted by animal-rights extremists p791
doi:10.1038/460791f
News Feature
Atmospheric science: Fixing the sky p792
When nations made plans to save the ozone layer, they didn't factor in global warming. Quirin Schiermeier reports on how two environmental problems complicate each other.
doi:10.1038/460792a
Correspondence
Ape and human similarities can be deceptive p796
Jonathan Marks
doi:10.1038/460796a
Speed of reporting isn't the issue when your work is scooped p796
Ian M. Brooks
doi:10.1038/460796b
European bodies can help to tackle TB worldwide p796
Robin Fears, Alimuddin Zumla & Volker ter Meulen
doi:10.1038/460796c
Books and Arts
Africa's biotechnology battle p797
An influential book accuses Europe of keeping genetically modified crops out of Africa, but, by polarizing the debate, it undermines efforts to improve the continent's agriculture, warn Ian Scoones and Dominic Glover.
Ian Scoones & Dominic Glover review Starved for Science: How Biotechnology Is Being Kept Out of Africa by Robert Paarlberg
doi:10.1038/460797a
The world in a grain of sand p798
Andrew Robinson reviews Sand: A Journey through Science and the Imagination by Michael Welland
doi:10.1038/460798a
D-Day forecast fictionalized p799
Philip Ball reviews Turbulence by Giles Foden
doi:10.1038/460799a
Bling of the Bactrians p800
Josie Glausiusz reviews Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul
doi:10.1038/460800a
News and Views
Mathematical physics: A tight squeeze p801
How can identical particles be crammed together as densely as possible? A combination of theory and computer simulations shows how the answer to this intricate problem depends on the shape of the particles.
Henry Cohn
doi:10.1038/460801a
See also: Editor's summary
Stem cells: Escaping fates with open states p802
The ability of embryonic stem cells to give rise to any cell type relies on a remodelling protein that maintains open chromatin. But the chromatin landscape of these cells may be more complex than previously thought.
Robert J. Sims III & Danny Reinberg
doi:10.1038/460802a
See also: Editor's summary
Ecology: Elementary factors p803
The identification of a general connection between biogeochemistry and the structure of food webs would constitute a considerable advance in understanding ecosystems. Ecologists are on the case.
Josep Peñuelas & Jordi Sardans
doi:10.1038/460803a
Cancer: More than kin and less than kind p804
A gene that is found to be mutated in a type of blood cancer exhibits properties of both a growth-suppressing tumour suppressor and a growth-promoting oncogene.
Kevin Shannon & Mignon Loh
doi:10.1038/460804a
See also: Editor's summary
Chemical biology: Protein picker p805
Andrew Mitchinson
doi:10.1038/460805a
50 & 100 years ago p807
doi:10.1038/460807b
Microbial genetics: Love the one you're with p807
Candida albicans is notorious as an opportunistic microbe that causes thrush and serious systemic disease. For geneticists, however, it offers continuing revelations into the wondrously varied sex lives of fungi.
Joseph Heitman
doi:10.1038/460807a
See also: Editor's summary
News and Views Q&A
Technology: Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles p809
Hydrogen is hailed as a non-polluting synthetic fuel that could replace oil, especially for transport applications. The technology to make this a reality — particularly hydrogen-storage materials — has been a long time coming, but the first commercial vehicles might now be only a few years away.
Louis Schlapbach
doi:10.1038/460809a
Insight: Metalloproteins -
Produced with support from:
Insight: Metalloproteins
Metalloproteins p813
Joshua Finkelstein
doi:10.1038/460813a
Structure–function relationships of anaerobic gas-processing metalloenzymes p814
Juan C. Fontecilla-Camps, Patricia Amara, Christine Cavazza, Yvain Nicolet & Anne Volbeda
doi:10.1038/nature08299
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (2,251K)
Metalloproteins and metal sensing p823
Kevin J. Waldron, Julian C. Rutherford, Dianne Ford & Nigel J. Robinson
doi:10.1038/nature08300
PDB code
3D view
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (3,552K)
Function and biogenesis of iron–sulphur proteins p831
Roland Lill
doi:10.1038/nature08301
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,540K)
Molybdenum cofactors, enzymes and pathways p839
Günter Schwarz, Ralf R. Mendel & Markus W. Ribbe
doi:10.1038/nature08302
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (2,088K)
Mechanistic considerations of halogenating enzymes p848
Alison Butler & Moriah Sandy
doi:10.1038/nature08303
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,699K)
Design of functional metalloproteins p855
Yi Lu, Natasha Yeung, Nathan Sieracki & Nicholas M. Marshall
doi:10.1038/nature08304
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,854K)
Article
Chd1 regulates open chromatin and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells p863
A hallmark of stem cells is an open chromatin largely devoid of heterochromatin, but which molecules are required to maintain it is unknown, as well as whether an open chromatin is necessary for the differentiation potential of stem cells. Here, the chromatin remodelling factor Chd1 is shown to be required to maintain the open chromatin state of pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cells and to be essential for the pluripotency of these cells.
Alexandre Gaspar-Maia, Adi Alajem, Fanny Polesso, Rupa Sridharan, Mike J. Mason, Amy Heidersbach, João Ramalho-Santos, Michael T. McManus, Kathrin Plath, Eran Meshorer & Miguel Ramalho-Santos
doi:10.1038/nature08212
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (811K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Sims III & Reinberg
Letters
The diversity of type Ia supernovae from broken symmetries p869
The near uniformity of the light curves of type Ia supernovae makes them good 'standard candles' for measuring cosmic expansion, but a correction must be applied to account for the fact that the brighter ones have broader light curves. Here, multi-dimensional modelling of the explosion physics and radioactive transfer reveals that failing to correct for an effect on the slope and normalization of the width–luminosity relation could lead to systematic overestimates of up to 2% of the distance to remote supernovae.
D. Kasen, F. K. Röpke & S. E. Woosley
doi:10.1038/nature08256
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (834K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Storms in the tropics of Titan p873
The presence of small-scale channels and dry riverbeds at latitudes thought incapable of supporting convection on Saturn's moon Titan has therefore been suggested to be due to mechanisms unrelated to precipitation. Here, however, the presence of bright, transient, tropospheric clouds in tropical latitudes is reported. It is thought that convective pulses at one latitude can trigger short-term convection at other latitudes, resulting in methane rain.
E. L. Schaller, H. G. Roe, T. Schneider & M. E. Brown
doi:10.1038/nature08193
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (430K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Dense packings of the Platonic and Archimedean solids p876
Kepler's conjecture gives the densest possible packing for spherical particles but, until now, there has not been an analogous system for determining dense polyhedral packings. Using a variety of multiparticle initial configurations it has now been possible to determine the densest known packings for the Platonic solids and to conjecture that those of Platonic and Archimedean solids with central symmetry are given by their corresponding densest lattice packings.
S. Torquato & Y. Jiao
doi:10.1038/nature08239
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (543K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Cohn
Atlantic hurricanes and climate over the past 1,500 years p880
Tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic, as measured by annual storm counts, reached unusually high levels over the past decade. This recent activity is now placed in a longer-term context by comparing two independent estimates of hurricane activity over the past 1,500 years; there is evidence of a peak in Atlantic tropical cyclone activity during medieval times (around AD 1000) that rivals or exceeds recent levels of activity.
Michael E. Mann, Jonathan D. Woodruff, Jeffrey P. Donnelly & Zhihua Zhang
doi:10.1038/nature08219
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (646K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Glacial effects limiting mountain height p884
There are indications that the general height of mountain ranges is directly influenced by the extent of glaciation through an efficient denudation mechanism known as the glacial buzzsaw. Here, a global analysis of topography shows that variations in maximum mountain height correlate closely with climate-controlled gradients in snowline altitude rather than with tectonic activity. Further, the use of a numerical model self-consistently produces the hypsometric signature of the glacial buzzsaw.
D. L. Egholm, S. B. Nielsen, V. K. Pedersen & J.-E. Lesemann
doi:10.1038/nature08263
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,038K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Pelvic claspers confirm chondrichthyan-like internal fertilization in arthrodires p888
The placoderms are a large group of primitive armoured fishes, which, although now extinct, could shed light on the evolution of jawed vertebrates. Recent fossil finds have been discovered with embryos, illustrating that fertilization was internal, but direct evidence for this was missing. Here, the discovery of a completely ossified pelvic clasper in a male Incisoscutum ritchiei confirms internal fertilization in arthrodires, a large and important placoderm group.
Per Ahlberg, Kate Trinajstic, Zerina Johanson & John Long
doi:10.1038/nature08176
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (278K)
See also: Editor's summary
Homothallic and heterothallic mating in the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans p890
Until recently, the human pathogenic yeast Candida albicans was thought to be strictly asexual, existing only as an obligate diploid. However, here it is shown that under specific conditions — in the absence of the secreted protease Bar1 — efficient same-sex mating can take place.
Kevin Alby, Dana Schaefer & Richard J. Bennett
doi:10.1038/nature08252
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (760K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Heitman
Programming cells by multiplex genome engineering and accelerated evolution p894
Genomic diversity is difficult to generate in the laboratory in an efficient way. Here, multiplex automated genome engineering (MAGE) is described for large-scale programming and evolution of cells. It is an automated and efficient approach that expedites the design and evolution of organisms with new and improved properties.
Harris H. Wang, Farren J. Isaacs, Peter A. Carr, Zachary Z. Sun, George Xu, Craig R. Forest & George M. Church
doi:10.1038/nature08187
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,103K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Intrinsic light response of retinal horizontal cells of teleosts p899
It has recently become apparent that rods and cones are not the only photoreceptors in mammals. A third class, known as intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, use the photopigment melanopsin and mediate non-image-forming visual functions such as circadian photoentrainment. In teleost fish, a subset of horizontal cells is now shown to be photosensitive; the photopigment responsible for this seems to be melanopsin.
Ning Cheng, Takashi Tsunenari & King-Wai Yau
doi:10.1038/nature08175
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (781K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Gain-of-function of mutated C-CBL tumour suppressor in myeloid neoplasms p904
Acquired uniparental disomy (aUPD), a common feature of cancer genomes, is associated with gain-of-function mutations of proto-oncogenes as well as with loss-of-function mutations of tumour suppressor genes. Here, gain-of-function mutations of the C-CBL tumour suppressor are shown to be tightly associated with aUPD of the 11q arm in certain myeloid neoplasms.
Masashi Sanada, Takahiro Suzuki, Lee-Yung Shih, Makoto Otsu, Motohiro Kato, Satoshi Yamazaki, Azusa Tamura, Hiroaki Honda, Mamiko Sakata-Yanagimoto, Keiki Kumano, Hideaki Oda, Tetsuya Yamagata, Junko Takita, Noriko Gotoh, Kumi Nakazaki, Norihiko Kawamata, Masafumi Onodera, Masaharu Nobuyoshi, Yasuhide Hayashi, Hiroshi Harada, Mineo Kurokawa, Shigeru Chiba, Hiraku Mori, Keiya Ozawa, Mitsuhiro Omine, Hisamaru Hirai, Hiromitsu Nakauchi, H. Phillip Koeffler & Seishi Ogawa
doi:10.1038/nature08240
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (920K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Shannon & Loh
A role for Lin28 in primordial germ-cell development and germ-cell malignancy p909
In order to investigate the earliest molecular mechanisms of germ cell specification, mouse embryonic stem cells were differentiated into putative primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vitro. The use of inhibitory RNAs to then screen candidate genes for effects on the development of these cells demonstrates a genetic pathway for PGC specification involving Lin28, a negative regulator of let-7 microRNA processing.
Jason A. West, Srinivas R. Viswanathan, Akiko Yabuuchi, Kerianne Cunniff, Ayumu Takeuchi, In-Hyun Park, Julia E. Sero, Hao Zhu, Antonio Perez-Atayde, A. Lindsay Frazier, M. Azim Surani & George Q. Daley
doi:10.1038/nature08210
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (982K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Multiple roles for MRE11 at uncapped telomeres p914
The ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes are capped by sequences known as telomeres. Although telomeres are essentially one half of a DNA double-strand break, which is a pathogenic lesion that must be repaired, telomeres do not normally activate DNA damage repair pathways. Here, the three-member MRN complex is shown to serve two roles at the telomere: it protects newly synthesized telomeric ends from repair factors and it promotes a type of fusion repair when the telomere is not functioning properly.
Yibin Deng, Xiaolan Guo, David O. Ferguson & Sandy Chang
doi:10.1038/nature08196
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (702K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Naturejobs
RegionCanadian changes in the air p920
British Columbia aims to become a leader in clean-energy technology. Virginia Gewin tracks progress.
Virginia Gewin
doi:10.1038/nj7257-920a
