Table of contents
Volume 460 Number 7258 pp933-1050
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Editorials
Common consent p933
The distribution of human cell lines used in research should not be hindered by restrictions from donors.
doi:10.1038/460933a
A question of control p933
Scientists must address the ethics of using neuroactive compounds to quash domestic crises.
doi:10.1038/460933b
Research Highlights
Biomaterials: Pearly pedigree p934
doi:10.1038/460934a
Animal behaviour: Ties that bind p934
doi:10.1038/460934b
Physics: Close heat p934
doi:10.1038/460934c
Bioelectronics: It's electrifying p934
doi:10.1038/460934d
Population ecology: Evolution to the rescue p934
doi:10.1038/460934e
Neuroscience: Categorically hard-wired p934
doi:10.1038/460934f
Cancer: From the source p935
doi:10.1038/460935a
Biophysics: Protein friction p935
doi:10.1038/460935b
Immunology: Helping the helpers p935
doi:10.1038/460935c
Planetary science: What an atmosphere p935
doi:10.1038/460935d
News
Paying to save the rainforests p936
In Brazil, details are emerging for plans to stop deforestation. Can it serve as a model for other nations?
Jeff Tollefson
doi:10.1038/460936a
Nanoparticle safety in doubt p937
Lung damage in Chinese factory workers sparks health fears.
Natasha Gilbert
doi:10.1038/460937a
Japan election sparks science pledges p938
Both parties make vague promises about research, but differ in their climate targets.
David Cyranoski
doi:10.1038/460938a
Collins sets out his vision for the NIH p939
Translational research and neglected diseases are on the agenda for incoming director.
Elie Dolgin
doi:10.1038/460939a
Environmental concerns delay seismic testing p939
Lawsuit puts research voyage on hold.
Rex Dalton
doi:10.1038/460939b
Cardiovascular disease gets personal p940
Gene-association studies hint at better ways of treating the leading cause of death, but capitalizing on them is proving to be a slow and difficult process. Erika Check Hayden reports.
Erika Check Hayden
doi:10.1038/460940a
NASA needs more money to track asteroid threats p943
doi:10.1038/460943a
World population will grow fastest in poorest areas p943
doi:10.1038/460943b
Australia seeks carbon-reduction compromise p943
doi:10.1038/460943c
Innovation urged for water management in Asia p943
doi:10.1038/460943d
Conflict of interest and resignation at drug agency p943
doi:10.1038/460943e
Climate gloom p943
doi:10.1038/460943f
News Features
Biodiversity: Rack and field p944
Ecologists have struggled to reconcile what they see in the lab and in the wild. But both views are needed to understand the effects of extinction, finds Virginia Gewin.
doi:10.1038/460944a
Mouse genetics: The check-up p947
Patients checking in to the German Mouse Clinic will undergo the most sophisticated medical testing in the world. But, finds Alison Abbott, the waiting list is becoming a problem.
doi:10.1038/460947a
Correspondence
International peer review improved Irish research rankings p949
Conor O'Carroll
doi:10.1038/460949a
Hispanic people start leaping over barriers to better jobs p949
Annelyn Torres-Reveron
doi:10.1038/460949b
Whistleblowers at risk as science fails to correct itself p949
Eugenie Samuel Reich
doi:10.1038/460949c
South Dakota school replies to sexual harassment claims p949
Deborah L. Sloat
doi:10.1038/460949d
Opinion
Biologists napping while work militarized p950
As researchers discover more agents that alter mental states, the Chemical Weapons Convention needs modification to help ensure that the life sciences are not used for hostile purposes, says Malcolm Dando.
Malcolm Dando
doi:10.1038/460950a
Misadventures in the Burgess Shale p952
One hundred years after Charles Doolittle Walcott found a wealth of Cambrian fossils in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Desmond Collins reflects on the bumpy road of their classification.
Desmond Collins
doi:10.1038/460952a
See also: Editor's summary
Books and Arts
Leading the fight against smallpox p954
Donald Henderson directed the World Health Organization's effort to eradicate the variola virus. His memoir is a lesson in managing complex projects and personalities, says John Carmody.
John Carmody reviews Smallpox: The Death of a Disease by D. A. Henderson
doi:10.1038/460954a
Space for improvement at NASA p955
Scott Pace reviews Organizational Learning at NASA: The Challenger and Columbia Accidents by Julianne G. Mahler & Maureen Hogan Casamayou
doi:10.1038/460955a
No more fish in the sea p956
Olive Heffernan reviews The End of the Line by Charles Clover & Rupert Murray
doi:10.1038/460956a
An eye for evidence p956
Laura Spinney reviews The Scene of the Crime: Rodolphe A. Reiss (1875–1929)
doi:10.1038/460956b
Earliest sketches of the Moon p957
John Whitfield reviews Cosmos and Culture: How Astronomy Has Shaped Our World
doi:10.1038/460957a
Correction p957
doi:10.1038/460957b
News and Views
Plant biology: Genetics of high-rise rice p959
When subject to flooding, deepwater rice survives by shooting up in height. Knowledge of the genetic context of this and other responses to inundation will be a boon in enhancing rice productivity.
Laurentius A. C. J. Voesenek & Julia Bailey-Serres
doi:10.1038/460959a
See also: Editor's summary
Chemical physics: Electronic movies p960
Strong laser fields can tear an electron away from a molecule, leaving a hole in the electronic wavefunction that races through the molecule. The ultrafast motion of such a hole has been traced at last.
Marc Vrakking
doi:10.1038/460960a
See also: Editor's summary
Neuroscience: Activity acts locally p961
How does neuronal activity affect the development of neural circuits? Work on the retina shows that blocking activity at the synapses between neurons reduces local synapse assembly without affecting global cellular structure.
Jonathan B. Demb & Marla B. Feller
doi:10.1038/460961a
See also: Editor's summary
Planetary science: Archaeology of the asteroid belt p963
The size of asteroids in the Solar System's main asteroid belt may help constrain one of the least-understood aspects of planet formation — the transition from pebble-sized dust balls to mountain-sized planetesimals.
John Chambers
doi:10.1038/460963a
Astrophysics: Gravity ripples chased p964
Discovering gravitational waves would not only validate Einstein's theory of gravitation but also reveal aspects of the Universe's earliest moments. The hunt for these elusive ripples is now well under way.
Marc Kamionkowski
doi:10.1038/460964a
See also: Editor's summary
Hypothesis
Evidence for an early prokaryotic endosymbiosis p967
James A. Lake
doi:10.1038/nature08183
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (333K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Articles
High harmonic interferometry of multi-electron dynamics in molecules p972
The high harmonic emission that accompanies the recombination of an electron with its parent molecular ion in an intense laser field provides a snapshot of the structure and dynamics of the recombining system. Experiments on CO2 molecules now show how to extract information from the properties of the emitted light about the underlying multi-electron dynamics with sub-Ångström spatial resolution and attosecond temporal resolution
Olga Smirnova, Yann Mairesse, Serguei Patchkovskii, Nirit Dudovich, David Villeneuve, Paul Corkum & Misha Yu. Ivanov
doi:10.1038/nature08253
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (867K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Vrakking
Homotypic fusion of ER membranes requires the dynamin-like GTPase Atlastin p978
The mechanism by which the tubular architecture of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is maintained is unclear, although homotypic membrane fusion is known to be required for ER biogenesis and maintenance and this is dependent on GTP hydrolysis. Here it is demonstrated that loss of the GTPase Atlastin in Drosophila causes ER fragmentation, whereas its overexpression induces enlargement of ER profiles.
Genny Orso, Diana Pendin, Song Liu, Jessica Tosetto, Tyler J. Moss, Joseph E. Faust, Massimo Micaroni, Anastasia Egorova, Andrea Martinuzzi, James A. McNew & Andrea Daga
doi:10.1038/nature08280
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,259K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Specific pathways prevent duplication-mediated genome rearrangements p984
The human genome contains numerous types of repeated 'at risk' sequences that can cause genomic rearrangements and instability. Various proteins are used to ensure that this occurs very infrequently. Here, a comprehensive analysis of the factors involved in suppressing gross chromosomal rearrangements in Saccharomyces cerevisiae shows that there are distinct pathways for suppressing rearrangements mediated by single copy sequences versus repetitive 'at risk' sequences.
Christopher D. Putnam, Tikvah K. Hayes & Richard D. Kolodner
doi:10.1038/nature08217
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (346K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Letters
An upper limit on the stochastic gravitational-wave background of cosmological origin p990
A stochastic background of gravitational waves is expected to arise from a superposition of a large number of unresolved gravitational-wave sources and should carry unique signatures from the earliest epochs of the Universe. Limits on the amplitude of the stochastic gravitational-wave background are now reported using the data from a two-year science run of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory. These limits rule out certain models of early Universe evolution.
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration & The Virgo Collaboration
doi:10.1038/nature08278
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (503K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Kamionkowski
In situ observation of incompressible Mott-insulating domains in ultracold atomic gases p995
Ultracold atoms held in an optical lattice are an important system in which to study quantum phase transitions. However, the presence of multiple quantum phases within a single sample complicates the interpretation of bulk measurements. Here, a direct imaging method is reported that enables a complete characterization of multiple phases in a strongly correlated Bose gas.
Nathan Gemelke, Xibo Zhang, Chen-Lung Hung & Cheng Chin
doi:10.1038/nature08244
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (416K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Satellite-based estimates of groundwater depletion in India p999
Indirect evidence suggests that groundwater is being consumed faster than it is naturally being replenished in northwest India, but there has been no regional assessment of the rate of groundwater depletion. Terrestrial water storage-change observations and simulated soil-water variations from a modelling system are now used to show that groundwater is indeed being depleted and that its use for irrigation and other anthropogenic uses is likely to be the cause.
Matthew Rodell, Isabella Velicogna & James S. Famiglietti
doi:10.1038/nature08238
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (359K)
See also: Editor's summary
Global electromagnetic induction constraints on transition-zone water content variations p1003
Electrical conductivity is highly sensitive to the presence of hydrogen in mantle materials, an important measure as small amounts of water can significantly affect the physical properties of mantle materials, with profound implications for the dynamic and geochemical evolution of the Earth. Here, long-period geomagnetic response functions are used to derive a global-scale three-dimensional model of electrical conductivity variations in the Earth's mantle.
Anna Kelbert, Adam Schultz & Gary Egbert
doi:10.1038/nature08257
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (573K)
See also: Editor's summary
Phase-locking and environmental fluctuations generate synchrony in a predator–prey community p1007
Adjacent populations that are involved in similar predator–prey cycles often oscillate in synchrony. Here, a general stochastic model of predator–prey spatial dynamics is developed to predict the outcome of a laboratory microcosm experiment testing for interactions among synchronizing factors; both model and data indicate that synchrony depends on cyclic dynamics generated by the predator.
David A. Vasseur & Jeremy W. Fox
doi:10.1038/nature08208
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (275K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
A highly annotated whole-genome sequence of a Korean individual p1011
Human genome sequences have so far been reported for individuals with ancestry in three distinct geographical regions: a Yoruba African, two individuals of northwest European origin, and a person from China. Here, using a combination of methods, a highly annotated, whole-genome sequence is provided for a Korean male.
Jong-Il Kim, Young Seok Ju, Hansoo Park, Sheehyun Kim, Seonwook Lee, Jae-Hyuk Yi, Joann Mudge, Neil A. Miller, Dongwan Hong, Callum J. Bell, Hye-Sun Kim, In-Soon Chung, Woo-Chung Lee, Ji-Sun Lee, Seung-Hyun Seo, Ji-Young Yun, Hyun Nyun Woo, Heewook Lee, Dongwhan Suh, Seungbok Lee, Hyun-Jin Kim, Maryam Yavartanoo, Minhye Kwak, Ying Zheng, Mi Kyeong Lee, Hyunjun Park, Jeong Yeon Kim, Omer Gokcumen, Ryan E. Mills, Alexander Wait Zaranek, Joseph Thakuria, Xiaodi Wu, Ryan W. Kim, Jim J. Huntley, Shujun Luo, Gary P. Schroth, Thomas D. Wu, HyeRan Kim, Kap-Seok Yang, Woong-Yang Park, Hyungtae Kim, George M. Church, Charles Lee, Stephen F. Kingsmore & Jeong-Sun Seo
doi:10.1038/nature08211
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,115K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Neurotransmission selectively regulates synapse formation in parallel circuits in vivo p1016
Activity is thought to help shape connectivity within neural circuits, with differences often leading to the elimination of less active connections. In order to imbalance neurotransmission from different sets of inputs in vivo, a subpopulation of bipolar cells was inactivated during development. The results reveal an unexpected and remarkably selective role for activity in circuit development, regulating synapse formation but not elimination.
Daniel Kerschensteiner, Josh L. Morgan, Edward D. Parker, Renate M. Lewis & Rachel O. L. Wong
doi:10.1038/nature08236
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,121K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Demb & Feller
In vitro and in vivo characterization of new swine-origin H1N1 influenza viruses p1021
On 11 June 2009 the World Health Organization declared that the infections caused by a new strain of influenza A virus closely related to swine viruses had reached pandemic levels. Here, one of the first US isolates of the new swine-origin H1N1 influenza virus (S-OIV) is characterized, as well as several other S-OIV isolates, both in vitro and in vivo.
Yasushi Itoh, Kyoko Shinya, Maki Kiso, Tokiko Watanabe, Yoshihiro Sakoda, Masato Hatta, Yukiko Muramoto, Daisuke Tamura, Yuko Sakai-Tagawa, Takeshi Noda, Saori Sakabe, Masaki Imai, Yasuko Hatta, Shinji Watanabe, Chengjun Li, Shinya Yamada, Ken Fujii, Shin Murakami, Hirotaka Imai, Satoshi Kakugawa, Mutsumi Ito, Ryo Takano, Kiyoko Iwatsuki-Horimoto, Masayuki Shimojima, Taisuke Horimoto, Hideo Goto, Kei Takahashi, Akiko Makino, Hirohito Ishigaki, Misako Nakayama, Masatoshi Okamatsu, Kazuo Takahashi, David Warshauer, Peter A. Shult, Reiko Saito, Hiroshi Suzuki, Yousuke Furuta, Makoto Yamashita, Keiko Mitamura, Kunio Nakano, Morio Nakamura, Rebecca Brockman-Schneider, Hiroshi Mitamura, Masahiko Yamazaki, Norio Sugaya, M. Suresh, Makoto Ozawa, Gabriele Neumann, James Gern, Hiroshi Kida, Kazumasa Ogasawara & Yoshihiro Kawaoka
doi:10.1038/nature08260
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (683K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
The ethylene response factors SNORKEL1 and SNORKEL2 allow rice to adapt to deep water p1026
In Asia, flooding during the monsoon season can result in widespread devastation of rice crops. Deepwater rice has evolved and adapted to flooding by acquiring the ability to significantly elongate its internodes. The molecular mechanism of this deepwater response is now identified as being dependent on the genes SNORKEL1 and SNORKEL2, which trigger deepwater response by encoding ethylene response factors involved in ethylene signalling.
Yoko Hattori, Keisuke Nagai, Shizuka Furukawa, Xian-Jun Song, Ritsuko Kawano, Hitoshi Sakakibara, Jianzhong Wu, Takashi Matsumoto, Atsushi Yoshimura, Hidemi Kitano, Makoto Matsuoka, Hitoshi Mori & Motoyuki Ashikari
doi:10.1038/nature08258
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (795K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Voesenek & Bailey-Serres
Characterization of two classes of small molecule inhibitors of Arp2/3 complex p1031
The actin cytoskeleton plays a critical role in cell biological processes such as cell adhesion, migration and endocytosis. Polymerization of actin filaments directed by the actin-related protein (Arp)2/3 complex supports many types of cellular movement. Two classes of small molecules that bind to different sites on the Arp2/3 complex and inhibit its ability to nucleate actin filaments are now described; these inhibitors provide a powerful approach for studying the Arp2/3 complex in living cells.
B. J. Nolen, N. Tomasevic, A. Russell, D. W. Pierce, Z. Jia, C. D. McCormick, J. Hartman, R. Sakowicz & T. D. Pollard
doi:10.1038/nature08231
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (844K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
XIAP discriminates between type I and type II FAS-induced apoptosis p1035
The 'death receptor' FAS regulates apoptosis of unwanted or dangerous cells, functioning as a guardian against autoimmunity and cancer development. Distinct cell types differ in the mechanisms by which FAS triggers apoptosis: in type I cells, FAS-induced activation of caspase-8 suffices for cell killing, whereas in type II cells there must be caspase cascade amplification. Here it is shown that the inhibitor of apoptosis XIAP is the critical factor determining this — without it, a type II cell dies in the same way as a type I cell.
Philipp J. Jost, Stephanie Grabow, Daniel Gray, Mark D. McKenzie, Ueli Nachbur, David C. S. Huang, Philippe Bouillet, Helen E. Thomas, Christoph Borner, John Silke, Andreas Strasser & Thomas Kaufmann
doi:10.1038/nature08229
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (734K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Structure of a prokaryotic virtual proton pump at 3.2 Å resolution p1040
Little is known about the structure of the APC superfamily of membrane proteins, which transport amino acids, polyamines and organic cations in a multitude of biological roles. Here, the crystal structure of a member of this family, AdiC, is described at 3.2 Å resolution.
Yiling Fang, Hariharan Jayaram, Tania Shane, Ludmila Kolmakova-Partensky, Fang Wu, Carole Williams, Yong Xiong & Christopher Miller
doi:10.1038/nature08201
PDB code
3D view
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (880K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Erratum
Kinematic variables and water transport control the formation and location of arc volcanoes p1044
T. L. Grove, C. B. Till, E. Lev, N. Chatterjee & E. Médard
doi:10.1038/nature08312
Corrigenda
Generation of pluripotent stem cells from adult human testis p1044
Sabine Conrad, Markus Renninger, Jörg Hennenlotter, Tina Wiesner, Lothar Just, Michael Bonin, Wilhelm Aicher, Hans-Jörg Bühring, Ulrich Mattheus, Andreas Mack, Hans-Joachim Wagner, Stephen Minger, Matthias Matzkies, Michael Reppel, Jürgen Hescheler, Karl-Dietrich Sievert, Arnulf Stenzl & Thomas Skutella
doi:10.1038/nature08353
Dual nature of the adaptive immune system in lampreys p1044
Peng Guo, Masayuki Hirano, Brantley R. Herrin, Jianxu Li, Cuiling Yu, Andrea Sadlonova & Max D. Cooper
doi:10.1038/nature08354
Naturejobs
Careers Q&ALucia Votano p1047
Incoming director of the National Laboratory in Gran Sasso, Italy.
Karen Kaplan
doi:10.1038/nj7258-1047a
Postdoc journal
Failure to communicate p1047
It pays to be clear and concise.
Bryan Venters
doi:10.1038/nj7258-1047b
In Brief
UK lab to get new digs p1047
Government backs plan to rebuild 'shabby' research centre.
doi:10.1038/nj7258-1047c
Banking on energy p1047
US national labs and battery makers stand to benefit from cash injection into green cars.
doi:10.1038/nj7258-1047d
