Table of contents
Volume 461 Number 7266 pp847-1018
(this content only available online) indicates content that is available online only
Editorials
Psychology: a reality check p847
If clinical psychology in the United States wants to remain viable and relevant in today's health systems, it needs to publicly embrace science.
doi:10.1038/461847a
Windfall warning p847
Without forward planning, the billions of dollars in the US stimulus package will go to long-term waste.
doi:10.1038/461847b
Caught on camera p848
What to do when you are interviewed for an unscientific documentary.
doi:10.1038/461848a
Research Highlights
Biology: Copy bat p850
doi:10.1038/461850a
Atmospheric science: Monsoon madness p850
doi:10.1038/461850b
Physics: Holy yocto! p850
doi:10.1038/461850c
Structural biology: DNA first responder p850
doi:10.1038/461850d
Biogeochemistry: Preindustrial carbon p850
doi:10.1038/461850e
Virology: Infectious fatigue p850
doi:10.1038/461850f
Genomics: Human genome in 3D p851
doi:10.1038/461851a
Astrophysics: Merge, no surge p851
doi:10.1038/461851b
Biology: When colonies collide p851
doi:10.1038/461851c
Stem-cell biology: Chemical reset p851
doi:10.1038/461851d
News
News briefing: 15 October 2009 p852
The week in science
doi:10.1038/461852a
Japan to slash huge grant scheme p854
Upstart government brings fresh priorities to science.
David Cyranoski
doi:10.1038/461854a
Cancer metastasis scrutinized p854
Researchers shift focus to catch secondary tumours.
Elie Dolgin
doi:10.1038/461854b
Fusion delays sow concern p855
Construction on ITER won't begin until 2010.
Geoff Brumfiel
doi:10.1038/461855a
Where the US stimulus money is going p856
How agencies have carved up their windfall.
doi:10.1038/461856a
Key protein-design papers challenged p859
Chemists question stability of proteins from 2003 Nature study.
Erika Check Hayden
doi:10.1038/461859a
Structural biology bags chemistry prize p860
Chemistry Nobel for trio who described the ribosome.
Richard Van Noorden
doi:10.1038/461860a
Impact theory under fire once more p861
Archaeologists fail to find evidence for comet explosion.
Rex Dalton
doi:10.1038/461861a
News Features
Neuroscience: Small, furry ... and smart p862
Researchers have engineered more than 30 strains of 'smart mice', revealing possible ways to boost human brains. But, as Jonah Lehrer finds, cognitive enhancement may come at a cost.
doi:10.1038/461862a
Neuroscience: Opening up brain surgery p866
Neurosurgeons have unparalleled access to the human brain. Now they are teaming up with basic researchers to work out what makes it unique, finds Alison Abbott.
doi:10.1038/461866a
Seismology: Shaking up earthquake theory p870
Geological faults are not behaving as scientists once expected. Glennda Chui reports on efforts to forge a new understanding of quake behaviour.
doi:10.1038/461870a
Correspondence
Pakistan: basic education essential to underpin reforms p874
Muhammad Naim Siddiqi, Abdul Wahab Yousafzai & Raza Ur Rahman
doi:10.1038/461874a
Pakistan: cash infusion of limited use to universities p874
Pervez Hoodbhoy
doi:10.1038/461874b
Pakistan: sense of urgency powered education reforms p874
Atta ur Rahman
doi:10.1038/461874c
Battlefield: hitting the supporters of biotechnology p875
Jens A. Katzek
doi:10.1038/461875a
Battlefield: useful debate needs caution and civility p875
Allison A. Snow
doi:10.1038/461875b
Commercial pressure quelling creation of new microscopes p875
Brad Amos
doi:10.1038/461875c
Opinion
Is the stimulus working for you? p876
More money for science is always good. Or is it? Six experts tell Nature what concerns them most about the US stimulus spending and suggest ways to ensure that it benefits research and society in the long term.
doi:10.1038/461876a
Massively collaborative mathematics p879
The 'Polymath Project' proved that many minds can work together to solve difficult mathematical problems. Timothy Gowers and Michael Nielsen reflect on the lessons learned for open-source science.
Timothy Gowers & Michael Nielsen
doi:10.1038/461879a
Stitching science together p881
Google Wave is the kind of open-source online collaboration tool that should drive scientists to wire their research and publications into an interactive data web, says Cameron Neylon.
Cameron Neylon
doi:10.1038/461881a
Books and Arts
Art history's window onto the mind p882
Neuroscientists should worry less about testing abstract qualities such as beauty, and work with art historians towards a concrete understanding of types of viewing, argues Martin Kemp.
Martin Kemp
doi:10.1038/461882a
In Retrospect: Brodmann's brain map p884
A classic neurology text written 100 years ago still provides the core principles for linking the anatomy of the cerebral cortex to its functions today, explains Jacopo Annese.
Jacopo Annese reviews Localisation in the Cerebral Cortex by Korbinian Brodmann
doi:10.1038/461884a
Q&A: The space entrepreneur p885
After completing simultaneous doctorates in physics and chemistry, Harry Kloor became a space-exploration consultant and film-maker. As his three-dimensional animated feature Quantum Quest — made with real footage from the Cassini spacecraft — is previewed in New York, Kloor shares his thoughts on manned space flight and the use of prizes to motivate adventurous science.
Jascha Hoffman
doi:10.1038/461885a
News and Views
Behavioural neurobiology: Chemical love p887
Male and female fruitflies use pheromones to flaunt their species identity and gender as they court amid other fruitfly species. The grammar of this chemical language is surprisingly sophisticated.
Nicolas Gompel & Benjamin Prud'homme
doi:10.1038/461887a
See also: Editor's summary
Condensed-matter physics: Wien route to monopoles p888
Determining the magnetic charge of monopoles in a crystalline host seemed a mountain too high for physicists to climb. An experiment based on Wien's theory of electrolytes has now measured its value.
Shivaji Sondhi
doi:10.1038/461888a
See also: Editor's summary
Neuroscience: The inside story on place cells p889
Neurons known as place cells encode spatial information that is needed to guide an animal's movement. Nearly 40 years after these cells were discovered, neuroscience gets a look at their internal dynamics.
Douglas Nitz
doi:10.1038/461889a
See also: Editor's summary
Analytical chemistry: The matrix neutralized p890
Many of the best methods available for monitoring biological binding events can't be used in a diverse range of clinical samples. An ultrasensitive assay based on magnetic signals overcomes this problem.
Ilia Fishbein & Robert J. Levy
doi:10.1038/461890a
Stem cells: A fateful age gap p891
When a stem cell divides, one sister cell differentiates and the other retains its stem-cell identity. Differences in the age of an organelle — the centriole — inherited at cell division may determine these differing fates.
Tim Stearns
doi:10.1038/461891a
See also: Editor's summary
50 & 100 years ago p892
doi:10.1038/461892b
Materials science: Quasicrystals from nanocrystals p892
Quasicrystals have a host of unusual physical properties. These intermediates between amorphous solids and regular crystalline materials can now be made to self-assemble from nanoparticles.
Alfons van Blaaderen
doi:10.1038/461892a
See also: Editor's summary
Obituary: Norman E. Borlaug (1914–2009) p894
Plant scientist who transformed global food production.
M. S. Swaminathan
doi:10.1038/461894a
News and Views Q&A
Neuroscience: Alzheimer's disease p895
The neurodegenerative disorder Alzheimer's disease is becoming more prevalent in ageing populations worldwide. The identification of effective treatments will require a better understanding of the physiological mechanisms involved, and innovative approaches to drug development and evaluation.
Lennart Mucke
doi:10.1038/461895a
Insight: Neurotechniques -
Insight: Neurotechniques
Neurotechniques p899
Noah Gray & Tanguy Chouard
doi:10.1038/461899a
Molecular genetics and imaging technologies for circuit-based neuroanatomy p900
Benjamin R. Arenkiel & Michael D. Ehlers
doi:10.1038/nature08536
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (2,360K)
Neuroscience in the era of functional genomics and systems biology p908
Daniel H. Geschwind & Genevieve Konopka
doi:10.1038/nature08537
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (10,931K)
Multimodal techniques for diagnosis and prognosis of Alzheimer's disease p916
Richard J. Perrin, Anne M. Fagan & David M. Holtzman
doi:10.1038/nature08538
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (2,951K)
Reverse engineering the mouse brain p923
Daniel H. O'Connor, Daniel Huber & Karel Svoboda
doi:10.1038/nature08539
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (5,151K)
Electrophysiology in the age of light p930
Massimo Scanziani & Michael Häusser
doi:10.1038/nature08540
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (2,151K)
Articles
Intracellular dynamics of hippocampal place cells during virtual navigation p941
As we navigate, spatial information is encoded in both rate and temporal codes by place cells located in the hippocampus. To investigate the origin of these codes, the intracellular dynamics of place cells are now measured in vivo in awake mice navigating a virtual-reality environment. Three subthreshold signatures of place fields are identified that underlie the primary features of place-cell rate and temporal codes.
Christopher D. Harvey, Forrest Collman, Daniel A. Dombeck & David W. Tank
doi:10.1038/nature08499
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,645K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Nitz
Asymmetric centrosome inheritance maintains neural progenitors in the neocortex p947
Radial glia progenitors divide asymmetrically in the ventricular zone (VZ) of the developing neocortex to produce both self-renewing radial glia and differentiating cells. The latter will then leave the VZ whereas the renewing radial glia progenitors stay to divide further, but the mechanisms underlying these differences in behaviour are unclear. Asymmetric inheritance of centrosomes is now shown to regulate the differential behaviour of renewing progenitors in the embryonic mouse neocortex.
Xiaoqun Wang, Jin-Wu Tsai, Janice H. Imai, Wei-Nan Lian, Richard B. Vallee & Song-Hai Shi
doi:10.1038/nature08435
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (2,010K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Stearns
Letters
Measurement of the charge and current of magnetic monopoles in spin ice p956
Magnetic counterparts to electric charges and currents have proved elusive. However, it was recently proposed that magnetic charges can exist in a certain type of material termed 'spin ice'. Here, experimental measurements prove that magnetic charges can indeed exist in such a material and have measurable currents, thus establishing an instance of perfect symmetry between electricity and magnetism.
S. T. Bramwell, S. R. Giblin, S. Calder, R. Aldus, D. Prabhakaran & T. Fennell
doi:10.1038/nature08500
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (519K)
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Sondhi
Cooper pair splitter realized in a two-quantum-dot Y-junction p960
One of the most counterintuitive fundamental properties of quantum mechanics is non-locality, which manifests itself as correlations between spatially separated parts of a quantum system. Although experimental tests of non-locality (Bell inequalities) have been successfully conducted with pairwise entangled photons, similar demonstrations using electrons have so far not been possible. The realization of a Y-shaped tunable Cooper pair splitter, to split entangled electrons on demand, brings this one step closer.
L. Hofstetter, S. Csonka, J. Nygård & C. Schönenberger
doi:10.1038/nature08432
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (488K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Quasicrystalline order in self-assembled binary nanoparticle superlattices p964
Quasicrystals are ordered structures that lack any translational symmetry, challenging the classic conception of ordered solids as periodic structures. So far, they have been reported in certain systems and can, for example, form from intermetallic compounds and organic dendrimers. Here it is shown that colloidal inorganic nanoparticles from several materials can self-assemble into binary aperiodic superlattices with quasicrystalline order.
Dmitri V. Talapin, Elena V. Shevchenko, Maryna I. Bodnarchuk, Xingchen Ye, Jun Chen & Christopher B. Murray
doi:10.1038/nature08439
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (876K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by van Blaaderen
Scaleable catalytic asymmetric Strecker syntheses of unnatural 
-amino acids p968
Efficient methods for the synthesis of enantioenriched 
-amino acids — the building blocks of proteins — have been developed, but it remains a challenge to obtain non-natural amino acids. A new catalytic asymmetric method is now reported for the syntheses of highly enantiomerically enriched non-natural amino acids using a simple and robust chiral amido-thiourea catalyst. The method also uses a safer source of cyanide.
Stephan J. Zuend, Matthew P. Coughlin, Mathieu P. Lalonde & Eric N. Jacobsen
doi:10.1038/nature08484
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (437K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Extensive dynamic thinning on the margins of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets p971
Mass loss from the glaciers along the margins of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets is increasingly contributing to sea level rise. However, ice loss as a result of accelerated flow, known as dynamic thinning, is so poorly understood that its potential future contribution to sea level remains unpredictable. Here, high-resolution laser altimetry is used to map changes along these ocean margins; the results show that dynamic thinning is more important and extensive than previously thought.
Hamish D. Pritchard, Robert J. Arthern, David G. Vaughan & Laura A. Edwards
doi:10.1038/nature08471
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,682K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Ammonia oxidation kinetics determine niche separation of nitrifying Archaea and Bacteria p976
Ammonia oxidation is carried out by both Bacteria and Archaea. Oligotrophic ammonia oxidation kinetics and cellular characteristics of a mesophilic crenarchaeon found in the open ocean are now reported; its remarkably high specific affinity for reduced nitrogen suggests that certain ammonia-oxidizing Archaea could successfully compete with heterotrophic bacterioplankton and phytoplankton. Thus, ammonia oxidation may be more prevalent in the marine nitrogen cycle than is currently accounted for.
Willm Martens-Habbena, Paul M. Berube, Hidetoshi Urakawa, José R. de la Torre & David A. Stahl
doi:10.1038/nature08465
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (461K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Cheater-resistance is not futile p980
Individuals in cooperative social systems can cheat the system by reaping the benefits of cooperation without incurring the costs. Here, the presence of a cheater in a population of randomly mutated social amoebae is shown to select for mutations that confer resistance to cheating in the rest of the population. This cheater-resistance can be a noble strategy because the resister strain does not necessarily exploit other strains, preserving cooperative behaviour.
Anupama Khare, Lorenzo A. Santorelli, Joan E. Strassmann, David C. Queller, Adam Kuspa & Gad Shaulsky
doi:10.1038/nature08472
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (332K)
See also: Editor's summary
An anatomical signature for literacy p983
Unlike language, a uniquely human ability which children naturally develop, reading is a learnt skill that requires tuition and practice. Learning to read is likely to involve structural brain changes, but these are nearly impossible to isolate in children owing to other concurrent changes. A population of former Colombian guerrillas learning to read as adults is now studied, using structural brain scans to compare changes in the brains of these late-literates with those of illiterates.
Manuel Carreiras, Mohamed L. Seghier, Silvia Baquero, Adelina Estévez, Alfonso Lozano, Joseph T. Devlin & Cathy J. Price
doi:10.1038/nature08461
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (765K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Specialized cells tag sexual and species identity in Drosophila melanogaster p987
Many organisms use chemical signals to indicate species and sex. Cuticular hydrocarbon signals are used by insects, including Drosophila melanogaster, to distinguish conspecific individuals from others, and they also contribute to courtship and mating interactions. Direct evidence is now provided that a single compound is used to communicate female identity among D. melanogaster, and to define a reproductive isolation barrier between D. melanogaster and sibling species.
Jean-Christophe Billeter, Jade Atallah, Joshua J. Krupp, Jocelyn G. Millar & Joel D. Levine
doi:10.1038/nature08495
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (661K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Gompel & Prud'homme
A secreted complement-control-related protein ensures acetylcholine receptor clustering p992
For efficient neurotransmission at chemical synapses to occur, there must be spatial congruence between the presynaptic area where synaptic vesicles fuse and the postsynaptic area where neurotransmitter receptors concentrate. An extracellular scaffold is now described that is necessary for the clustering of acetylcholine receptors at neuromuscular junctions in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; it involves the protein LEV-9, the function of which relies on complement control protein domains.
Marie Gendrel, Georgia Rapti, Janet E. Richmond & Jean-Louis Bessereau
doi:10.1038/nature08430
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (719K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Spatiotemporal control of cell signalling using a light-switchable protein interaction p997
The use of light to precisely control cellular behaviour is a challenge that has only recently begun to be addressed. Here, a genetically encoded light-control system is demonstrated in mammalian cells. Based on a reversible protein–protein interaction from the phytochrome signalling network of Arabidopsis thaliana, the system is used to reversibly translocate activators of the Rho-family GTPases to the plasma membrane with high temporal and spatial resolution.
Anselm Levskaya, Orion D. Weiner, Wendell A. Lim & Christopher A. Voigt
doi:10.1038/nature08446
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (925K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Integrin-linked kinase is an adaptor with essential functions during mouse development p1002
Integrin-linked kinase (Ilk) is a multifunctional protein that binds 
-integrin cytoplasmic domains and regulates actin dynamics through the recruitment of actin binding regulatory proteins such as - and -parvin. In mice, genetic evidence is now provided that the kinase activity of Ilk is not essential for mammalian development but that an interaction between Ilk and -parvin is critical for kidney development.
Anika Lange, Sara A. Wickström, Madis Jakobson, Roy Zent, Kirsi Sainio & Reinhard Fässler
doi:10.1038/nature08468
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,241K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
DNA demethylation in hormone-induced transcriptional derepression p1007
Gene regulation is known to be affected by epigenetic modifications at the histone level in response to extracellular signals; however, the effect of modifications at the DNA level, and especially active DNA demethylation, are not well understood. Here, DNA methylation/demethylation is found to be hormonally switched in order to control the transcription of the cytochrome p450 27B1 gene.
Mi-Sun Kim, Takeshi Kondo, Ichiro Takada, Min-Young Youn, Yoko Yamamoto, Sayuri Takahashi, Takahiro Matsumoto, Sally Fujiyama, Yuko Shirode, Ikuko Yamaoka, Hirochika Kitagawa, Ken-Ichi Takeyama, Hiroshi Shibuya, Fumiaki Ohtake & Shigeaki Kato
doi:10.1038/nature08456
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (594K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Naturejobs
Careers Q&AKrzysztof Matyjaszewski p1015
A chemist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Matyjaszewski is the winner of this year's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge academic award.
Paul Smaglik
doi:10.1038/nj7266-1015a
Postdoc journal
Heart matters p1015
Leaving academia for the freelance world has its rewards.
Joanne Isaac
doi:10.1038/nj7266-1015b
In Brief
Call for cluster funding p1015
Regional innovation could create research jobs in the United States.
doi:10.1038/nj7266-1015c
Psychology overhaul p1015
More robust science training recommended for clinical psychologists.
doi:10.1038/nj7266-1015d
Genomics gets a boost p1015
US$45 million will support tool development.
doi:10.1038/nj7266-1015e
Highlights
Opportunities: The National Institutes of Health
doi:10.1038/nj0272
Highlight: Francophone
doi:10.1038/nj0273
