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Invading microbes are detected and ingested by white blood cells known as phagocytes. To do this the cells must distinguish between soluble microbe-derived components, such as pieces of cell wall, and the particulate microbes themselves. A study of the action of Dectin-1, an innate immune receptor that detects invading fungal pathogens, shows that although the receptor binds to both soluble and particulate cell-wall #x003B2; -glucans, its activation is restricted to sites of contact with fungal cell walls by the formation of 'phagocytic synapses'. The phagocytic synapse provides a mechanistic model for the specific detection of ligands associated with a microbial surface, as opposed to those released from microbes at a distance. On the cover, a murine bone-marrow-derived macrophage (red/green) engages multiple yeast particles (blue).
Robert J. Geller calls on Japan to stop using flawed methods for long-term forecasts and to scrap its system for trying to predict the 'Tokai earthquake'.
Calls in Canada for trials of a contentious treatment for multiple sclerosis illustrate how social media can affect research priorities, say Roger Chafe and his colleagues.
Seismic images of the Colorado plateau region reveal a mantle 'drip' forming under the Grand Canyon area. This hidden process may be responsible for the puzzling uplift of the plateau. See Letter p.461
The TH17 helper cells of the immune system have a dark side: they mediate autoimmune disorders. Two drugs that prevent the differentiation and activity of these cells might be of therapeutic value. See Letters p.486 & p.491
Creating coloured polymer films without the use of pigments might seem impossible. But using miniature polymer spheres, and a novel assembly process, this feat has been accomplished over large film areas.
A deeper understanding of the evolution of cooperation will come from investigations of what animals know about working together. A study with Asian elephants now adds to the literature on the subject.
A new study reports that the shapes and surface patterns of thin films of a stretched material can be modified by shining ultraviolet light at it. The resulting topologies depend on the exposure pattern, the applied stress and the sample thickness.
Understanding the nature of the first stars, whose formation marked a pivotal epoch in the Universe's history, is at the frontier of astronomy. An analysis of stellar data indicates that they were fast-rotating objects. See Letter p.454
A study in rats suggests that individual neurons take a nap when the brain is forced to stay awake, and that the basic unit of sleep is the electrical activity of single cortical neurons. See Article p.443