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Volume 472 Issue 7344, 28 April 2011

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).

Editorial

  • The world must strengthen the ability of the International Atomic Energy Agency to make independent assessments of nuclear safety.

    Editorial

    Advertisement

  • Pharmaceutical firms should come clean to tackle drug contamination.

    Editorial
  • Plans to conserve the world's tropical forests must respect the rights of indigenous peoples.

    Editorial
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World View

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Research Highlights

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Seven Days

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News

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News Feature

  • Some researchers claim to have analysed DNA from Egyptian mummies. Others say that's impossible. Could new sequencing methods bridge the divide?

    • Jo Marchant
    News Feature
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Comment

  • 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'.

    • Robert J. Geller
    Comment
  • 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.

    • Roger Chafe
    • Karen B. Born
    • Andreas Laupacis
    Comment
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Books & Arts

  • T. C. Boyle's latest novel probes the convoluted impacts of species eradication programmes, finds Emma Marris.

    • Emma Marris
    Books & Arts
  • Malfunctioning brain networks only partly explain why some people act cruelly, finds Stephanie Preston

    • Stephanie Preston
    Books & Arts
  • A touring exhibition shows the value of the Swiss 'artists-in-labs' programme, find Deborah Dixon, Harriet Hawkins and Mrill Ingram

    • Deborah Dixon
    • Harriet Hawkins
    • Mrill Ingram
    Books & Arts
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Correspondence

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News & Views

  • 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

    • George Zandt
    • Peter Reiners
    News & Views
  • 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

    • Anton M. Jetten
    News & Views
  • 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.

    • Paul V. Braun
    News & Views
  • 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.

    • Amanda M. Seed
    • Keith Jensen
    News & Views
  • 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.

    • Wilhelm T. S. Huck
    News & Views
  • 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

    • Jason Tumlinson
    News & Views
  • 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

    • Christopher S. Colwell
    News & Views
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Review Article

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Article

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Letter

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Addendum

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Erratum

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News

  • The worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl is unlikely to slow job growth in the industry.

    • Quirin Schiermeier
    News
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Q&A

  • UK nuclear physicist's award reflects growing political understanding of fusion's importance for energy.

    • Virginia Gewin
    Q&A
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Career Brief

  • Funding programme targets astronomers and nuclear and particle physicists.

    Career Brief
  • A rise in research budgets signals future growth in the region's scientific job market.

    Career Brief
  • Holders of computer science PhDs are increasingly going into industry and postdoc jobs rather than tenured academia.

    Career Brief
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Futures

  • A real body blow.

    • Shelly Li
    Futures
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