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Acoustic communication is important for the reproductive behaviour of frogs. Using acoustic playback experiments, Shenet al. show that calls from male concave-eared frogs (Odorrana tormota) evoke vocal responses and phonotaxis from females, but the females show no ultrasonic sensitivity.
SiO2 glass and helium are important in various fields of science and engineering. Sato et al. show SiO2glass to be less compressible in helium under high pressure, which may be relevant for the interpretation of high-pressure experiments and in the design of new materials.
Negative thermal expansion—contraction upon heating—is an unusual process that may be exploited to produce materials with zero or other controlled thermal expansion values. Azumaet al. observe negative thermal expansion in BiNiO3which is a result of Bi/Ni charge-transfer transitions.
A quantum key distribution system allows two remote parties to communicate in secret by a shared key code. This work demonstrates a complete and undetected eavesdropping attack on a quantum key distribution connection, highlighting the need for further security updates on secure communication systems.
In this study, a bacterium is identified in the honeydew of aphids, which produces volatile chemicals and attracts hoverflies. The findings could aid the development of pest control systems for aphids.
Class I anti-arrhythmic drugs act at cardiac sodium channels and are subdivided into classes Ia-c based on their effects on the electrocardiogram. Here, class Ib drugs are found to rely on cation–pi interactions for their activity, whereas class Ib and Ic drugs rely significantly less on this interaction.
Vocal communication is relatively common among fish: the midshipman being an example with a particularly wide dynamic range. In this paper, the authors demonstrate that different populations of hindbrain neurons are responsible for the frequency and duration of these calls.
Photovoltaic systems comprising monocrystalline silicon have many applications in solar power generation. Yoonet al. describe a composite luminescent concentrator photovoltaic system containing arrays of microscale silicon solar cells, which can be implemented in ultrathin, mechanically bendable formats.
Type Ia supernovae are thought to result from the explosion of white dwarf stars but a full understanding of their formation is lacking. In this review, Howell describes how large surveys are generating sufficient data to challenge and refine existing theories.
Through fine-root nutrient chemistry, it is possible to study ecosystem-scale biogeochemical cycling. Compiling data from 211 studies measuring nitrogen and phosphorus in plant roots, Yuanet al. find that tropical ecosystems are more phosphorous-limited than higher latitudes.
Undulating flight, an efficient mode of locomotion in flying birds, can theoretically also result in efficient locomotion in water. Here we demonstrate gait patterns resembling undulating flight in four marine vertebrate species comprising sharks and pinnipeds.
The neuronal mechanisms responsible for thermal seeking behaviour inCaenorhabditis. elegansare not fully understood. In this study, the sensory neuron AFD is shown to be involved in the responses to both cold and warm temperatures by transmitting inhibitory and excitatory signals to the interneuron AIY.
Understanding how the high-energy physics of Mott-like excitations affects condensate formation is a key challenge in high-temperature superconductivity. Giannettiet al. clarify the relationship of many-body CuO2excitations and the onset of superconductivity using a new optical pump supercontinuum-probe technique.
Upon agonist binding, ionotropic glutamate receptors are activated and then become desensitized, but the detailed molecular events of this process are unclear. Here, molecular dynamics simulations are used to probe how conformational changes of the ligand-binding domain are transmitted to the transmembrane domain.
Hydro-responsive plant movements have provided inspiration for the design of adaptive materials. Harringtonet al. investigate the hydration-dependent unfolding of ice plant seed capsules and find an origami-like folding pattern, which could aid the development of biomimetic folding structures.
It is believed that infants map observed actions onto their own representation of the action, a hypothesis known as direct matching. By observing the gaze of infants and their grasping response, experimental evidence is provided to support the direct matching theory.
Encapsulating molecules within supramolecular frameworks for potential biological application is challenging. Bhatiaet al. incorporate a fluorescent polymer within an icosahedral DNA nanocapsule, and show that it can be used to target specific cells in vivoand map pH spatially and temporally.
The ability of synthetic amyloid β-protein to bind to prion proteins and alter synaptic plasticity has been previously reported. Here the relevance of this binding is investigated in brains of Alzheimer's disease patients and the interaction is shown to be blocked by antibodies to two distinct regions of prion proteins.
α-fetoprotein is used as a biomarker of hepatocellular cancer but the mechanisms that lead to its elevated expression are unknown. Kojimaet al.show that microRNA122 and CUX1 are important for the regulation of α-fetoprotein and suggest that loss of microRNA122 leads to more aggressive liver cancer.
Many synthetic DNA nanomachines have been developed and demonstratedin vitro, but their use in living organisms has not been reported. Now, a DNA nanomachine, the I-switch, is used to map spatiotemporal pH changes associated with endosomal maturation within coelomocytes of Caenorhabditis elegans.