Research | Funding | Facilities | Policy | People | Business | Trend watch | Coming up

RESEARCH

Data falsified The BMJ Publishing Group announced last week the retraction of a June 2013 article in the British Journal of Psychiatry that reported a higher incidence of epigenetic changes in people with bipolar disorder who had experienced early-life trauma. An investigation by the University of Geneva in Switzerland found that senior author Alain Malafosse had fabricated the DNA-methylation data underlying the paper’s conclusions. A former director of genetic psychiatry in the university’s hospital system, Malafosse is also accused of embezzling 1.7 million Swiss francs (US$1.8 million) in government research funds.

Stem-cell test On 12 September, a woman in Japan became the first person to receive an experimental treatment derived from induced pluripotent stem cells — cells reprogrammed from mature tissue to be capable of becoming many types of cell. See page 287 for more.

Credit: Parks Canada

Long-lost ship found in Canadian Arctic Archaeologists have found one of the ships from the Franklin expedition — which disappeared in the 1840s— off King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. A team led by Parks Canada last week discovered either HMS Erebus or HMS Terror, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced on 9 September. A remotely operated vehicle helped to locate the ship’s remains from a sonar image (pictured). Since 2008, Parks Canada has scoured hundreds of square kilometres of ocean floor in search of the ships, which British explorer John Franklin commanded while seeking the Northwest Passage. Historical records suggest that some of the explorers died while the ships were trapped in ice, and others perished while attempting to walk south. See go.nature.com/ugcvuy for more.

Curiosity arrives After more than 2 years and 9.5 kilometres of driving across Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover has reached its ultimate goal: a peak called Mount Sharp. NASA announced the milestone on 11 September following the vehicle’s arrival at a smoother, less-cratered rock formation known to surround the mountain. The agency also defended the mission against recent criticism from a senior review panel, which suggested that the project lacks clearly defined science goals and spends too little time collecting and analysing data.

Bad news for birds Many US bird populations are declining, largely owing to disruption of habitats by human development, according to The State of the Birds 2014, a long-term study published on 9 September by organizations including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC and the US Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia. Birds in the arid habitats of the western United States have been hardest hit, with some areas seeing a 46% population loss since 1968. The report names 230 at-risk species, including the Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis), a seabird whose low-elevation breeding areas are threatened by rising sea levels.

Brain-project talks The European Union’s flagship €1-billion (US$1.6 billion) Human Brain Project has begun a ‘mediation process’ after hundreds of neuroscientists fiercely criticized the project’s management and scientific direction in July (see Nature 511, 133–134; 2014). Germany’s national Jülich Research Centre said on 12 September that its board chairman Wolfgang Marquardt will lead the mediation, which should be completed by mid-2015.

FUNDING

Science partnership The United Kingdom and SouthAfrica signed a multi-year science and technology partnership on 9 September, to be jointly funded with £7.8 million (US$12.7 million) annually. Research priorities include public health, food security and technology development. The money will be administered by the Newton Fund, established by Britain to support science collaborations with developing countries (see go.nature.com/yhmmvp). The two countries also announced three-year partnerships to study tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases in Africa.

FACILITIES

University blaze A fire at the University of Nottingham, UK, on 12 September destroyed a carbon-neutral chemistry laboratory that was under construction. Funded in part by a £12-million (US$19-million) grant from drug giant GlaxoSmithKline, the facility was slated to open next year. The university says that it is working with GlaxoSmithKline and its contractor to develop a plan to rebuild the laboratory.

Credit: Sea Shepherd/Animal Amnesty

POLICY

Shark cull called off Western Australia has halted the extension of a controversial shark cull, after environmental regulators warned in a report on 11 September of scientific uncertainty surrounding the programme’s effects on the great white shark — a protected species. In response to seven fatal shark attacks on beach-goers between 2010 and 2013, baited traps called drum lines were set up earlier this year, catching more than 172 sharks — most of them tiger sharks (pictured). State officials had sought to extend the programme for another three years.

Reef protection Australia announced on 15 September how it intends to safeguard the troubled Great Barrier Reef, which faces threats from climate change, coral-eating starfish and industrial development. The proposed plan outlines actions that the national and regional governments must take over the next 35 years, and includes ways to improve water quality and biodiversity. Conservationists have already said that the plan does not offer enough protection; the proposal is under consultation until 27 October.

Swiss diplomacy Scientists in Switzerland are once more being allowed to compete for funds from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research programme. Switzerland was excluded in February after it imposed curbs on the immigration of citizens of the European Union (see Nature 506, 277; 2014). The European Commission announced on 12 September that it has negotiated temporary exceptions to allow applications for some grants up to the end of 2016. That includes European Research Council grants, Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships and specific large projects, such as the Human Brain Project (headquartered in Lausanne) and nuclear-fusion programmes.

Nuclear restart Japan has taken its first steps towards restarting nuclear power generation, following the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant meltdown in 2011. On 10 September, the Nuclear Regulation Authority granted safety approval to the Sendai Nuclear Power Station, concluding that the facility’s two reactors satisfied new regulations designed to guard against disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. The plant must still clear further safety checks and obtain local-government approval before being turned on. Japan’s 48 other reactors remain offline.

PEOPLE

EU science leaders European Commission president-elect Jean-Claude Junker announced on 10 September his nominations for the 28 members of the next commission. The choices include former engineer and economist Carlos Moedas from Portugal as commissioner for research, science and innovation; and Miguel Arias Cañete, Spain’s former agriculture and environment minister, for climate and energy commissioner. The nominations must now be approved by the European Parliament. See go.nature.com/t73tfi for more.

BUSINESS

Stem-cell stock On 10 September, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a prominent stem-cell company and a former employee of the firm with defrauding investors. The SEC says that Gary Rabin, former chief executive of Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) in Marlborough, Massachusetts, waited too long to notify investors that he had sold US$1.5 million of the firm’s stock between 2010 and 2012. The company is struggling to raise funds to support its ongoing research (see Naturehttp://doi.org/q8f;2014). ACT and Rabin agreed to settle the charges without admitting or denying them.

Credit: Source: UNEP/WMO

TREND WATCH

The ozone layer seems to be on the mend, says a 10 September report by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. Atmospheric levels of ozone-depleting chemicals, including chlorofluorocarbons — once widely used in refrigerants, and restricted under the 1987 Montreal Protocol — have declined by 10–15% in the past 10–15 years. In parts of the atmosphere, ozone levels have increased by 5% since 2000. See go.nature.com/ozr4np for more.

COMING UP

21–24 September Two spacecraft are due to enter orbit around Mars: first NASA’s MAVEN craft and then, three days later, India’s Mars Orbiter Mission. See page 291 for more.

23 September A major United Nations Climate Summit kicks off in New York City, intended to stoke enthusiasm for future international negotiations. See page 289 for more.