●As time glows by Johnson, C. J. Nature 02 July (2004) This News and Views article comments on the exciting finding, using a self-luminescent reporter strain, that cell–cell communication does not seem to coordinate circadian rhythms in cyanobacteria — model systems for biological clock research. Cyanobacteria, with their exquisitely precise clock, can now be used as model systems for the analysis of circadian rhythms in single cells.

●RIDging an antiviral defense — its all in the cards Levy, D. E. & Marie, I. J Nature Immunology July (2004) Virus detection has been linked to the interferon-β induction pathway through the function of a newly characterized cytoplasmic helicase.

●Focus Issue on Cytoskeletal dynamicsNature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, August (2004)

●HIV and SIV CTL escape: implications for vaccine design Goulder, P. J. R. & Watkins, D. I. Nature Reviews Immunology August (2004) Cytotoxic T lymphocytes are important for controlling HIV infection. This review examines the intersection of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte immune response and viral escape in virus pathogenesis in the broader context of vaccine design.

●A cool way to make proteins Schein, C. H. Nature Biotechnology July (2004) This News and Views article discusses a significant advance in protein over-expression technology in bacteria that allows proteins to be produced at lower temperatures. A new vector that upregulates gene expression between 15°C and 23°C has been developed so that after reducing the temperature, bacterial cells become 'protein-producing machines' devoted to synthesizing recombinant protein.

●Retroviruses under editing crossfire Trono, D. EMBO Reports July (2004) Didier Trono discusses the finding that a second member of the human APOBEC3 family is an innate antiretroviral factor that is incorporated into the virion during virus assembly and can deaminate deoxycytidine residues during viral minus-strand DNA synthesis, leading to degradation or hypermutation.

●Cell motility under the microscope: Vorsprung durch Technik Dunn, G. A. & Jones, G. E. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, August (2004) As part of the Focus issue on cytokeletal dynamics, this article examines the development of the microscope for studying cell motility — a fascinating read for all microbiologists.