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Observations reveal that a particular planetary nebula — the ejected envelope of an old star — is unusually enriched in rare carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotopes. The finding could help to explain the origins of these isotopes.
Some fat cells convert energy into heat, so targeting them to induce weight loss is appealing. The discovery that a subset of the cells burns glucose, rather than both glucose and lipids, could improve our ability to do just that.
Almost half a century ago, it was predicted that the confinement of quantum fluctuations could induce mechanical rotation — the Casimir torque. This prediction has now been confirmed using liquid crystals.
A study in mice identifies a brain adaptation that underlies the compulsive behaviour associated with drug addiction, and which might explain why some drug users behave compulsively whereas others do not.
Clinical trials reveal that personalized vaccines can boost immune-cell responses to brain tumours that don’t usually respond to immunotherapy. The findings also point to how to improve such treatments.
A method called microcrystal electron diffraction can rapidly image the structures of small molecules, including those found in mixtures. Will it usurp X-ray crystallography for determining small-molecule structures?
Some samples of human growth hormone used as therapy until the mid-1980s contain amyloid-β peptide and cause genetically modified mice to develop amyloid-β deposits in the brain.
A catalytic process driven by visible light converts a mixture of mirror-image isomers of compounds called allenes to a single mirror-image isomer — opening up avenues of research for synthetic chemistry.
Many enzymatic processes involve a mechanism in which reaction intermediates are covalently attached to the enzyme’s active site. A strategy has been devised that enables mimics of these intermediates to be visualized.
Attempts to boost the body’s antitumour immune responses can trigger a harmful inflammatory reaction called a cytokine storm. New insights into the mechanisms involved might help to prevent this problem.
After decades of uncertainty, it now seems clear that global warming will enhance both the amplitude and the frequency of climate phenomena known as eastern Pacific El Niño events, with widespread climatic consequences.
Antibodies have been engineered to recognize diverse strains of influenza, including both the A and B types of virus that cause human epidemics. Are we moving closer to achieving ‘universal’ protection against all flu strains?
Bacteria can use specific protein-based strategies to defend individual cells against viruses. Evidence that bacterial small molecules also target viruses provides fresh insights into how bacteria thwart viral infection.
A modified protocol has enabled baboons that received transplanted pig hearts to survive for more than six months. This improvement on previous efforts brings pig-to-human heart transplants a step closer.
Ammonia emissions harm humans and the environment. An analysis shows that satellites can locate sources precisely, and could thus help to monitor compliance with international agreements to limit such emissions.
Magnetic materials can host a range of structures called spin textures. Two such textures — a meron and an antimeron — have been observed experimentally for the first time, in a material known as a chiral magnet.
