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Moving beyond mimicry, biologically inspired artificial materials can be simpler in design yet more powerful in function than their natural analogues. A tropical fruit seed serves as a guide to making new photonic elements.
It emerges that the sirtuin enzyme SIRT6 preferentially removes long-chain fatty-acyl, rather than acetyl, protein modifications. This activity regulates secretion of the inflammation-associated protein TNF-α. See Letter p.110
Mutations in the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase lead to the accumulation of a metabolite that seems to promote cancer by influencing the epigenetic status of cells. But the effects are reversible, hinting at therapeutic targets.
A record of biogenic opal production in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean fuels the theory that ocean circulation, rather than winds, drove the release of carbon dioxide from deep marine waters at the end of the last ice age. See Letter p.495
A clever combination of existing techniques has produced three-dimensional atomic images of individual platinum nanoparticles, disclosing the atomic structure of crystal defects within them. See Letter p.74
Crystalline 'sponges' offer a way to impose order on small molecules so that their structures can be solved by X-ray crystallography. This enables nanogram quantities of material to be analysed using the technique. See Article p.461
Genome sequencing of cells plucked from marine sediments reveals metabolic details for two abundant lineages of Archaea. These microorganisms may play a key part in breaking down protein buried deep inside Earth. See Letter p.215
Antiretroviral therapy has revolutionized the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Surveillance analyses of a large population in rural South Africa make a compelling case that sustained support for this therapy is essential.
A neat approach that involves laying an array of nanoparticles on a graphene sheet supported on an iridium substrate has allowed accurate measurement of the nanoparticles' atomic structure.
Anxiety does not arise from a single neural circuit. An interplay between neighbouring, yet opposing, circuits produces anxiety, and outputs from these circuits regulate specific anxiety responses. See Letters p.219 & p.224
Advances in population genetics and genome sequencing have made it possible to identify anonymous fragments of DNA that have undergone selection. This yields some evolutionary answers, and a panoply of puzzles. See Letter p.360
A glasses-free three-dimensional display technology has been invented that may be an exciting alternative to current solutions for mobile devices. It makes use of an optical effect known to school physics students. See Letter p.348
The activity of G-protein-coupled receptors is not limited to the cell surface. Evidence from microscopy points to three temporally, spatially and perhaps functionally distinct waves of signalling by these receptors. See Letter p.534
Mutations in the promoter sequence of the gene encoding a component of the enzyme telomerase have been discovered in patients with melanoma, suggesting that mutations in this regulatory region can drive tumour development.
Geometrical frustration results from an incompatibility between the spatial arrangement of a system's constituents and the interactions between them. The effect has now been observed in a triangular triple quantum dot.
The finding that global mass loss from landscapes is dominated by physical erosion and chemical weathering from flat terrain, rather than from mountains, challenges our understanding of how Earth's surface evolves.
Haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells move from the bone marrow into the circulation to replenish normal blood-cell levels. Inhibiting a prostaglandin-mediated signalling pathway may promote this process. See Letter p.365
The discovery that a new coronavirus associated with lethal respiratory infections binds to an evolutionarily conserved receptor on airway cells suggests that direct transmission from bats to humans may occur. See Letter p.251
Bright, gravitationally magnified galaxies have been found across a wide span of cosmic time. The first results from the still-growing ALMA telescope show its power to reveal these galaxies' redshifts and internal structure. See Letter p.344
