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The ability to control individual electrons in an electronic conductor would pave the way for novel quantum technologies. Single electrons emerging from a sea of their fellows in a nanoscale electrode can now be generated. See Letter p.659
A detailed astrophysical model has been laid out that not only reproduces the far-infrared–radio correlation for galaxies that are actively forming stars, but also predicts how the correlation is modified at high redshift.
Two related nuclear receptors mediate circadian fat metabolism in two different tissues using a lipid messenger as an intermediary. This signalling pathway might be relevant to the understanding of metabolic disorders. See Letter p.550
The discovery of a new way of controlling a class of complex-oxide materials, known as the Ruddlesden–Popper series of structures, may lead the way to making electronically tunable microwave devices. See Letter p.532
New observations suggest that certain extremely bright supernovae are not the nuclear explosions of very massive stars. Instead, they may be ordinary-mass events lit up by a potent central fountain of magnetic energy. See Letter p.346
Lasers known as frequency combs have been used to generate molecular spectra from samples within microseconds and with high spatial resolution. This offers fresh prospects for making microscopy observations in real time. See Letter p.355
Sophisticated microscopy analysis of conodont elements suggests that these mysterious fossil structures are not, as has been previously suggested, evolutionary precursors to vertebrate teeth. See Letter p.546
Finding a way to control how particles bind to cells could open up opportunities for biomedical research. The discovery of a method for directing the orientation of particle–cell interactions is therefore a cause for excitement.
The continuous random path of a superconducting system's quantum state has been tracked as the state changes during measurement. The results open the possibility of steering quantum systems into a desired state. See Letter p.211
Fructose and glucose have the same caloric value, but the two sugars are metabolized differently. It emerges that mice that cannot metabolize fructose are healthier when placed on carbohydrate-rich diets.
A drug already used to treat Parkinson's disease induces repair of the damage that occurs to the myelin sheath around nerve fibres during multiple sclerosis. The finding offers new therapeutic avenues for this disease. See Article p.327
The degradative process known as autophagy is a cellular quality-control mechanism that is associated with many clinical disorders. It emerges that autophagy and the cell's primary cilium regulate each other. See Article p.194 and Letter p.254
An alloy has been made that undergoes a remarkably reproducible phase transition over thousands of cycles. This finding could allow the development of practically useful materials that 'remember' their shape after deformation. See Letter p.85
Lysosomes are the main degradative compartment in cells, but they are also involved in cell-death pathways. Studies using existing drugs show that lysosomes are excellent pharmacological targets for selectively destroying cancer cells.
Some normally innocuous bacteria can turn into serious pathogens. It seems that one such species, Neisseria meningitidis, uses three RNA-based thermosensors to escape the immune response of its human host. See Letter p.237
Data obtained from analysing chromosomal organization and interactions in individual cells unify previous results obtained by single-cell imaging and studies of population-averaged genomic interactions. See Article p.59
The inclusion of abundance data in global surveys of reef fishes reveals new hotspots of functional biodiversity, not all of which show high species richness. The findings may influence conservation priorities. See Letter p.539
Two independent experiments have demonstrated control of one mobile quantum of excitation by another. The results are likely to have ramifications for information processing and transfer. See Letters p.71 & p.76
The most complex electronic device yet built from carbon nanotubes has been demonstrated. The system is a functional universal computer, and represents a significant advance in the field of emerging electronic materials. See Letter p.526
