Review, News & Views, Perspectives, Hypotheses and Analyses in 2013

A complete hominin cranium found at the archaeological site of Dmanisi shows remarkably primitive morphology, prompting its discoverers to propose that early forms of the genus Homo evolved as a single, highly variable lineage.

The dynamics of chemical reactions in solution are described by Kramers' theory, but the parameters involved have eluded direct measurement. A study of protein folding reveals how this problem can be overcome. See Letter p.685

Crystal structures of the complete RNA polymerase I complex are now revealed. The structures link the opening and closing of this enzyme's DNA-binding cleft to the control of transcription. See Articles p.644 & p.650

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

A checklist of criteria to determine the readiness of high-throughput ‘omics’-based tests for guiding patient therapy in clinical trials is discussed; the checklist, developed by the US National Cancer Institute in collaboration with additional scientists with relevant expertise, provides a framework to evaluate the strength of evidence for a test and outlines practical issues to consider before using the test in a clinical setting, with an aim to avoid premature advancement of omics-based tests in clinical trials.

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