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In snails, manipulating the orientation of cells in the early embryo alters the left–right asymmetry of the shell and body. These findings refine the search for the symmetry-breaking event in this and other animals.
A phase transition of Earth's most abundant mineral occurs at pressures and temperatures corresponding to those thought to exist just above Earth's core. New experiments shed light on this enigmatic D′′ region.
Astronomers know little about γ-ray bursts other than that they are the most energetic explosions in the Universe. The latest observations indicate that large-scale magnetism contributes to their power.
The differing origins of gut dendritic cells — white blood cells that modulate immune responses — may explain how the intestinal immune system manages to destroy harmful pathogens while tolerating beneficial bacteria.
Ion channels opened by glutamate mediate fast cell-to-cell information transfer in the nervous system. The structure of a full-length tetrameric glutamate receptor is both confirmatory and revelatory.
Membrane-bound protein channels that allow only urea to pass through are vital to the kidney's ability to conserve water. Crystal structures show that the channels select urea molecules by passing them through thin slots.
The weakest interactions of protein complexes are thought to be lost when such assemblies are removed from their natural, watery environments. Not so, reveals a study in the vacuum chamber of a mass spectrometer.
Following inflammation or nerve injury, stimuli that are normally perceived as innocuous can evoke persistent pain. A population of neurons that contributes to this syndrome has now been identified.
The ring-shaped helicase enzyme Rho moves along RNA using ATP as an energy source. Coordinating ATP hydrolysis with nucleic-acid binding seems to determine the direction and mechanism of helicase movement.
A decades-old theory of stellar evolution — that the most massive stars end their life in a peculiar type of explosion termed a pair-instability supernova — finally seems to have been confirmed by observations.
An elegant experiment shows that atoms subjected to a pair of laser beams can behave like electrons in a magnetic field, as demonstrated by the appearance of quantized vortices in a neutral superfluid.
The study of fast and intricate enzyme reactions requires methods that have the speed and sophistication to match. Such an approach reveals the way in which proteins are tagged with ubiquitin for destruction.
The hunt for the receptor for abscisic acid, initially marked by false starts and lingering doubts, has met with success. Converging studies now reveal the details of how this plant hormone transmits its message.
When it comes to proteins and their environments, opposites repel. So how is the highly charged, polar helix of a transmembrane ion channel accommodated by a non-polar membrane? Easily, if the charges are buried.
The common skate is not at all common: this large marine fish has 'critically endangered' status. That it turns out to be not one species, but two, is a sharp reminder that good taxonomy must underpin conservation.
Observations of star clusters in the Milky Way defy the view that the constituents of these systems are almost invariably chemically alike. The outlying clusters could be the tattered relics of once larger systems.
