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A study reveals that increasing aridity alters the balance of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in dryland soils, providing insight into how global climate change will affect soil fertility and ecosystem services. See Letter p.672
Efforts to make a prophylactic HIV vaccine have identified monoclonal antibodies that potently suppress viral replication. Studies in monkeys show that these reagents effectively treat HIV infection. See Article p.224 & Letter p.277
A comprehensive search identifies a global dearth of data on the generation, treatment and use of wastewater. Remedying this situation will help policy-makers to better legislate for the management of this precious resource.
Orbiting less than two stellar radii above the visible surface of a Sun-like star, the Earth-sized exoplanet Kepler-78b is a hellish world. But its existence bodes well for the discovery and characterization of habitable planets. See Letters p.377 & p.381
In response to bad news about risk, young adolescents alter estimates of their own vulnerability to adverse events less accurately than older people. The finding has implications for managing risk-taking behaviour in young people.
Photosynthetic algal symbionts of corals produce sulphur substances that are involved in the regulation of ocean temperatures. In a twist to the tale, it emerges that coral animals produce the same compounds. See Letter p.677
Carbon monoxide molecules are typically coupled together using metal catalysts. The discovery that boron, a non-metal, mediates such a reaction is startling, and raises the prospect of potentially useful carbon–carbon bond-forming processes.
Spectroscopic measurements of 43 candidates for distant galaxies have confirmed one to be the most remote galaxy securely identified to date — and it forms stars more than 100 times faster than the Milky Way. See Letter p.524
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
