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Interfaces can have quite different properties from those of their constituent materials. But it's surprising that the adsorption of a single organic molecule onto a magnetic surface can drastically modify that surface's magnetism.
The trend towards using ultracold atomic gases to explore emergent phenomena in many-body systems continues to gain momentum. This time around, they have been used to explore novel pairing mechanisms in one dimension. See Letter p.567
Delimitation of species is especially taxing when populations of similar organisms occupy non-overlapping geographical ranges. A new quantitative framework offers a consistent approach for tackling the problem.
Spikes on the surface of HIV to which antibodies can bind are sparse. One of nature's solutions is to sometimes produce antibodies that bind tightly to a spike with one arm and grab another structure with the other arm. See Letter p.591
The resonant behaviour of clusters of gold nanoparticles has been tuned by gradually bringing the particles together. The approach could have many applications, including chemical and biological sensing.
The ratio of nutrient elements in marine subsurface waters is much the same everywhere, even though biogeochemically distinct ocean biomes exist. A modelling study that includes mixing solves this conundrum. See Article p.550
Projects such as building dams and diverting watercourses enhance water security for humans. But they do little to protect the biodiversity of associated ecosystems, and that's a long-term necessity. See Article p.555
Plasmodium falciparum is the agent of the deadliest form of human malaria. A survey of Plasmodium diversity in African apes reveals that western gorillas are the reservoir species for this parasite. See Article p. 420
A fresh analysis of data from gravitational microlensing surveys for planets orbiting stars other than the Sun finds that gas-giant planets similar to Jupiter are more common than previously thought.
Enhancer sequences increase gene transcription with the help of a co-activator complex, the Mediator. Another protein complex — cohesin — seems to work with Mediator to bring together enhancers and promoters. See Article p. 430
How does a Salmonella pathogen outcompete beneficial intestinal microorganisms? It triggers an immune response that generates a compound from intestinal gas that it can utilize as an energy source. See Article p. 426
Nanoparticles that generate light through a mechanism known as second harmonic generation have been used to image live tissue. The particles overcome many problems associated with fluorescent probes for bioimaging.
Theory suggests that the risk of critical transitions in complex systems can be revealed by generic indicators. A lab study of extinction in plankton populations provides experimental support for that principle. See Letter p. 456
Do excited molecules relaxing to their ground state pass through a 'seam' connecting the potential energy profiles of the states? Experimental data suggest the answer to this long-standing question is 'yes'. See Letter p. 440
A fine marriage between two approaches to X-ray microscopy — computed tomography and ptychographic imaging — delivers high-resolution, three-dimensional images of samples without the need for lenses. See Letter p. 436
