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Methods for generating embryonic-like stem cells have been established. The focus now is on finding ways to coax these cells into matching their natural counterparts as closely as possible, should this be desired.
Patients with disorders of the blood protein haemoglobin often depend on lifelong blood transfusions. That could change, given the success of gene therapy in a patient with one such disorder.
Jumps resulting from the measurement of discrete state changes in single quantum systems have fascinated scientists from the early days of quantum theory. They have now been observed in solid-state quantum bits.
Mitochondria — the cell's power plants — increase their energy production in response to calcium signals in the cytoplasm. A regulator of the elusive mitochondrial calcium channel has now been identified.
Glaciers frozen to bedrock may have protected the southernmost Andes from erosion, providing an explanation for the mountains' topography and fresh constraints on possible links between climate and tectonics.
Meticulous reconstruction of the former extent of a glacier high in the mountains of New Zealand will help in interpreting global-scale climatic adjustments that occurred at the end of the last glaciation.
Advances in stem-cell technology have broken the barrier to gene targeting in mammals other than mice. A wide array of research opportunities now opens up, especially in studies involving the laboratory rat.
An electrifying evolutionary radiation has evidently occurred among elephant fish in Africa's Ivindo basin. An implication is that open niches for communication can result in species diversification.
Noise in biochemical processes can compromise precision in cellular functions. An analysis involving information theory suggests that there is a strict limit to how far noise can be suppressed by feedback.
Tiny holes have been drilled through individual layers of graphene — atomically thin sheets of carbon — using an electron beam. These nanopores might be useful for the ultrarapid sequencing of single DNA molecules.
China has tremendous climatic and ecological diversity, so the impacts of climate change on natural and managed systems might likewise be expected to be diverse. Yet so far systematic studies have been rare. Here, the impacts of historical and future climate change on water resources and agriculture in China are assessed. Despite clear trends in climate, the overall impacts are overshadowed by natural variability and uncertainties in crop responses and projected climate, especially precipitation.
Presenilin proteins have a major role in normal cellular processes, but some contribute to disease, for example through the formation of amyloid-β. The way in which these different roles are regulated is now becoming clearer.
An optical device has been designed that performs a function exactly opposite to that of a laser. It perfectly absorbs incoming coherent radiation and turns it into thermal or electrical energy.
Scientists report the conversion of one type of differentiated cell, the fibroblast, into another — the cardiomyocyte. This approach may find use in regenerative strategies for the repair of damaged hearts.
Theoretical models of the dynamics of self-driven systems predict the collective motion of biological systems, such as insect swarms. An experimental model has been developed to test the predictions.
