Articles

Rumen methanogenic archaea are major sources of methane emissions and potential targets for methane mitigation strategies. Poulsen et al.now show that dietary rapeseed oil (RSO) supplementation can reduce the abundance of methanogenic Thermoplasmata archaea inhabiting the bovine rumen.

Programmed cell death is essential for the development of plants. Here Niu et al.characterize a rice mutant with deletions in the transcription factor, ETERNAL TAPETUM 1, which is shown to positively regulate programmed cell death by modulating expression of two aspartic proteases.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes kill target cells through the fusion of lytic granules at the immunological synapse. Using high-resolution microscopy techniques Matti et al.identify synaptobrevin2 as the vesicular SNARE protein required for this fusion reaction.

Gene circuits created by synthetic biologists working in one system may not be functional when transferred to a different organism. Using computational modelling to identify factors underlying such differences, the authors successfully adapt a yeast ‘linearizer’ circuit so that it functions in mammalian cells.

The coupling of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials could enable more efficient non-volatile information storage. Surprisingly, Ghidini et al. observe electrically-driven magnetic reversal events in commercially produced multilayer capacitor devices.

Aromaticity predicts the existence of the benzene tetra-anion, although it has not been unambiguously observed. Here, the authors have synthesized a tetra-anionic substituted benzene as a ligand and characterize the six-carbon, 10 π-electron system by structural, spectroscopic and theoretical techniques.

Diabetes and obesity pose an increased risk for breast cancer; however, the reasons for this link remain unclear. Di et al.provide evidence that CtBP, a metabolically regulated transcriptional repressor, regulates a gene network that is selectively downregulated in more aggressive forms of breast cancer.

The emission properties of quantum dots make them ideal for probing plasmonic nanostructures, but their small size makes them difficult to manipulate. Ropp et al.use a microfluidic system to accurately place single quantum dots around silver nanowires to probe the local density of optical states.

Tandem solar cell structures combine high- and low-bandgap materials, allowing a broader spectral absorption of solar radiation. The authors report the synthesis of a high performance low-bandgap polymer which enables fabrication of a tandem solar cell with a certified power conversion efficiency of 10.6%.

High-brightness light-emitting diodes require high operating currents, which generate significant Joule heating and subsequent heat dissipation is an issue. This work demonstrates the growth of GaN-based light-emitting diodes directly on graphene oxide with a low thermal resistance for efficient heat removal.

The repeated presentation of observed action is hypothesized to result in the reduction in firing rates of mirror neurons in premotor areas of the cortex. In this study, it is shown that monkey premotor area F5 mirror neurons, unlike local field potentials, do not display suppression to repetitive stimuli.

Understanding magnetic materials at the nanoscale is important for the development of novel applications, but has been hampered by a lack of suitable experimental techniques. Here, the use of transmitted electrons permits the determination of atomic site-specific magnetic information.

A variant in the IFITM3gene increases the risk of severe influenza, but homozygosity is rare in Caucasians. The authors show that the variant gene is homozygous in 25% of healthy Chinese people, and 69% of those with severe pandemic influenza, suggesting that this gene influences the epidemiology of influenza in South-East Asia.

The mitochondrial protease CLPP is found in most eukaryotic organisms but its biological role has been unclear. Here Osiewacz and colleagues show that deletion of CLPP extends lifespan of the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina, and that human and fungal CLPP are functionally conserved.

In mature continental rifts, magma intrusion appears to accommodate significant crustal extension. Here, radiometric ages for lavas suggest that this style of focused magmatic accretion and rifting remained stable in the Ethiopian crust for at least ~200 kyr, prior to the onset of true oceanic spreading.

Universal control of the state of qubits on timescales much shorter than the coherence time is necessary for quantum computation. The authors demonstrate electrical control of a charge qubit in quantum dots on the picosecond scale, which is orders of magnitude faster than previously reported.

High-pressure minerals in meteorites reflect the conditions prevailing when they were excavated and launched from their parent bodies. Tissint—a recent Martian meteorite—contains an unusual number of large high-pressure minerals, suggesting excavation from an impact of larger magnitude than for previous Martian samples.

Controlling the interaction between distant quantum dots is important if they are to be used in quantum information devices. Delbecq et al. place two quantum dot circuits in a microwave cavity and show that they interact via cavity photons, even though they are separated by 200 times their own size.

Quantum magnetometry in the solid state is usually affected by short coherence times and control errors that limit the sensitivity. This work demonstrates a continuous-driving scheme based on composite pulses that improves both these shortcomings and can be used in variable sensing environments.

Coral reef health is declining globally and is projected to lead to net loss of reef structure. This study shows that ecological change across the Caribbean has reduced reef growth rates to levels lower than those measured over the last ~8,000 years, threatening the ability of reefs to keep pace with future sea-level rise.