Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Quantum communication applications require memories capable of storing multiple qubits. To implement scalable architectures for this purpose, Usmani and coworkers turn to a rare-earth doped silicate, in which they demonstrate coherent and reversible mapping of 64 optical modes at the single photon level.
During development Sox transcription factors play important roles in the determination of cell fate. In this study Bhattaram and colleagues show that Sox4, Sox11 and Sox12 act redundantly in mouse development and are important for the maintenance of neural and mesenchymal progenitor cells.
Ageing associated diseases are the subject of intense study. In this article Serrano and colleagues demonstrate that Sirt1 over-expression in mice prevents both ageing associated diseases and liver cancer.
Oxygen is necessary for mitochondrial respiration; however it can also result in the formation of toxic reactive species that can cause DNA damage. Using cells defective in respiration these authors demonstrate that mitochondria protect a cell from these harmful effects of oxygen.
Mechanoreceptors are important for detecting external stimuli. In this study a putative receptor identified inDrosophilais shown to be potentially important for hearing and the amplification of mechanotransduction.
Plant and bacteria symbiosis in some species results in the coordinate formation of nitrogen fixing nodules and infection of the plant host. Using mutantLotus japonicusplants, Madsen and colleagues have determined the role of 16 different genes in these two processes.