Articles

Light-matter interactions are generally dominated by electric fields and electric-dipole transitions. This study, however, quantifies magnetic contributions to light emission and so exploits the strong natural magnetic-dipole transitions in lanthanide ions to measure optical-frequency magnetic fields.

Topologically protected states of matter are receiving widespread attention owing to their unusual electronic properties. Using numerical simulations, this study predicts that tin telluride is a physical realization of a new class of materials termed topological crystalline insulators.

The Kondo coupling causes electron mass enhancement in rare earth materials, but not in otherd electron systems. Shimizu et al. report on the combination of frustrated spin liquid and strong Hund's coupling in a vanadium spinel as a mechanism for the microscopic origin of heavy dfermions in transition metals.

The integration of flexible electronics with conventional devices has been hampered by the lack of suitable soldering techniques able to withstand stretching. Jeonget al. use a porous substrate to fabricate biocompatible, stretchable electronics that can be interfaced with commercial components.

Fbw7 is a ubiquitin-ligase, which targets several oncoproteins for proteolysis, and is therefore important for the control and prevention of tumorigenesis. In this study, Arabi and colleagues carry out a proteomic screen of the targets of Fbw7, and identify Nuclear Factor of κ-B2 as a substrate.

Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD) is part of a signalling complex that controls some forms of programmed cell death. Lee and colleagues demonstrate that FADD ubiquitination by the E3 ubiquitin ligase MKRN1 regulates FADD protein stability and thereby cell death.

Whether humans are the only animals with cultural behaviour remains an open question in behavioural research. Here, a network analysis of the social preferences among bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia finds that tool-using dolphins prefer others like themselves, suggesting the presence of cultural behaviour.

The peptide sequence of transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) can be customized to tailor the binding of TALEs to specific DNA sequences. Conget al. improve TALE specificity for guanine binding and use a genetic construct based on TALEs to efficiently repress expression of a target gene.

Nacre is an organic–inorganic composite biomaterial, which consists of an ordered multilayer structure of crystalline calcium carbonate platelets separated by porous organic layers. Finnemoreet al. present a route to artificial nacre which mimics the natural layer-by-layer biosynthesis.

Patchy colloids are colloidal particles with chemically or physically patterned surfaces that result in complex interactions arising between them. By means of numerical simulations, Romano and Sciortino show that suitably tailored patches can induce the crystallization of patchy colloids into specific crystal structures.

Plasmonic effects can turn reflective metals into strong absorbers, although this is usually realized within narrow wavelength ranges near resonances. Using arrays of ultra-sharp convex grooves, Søndergaardet al. show that nonresonant absorption can lead to effective broadband light absorption.

Crystallization of noble metal atoms usually leads to the thermodynamically stable face-centred cubic phase. Sunet al. show that internal strain in silver nanoparticles leads to lattice distortion and a stable body-centred tetragonal phase.

Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels are apparently voltage insensitive despite having the S4-type voltage sensor. Marchesiet al.show that the gating of wild-type CNGA1 and native CNG channels is voltage-independent in the presence of Li+, Na+ and K+, but that it is voltage-dependent in the presence of Rb+, Cs+ and organic cations.

The dynamics and structure of the glass transition in liquids is still debated. Using particle-level confocal microscopy, Leocmach and Tanaka investigate supercooled colloidal liquids and distinguish different scenarios for glassy slow dynamics, suggesting that local ordering may only play a minor role.

The electronic and optical properties of polymer semiconductors are largely dictated by their chemical structure. This study examines the nature of the photoexcited states generated in donor–acceptor polymers, and uncovers the dynamics of polaron pairs generation and recombination.

The protein OASIS belongs to the CREB/ATF transcription factor family and is involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress responses. Saito and colleagues show that these stress responses temporally activate OASIS in neural precursor cells, resulting in their differentiation into astrocytes.

During the last glacial termination, the North Atlantic experienced a cold interval, but its impact on tropical climate variability is not clear. Here, a fossil Tahiti coral record shows that tropical sea surface temperature varied actively during this event, consistent with climate model simulations.

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs) assemble in dimers, the composition of which is thought to influence their function. Here, Cudmoreet al. create a synthetic ligand that specifically activates VEGFR-1:VEGFR-2 heterodimers and explore their role in regulating endothelial cell function.

Downsizing antennas to the nanoscale is a promising way to manipulate light emission from fluorescent sources. Bussonet al. used a short DNA strand to position a lone fluorescent molecule between two gold particles with nanometre resolution, achieving enhanced decay rates and single photon emission.

Controlling the behaviour of single molecules on electrode interfaces is crucial for the development of molecular spintronics. This study reports spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy data of the spin-split molecular orbitals of a single-molecule magnet adsorbed on a cobalt surface.