Review Articles

Transposable elements can be activated during germ cell maturation, potentially leading to genome instability and rewiring of the genetic circuitry. In this review, the authors discuss how the piRNA machinery suppresses these elements to ensure accurate spermatogenesis.

In situ TEM is a powerful tool that helps to understand energy storage behaviors of various materials. This review summarizes the critical discoveries, enabled by in situTEM, in rechargeable ion batteries, and foresees its bright future for extensive applications.

Proper functioning of the neocortex – the center of higher-order brain functions – depends on the correct assembly of neocortical neural circuits during development. Here the author discusses how cell-intrinsic developmental programs and activity-dependent signals together shape the formation of neocortical circuits.

Nanoscale magnetic devices play a key role in modern technologies but current applications involve only 2D structures like magnetic discs. Here the authors review recent progress in the fabrication and understanding of 3D magnetic nanostructures, enabling more diverse functionalities.

A better understanding of the earliest stages of human cancer formation can enable future improvements in early detection, diagnosis and treatment. In this review, the authors summarize the methods enablingde novotumorigenesis protocols to be applied to human cells and the insights derived from them to date, as well as the exciting and relevant technical developments anticipated to extend even further the utility of these strategies.

The conversion of thioesters to amides via acyl transfer has become one of the most important synthetic techniques for the chemical synthesis and modification of proteins. This review discusses this S-to-N acyl transfer process, and highlights some of the key applications across chemistry and biology.

The brain controls peripheral glucose metabolism, for example by modulating hepatic gluconeogenesis or by regulating glucose uptake into brown adipose tissue. Here, the authors review the brain regions, neurons and molecular mechanisms involved in these processes, and discuss their relevance to disease.

The continued search of high-performance semiconductors for organic electronics calls for smart molecular designs. Here, Yinget al. review the recent development of synthesizing regioregular narrow bandgap conjugated polymers and the effect of regioregularity on transistor and photovoltaic performance.

Vascular endothelium possesses remarkable plasticity in response to cues from its surroundings, leading to great heterogeneity of endothelial cells in different vascular beds. Here the authors explain the molecular basis of endothelial plasticity during embryogenesis and in various diseases.

The Human Proteome Project aims to catalogue the ∼20,000 proteins encoded by the human genome. In this review, Bakeret al. focus on the missing proteins, proteins that lack high stringency proteomic evidence, and launch MissingProteinPedia, a database aimed at accelerating the search for missing proteins.

Earthquake prone areas are now routinely monitored by satellites, which can map surface rupture and distribution of slip on faults. Here Elliottet al. review the latest advances in the field of spacebased earthquake observations showing how this is used to understand active tectonic processes.

With the continued miniaturization of electronics, there are increasing efforts to engineer small, powerful energy storage devices. Here the authors review the cutting edge of this rapidly developing field, highlighting the most promising materials and architectures for our future energy storage requirements.

Photosynthetic microalgae could provide an ecologically sustainable route to produce solar biofuels and high-value chemicals. Here, the authors review various optical management strategies used to manipulate the incident light in order to increase the efficiency of microalgae biofuel production.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are a heterogeneous population expanded in cancer and other chronic inflammatory conditions. Here the authors identify the challenges and propose a set of minimal reporting guidelines for mouse and human MDSC.

Sex chromosome evolution begins when recombination between a homologous pair of chromosomes is halted. Here, Wright et al.review our current understanding of the causes and mechanisms of recombination suppression between incipient sex chromosomes and suggest future directions for the field.

Recent work has shown that quantum mechanical effects in plasmonic nanogap structures become important as the gap distances approach the subnanometre length-scale. Here, the authors review the major findings which challenge the classical picture of these structures and discuss future directions for the field.

The marriage of photochromic molecules with the rapidly expanding portfolio of nanocarbons is providing new multifunctional and responsive nanomaterials. Here, the authors review recent progress in such materials' fabrication and their possible implementations, and suggest future directions of study.

The mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP), analogous to future climate conditions, is considered a test-bed for the predictive capability of climate models. Here, Dowsett et al. review our understanding of the mPWP and discuss recent and future advances in the context of proxy data/model integration.

Water is the most common liquid in nature, with unusual properties that could be linked to the peculiar hydrogen-bonding network holding the molecules together. Here, Nilsson and Pettersson review recent progress in searching the connections between local configurations and thermodynamic responses of water.

Belowground soil biota play key roles in maintaining proper ecosystem functioning, but studies on their extinction ecology are sparse. Here, Veresoglou et al. review the risks to soil biota posed by global change, and highlight the technical challenges involved in identifying extinction events.