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.
Hair cells of the inner ear transduce vibrations of the basilar membrane into electrical signals by a process known as mechanotransduction. Recent advances in genetic and molecular tools have led to an improved understanding of mechanotransduction as Peng and colleagues summarize in this Review.
Coarse-grained models can be used to study the folding of biological macromolecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins. In this Review, Hyeon and Thirumalai describe recent advances in the use of these theoretical models to describe dynamic processes in biology.
Type Ia supernovae are thought to result from the explosion of white dwarf stars but a full understanding of their formation is lacking. In this review, Howell describes how large surveys are generating sufficient data to challenge and refine existing theories.
Biofouling, or the unwanted growth of biological organisms, is a particular problem in marine environments. This review considers recent advances in the development of environmentally friendly coatings to combat biofouling of submerged surfaces.