Articles in 2015

The Van Allen radiation belts are two zones of energetic particles encircling the Earth, but how electrons are accelerated to relativistic energies remains unclear. Here, the authors analyse a radiation belt event and provide evidence in favour of the ULF wave-driven radial diffusion mechanism.

Fluctuations of atomic positions are related to several materials properties. Here the authors measure the photon number statistics via a non-equilibrium optical experiment and provide a quantum description of the interaction between photonic and phononic fields to reveal lattice dynamics fluctuations in quartz.

Based on whole genome resequencing of more than 80 wild and domestic yaks from high-altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, this study recovers demographic and genetic processes underlying the domestication of this animal. Qiu et al.also identify genes and associated pathways as candidates for selection during the domestication process.

Sotos syndrome is an growth syndrome characterized by advanced growth in childhood, characteristic facial appearance and intellectual disability. Here the authors identify a genome-wide DNA methylation signature that accurately diagnoses Sotos Syndrome and distinguishes it from similar conditions.

The mechanism of action of artemisinin, an antimalarial drug, is not well understood. Here, the authors use a labelled artemisinin analogue to show that the drug is mainly activated by haem and then binds covalently to over 120 proteins in the malaria parasite, affecting many of its cellular processes.

The Von Damm Vent Field comprises 85–90% talc, with hydrothermal fluids of unusual chemistry at 215 °C. Here, the authors show that the mineralogy results from seawater mixing with hydrothermal fluids and the heat output may represent a mode of crustal cooling not fully accounted for in global models.

Intestinal homeostasis is ensured by stem cell self-renewal and differentiation while alterations of these processes can lead to cancer. In this study, using Drosophilagenetics the authors demonstrate that the loss of the transcription factor Sox21a blocks the differentiation of the intestinal stem cell progeny, which accumulate and form aggressive tumours.

The chemical compositions of young lava flows on the Moon have implications for late volcanism. Here, the authors present mineral distribution data from the Chang′e-3 Yutu rover in the northern Imbrium mare region, reporting unique compositional characteristics of a previously unsampled basalt type.

Aerosols play an important role in Earth’s radiative balance, but their influence on the climate of giant planets is unclear. Here, the authors show that gases alone cannot maintain the energy balance in the middle atmosphere of Jupiter, instead proposing that an aerosol layer dominates radiative heating.

Atomic scale simulation of the nucleation and growth of carbon nanotubes is essential for understanding their growth mechanism. Here, the authors look at cap nucleation of nanotubes from hydrocarbon precursors, specifically probing the role of hydrogen in the early stages of growth.

Materials for wearable energy storage devices should be mechanically durable. Here, the authors report a supercapacitor composed of polyacrylic acid dual cross-linked by hydrogen bonding and vinyl hybrid silica nanoparticles which is self-healable and retains performance when stretched up to 600%.

Low latitude populations are often thought to be more vulnerable to climate change due to warmer ambient conditions. Here, Bennett et al.show that populations of seaweed from different areas of their range have distinct thermal-tolerance thresholds, but share remarkably similar thermal safety margins to warming.

An important risk factor for coronary artery disease is the level of blood lipids. Here the authors conduct an exome-wide association study in Chinese cohorts and identify three novel loci associated with lipid levels as well as three Asian-specific variants in known loci.

Honeybee olfactory systems may experience conflicting cues from communication- and foraging-related odours. Here, Nouvian et al.find that appetitive signals from floral compounds can reduce aggression by blocking the recruitment to defence triggered by alarm pheromones, and that this is not due to odourant masking.

Published sequencing data sets of cancer samples could be used to identify genetic variants associated with the risk of developing cancer. Here, Luet al. analyse over 4,000 tumour-normal pairs to reveal variable frequencies of inherited susceptibilities across 12 cancer types and find enrichment of functionally validated missense variants of unknown significance.

Fluctuations of the phase of the superconducting wave function in one-dimensional nanosystems can lead to the appearance of metastable superconducting states. Here, the authors show that it is possible to manipulate the switching between such states by means of a small electrical noise in δ-MoN nanowires.

Inguinal hernia has high lifetime prevalence, especially in men. This genome-wide association study identifies 4 loci to be associated with inguinal hernia, and shows expression of nearby genes in mouse connective tissues.

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease with limited therapeutic options. Here, the authors show that protein kinase MAP4K4 regulates vascular inflammation underlying atherosclerotic plaque development and that its inhibition prevents the disease and promotes lesion regression in mice, proposing a new atherosclerosis treatment.

The clinical application of new sequencing techniques is expected to accelerate pathogen identification. Here, Bradley et al. present a clinician-friendly software package that uses sequencing data for quick and accurate prediction of antibiotic resistance profiles for S. aureus and M. tuberculosis.

Coxiella burnetti primarily infects alveolar macrophages and causes an acute form of pneumonia called Q fever. Cunha et al. describe a type IV secretion effector, termed IcaA, expressed by Coxiella burnetiithat inhibits inflammasome activation and therefore may contribute to innate immune evasion by bacteria.