Career Feature |
Featured
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Letter |
Controlling orthogonal ribosome subunit interactions enables evolution of new function
Orthogonal ribosomes are engineered in which the two subunits are stapled together in a way that limits association with endogenous subunits in cells, enabling the evolution of new functionality in the orthogonal ribosome.
- Wolfgang H. Schmied
- , Zakir Tnimov
- & Jason W. Chin
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Comment |
Statistical pitfalls of personalized medicine
Misleading terminology and arbitrary divisions stymie drug trials and can give false hope about the potential of tailoring drugs to individuals, warns Stephen Senn.
- Stephen Senn
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Outlook |
Moving skin beyond the biological
Skin-like electronics that stretch and sense will create a way to monitor vital signals and build prosthetics with a sense of touch.
- Katherine Bourzac
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Outlook |
Unlocking the secrets of scar-free skin healing
Skin regeneration is impeded by a host of factors. Working out the part played by each could lead to fresh approaches to treating burns and scars.
- Cassandra Willyard
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News |
Frustrated Alzheimer’s researchers seek better lab mice
Several projects are trying to develop animal models that more closely mimic how the brain disease affects people.
- Sara Reardon
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News |
Ban on ‘gene drives’ is back on the UN’s agenda — worrying scientists
Research is moving fast on the divisive genetic technology, which could help to eradicate diseases but also risks altering ecosystems in unpredictable ways.
- Ewen Callaway
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Nature Podcast |
Podcast: Designer cells, and a Breakthrough researcher
Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell bring you this week's science news.
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Comment |
Which biological systems should be engineered?
To solve real-world problems using emerging abilities in synthetic biology, research must focus on a few ambitious goals, argues Dan Fletcher.
- Dan Fletcher
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News |
Three people with spinal-cord injuries regain control of their leg muscles
But researchers caution that the technique is in its early stages and has been demonstrated only in people with residual motor function.
- Matthew Warren
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News Feature |
Happy with a 20% chance of sadness
Researchers are developing wristbands and apps to predict moods — but the technology has pitfalls as well as promise.
- Matt Kaplan
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Research Highlight |
Bionic algae barrel through blood to deliver drugs
Plant cells pressed into service as swift and biodegradable couriers.
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News & Views |
CRISPR tool puts RNA on the record
The bacterial-defence system CRISPR–Cas can store DNA snippets that correspond to encountered viral RNA sequences. One such system has now been harnessed to record gene expression over time in bacteria.
- Chase L. Beisel
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Article |
Transcriptional recording by CRISPR spacer acquisition from RNA
An RNA-adapting CRISPR–Cas system is coupled with amplification and sequencing steps to record, retrieve and analyse changes in the transcriptome of a bacterial cell over time.
- Florian Schmidt
- , Mariia Y. Cherepkova
- & Randall J. Platt
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Nature Podcast |
Podcast: A wearable biosensor and a metamaterial's strange behaviour
Hear the latest science news, brought to you by Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell.
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News Feature |
Why Chinese medicine is heading for clinics around the world
For the first time, the World Health Organization will recognize traditional medicine in its influential global medical compendium.
- David Cyranoski
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Letter |
Principles of nucleosome organization revealed by single-cell micrococcal nuclease sequencing
Single-cell micrococcal nuclease sequencing simultaneously measures chromatin accessibility and genome-wide nucleosome positioning in single cells to reveal principles of nucleosome organization.
- Binbin Lai
- , Weiwu Gao
- & Keji Zhao
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Article |
The interaction landscape between transcription factors and the nucleosome
A method for systematically exploring interactions between the nucleosome and transcription factors identifies five major interaction patterns.
- Fangjie Zhu
- , Lucas Farnung
- & Jussi Taipale
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News & Views |
Gene editing reveals the effect of thousands of variants in a key cancer gene
Gene editing has now been used to introduce every possible single-nucleotide mutation into key protein-coding regions in the cancer-predisposition gene BRCA1, to identify the variants that are linked to cancer risk.
- Stephen J. Chanock
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Letter |
In vivo CRISPR editing with no detectable genome-wide off-target mutations
A strategy developed to define off-target effects of gene-editing nucleases in whole organisms is validated and leveraged to show that CRISPR–Cas9 nucleases can be used effectively in vivo without inducing detectable off-target mutations.
- Pinar Akcakaya
- , Maggie L. Bobbin
- & J. Keith Joung
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Article |
De novo design of a fluorescence-activating β-barrel
The elucidation of general principles for designing β-barrels enables the de novo creation of fluorescent proteins.
- Jiayi Dou
- , Anastassia A. Vorobieva
- & David Baker
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Outline |
Retinal repair: visions of the future
Damage to the retina has so far proved irreversible, but stem-cell therapies could hold the key to restoring sight.
- David Holmes
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Outline |
Reconstructing the retina
The ways in which lost vision might be restored are coming into focus as researchers move closer to recreating the eye’s most complex structure — the retina — in the laboratory.
- David Holmes
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News & Views |
Improved nutrient use gives cereal crops a boost
Manipulation of the transcription factor OsGRF4 can improve the efficiency with which some high-yielding cereal crops use nitrogen. This discovery has implications for sustainable agriculture.
- Fanmiao Wang
- & Makoto Matsuoka
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Article |
Modulating plant growth–metabolism coordination for sustainable agriculture
The balance of DELLA and GRF4 proteins in plants ensures the co-regulation of growth with metabolism and tipping this balance towards GRF4 leads to higher efficiency of nitrogen use.
- Shan Li
- , Yonghang Tian
- & Xiangdong Fu
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Research Highlight |
Live bacteria deliver crucial enzymes straight to the gut
Intestinal microbes can be programmed to make up for a deficiency that causes a devastating inherited disorder.
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News & Views |
Yeast chromosome numbers minimized using genome editing
Genome-editing approaches have been used to fuse 16 yeast chromosomes to produce yeast strains with only 1 or 2 chromosomes. Surprisingly, this fusion has little effect on cell fitness.
- Gianni Liti
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Letter |
CRISPR-guided DNA polymerases enable diversification of all nucleotides in a tunable window
A system that targets DNA polymerase activity with CRISPR-guided nickases to provide genetic diversification at user-defined loci enables forward genetic approaches.
- Shakked O. Halperin
- , Connor J. Tou
- & John E. Dueber
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News |
CRISPR plants now subject to tough GM laws in European Union
Top court’s ruling threatens research on gene-edited crops in the bloc.
- Ewen Callaway
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Books & Arts |
The souls of deserts, a gathering of visionary biologists, and an inside view on exoplanets: Books in brief
Barbara Kiser reviews five of the week’s best science picks.
- Barbara Kiser
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Books & Arts |
IVF at 40: revisiting the revolution in assisted reproduction
Heidi Ledford tours an exhibition about the trailblazing technique and the 6 million babies born using it — including the first, Louise Brown.
- Heidi Ledford
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News |
CRISPR gene editing produces unwanted DNA deletions
DNA-cutting enzyme used for genetic modification can create large deletions and shuffle genes.
- Heidi Ledford
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Letter |
Reprogramming human T cell function and specificity with non-viral genome targeting
A non-viral strategy to introduce large DNA sequences into T cells enables the correction of a pathogenic mutation that causes autoimmunity, and the replacement of an endogenous T-cell receptor with an engineered receptor that can recognize cancer antigens.
- Theodore L. Roth
- , Cristina Puig-Saus
- & Alexander Marson
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Letter |
Resistance-gene-directed discovery of a natural-product herbicide with a new mode of action
Fungal genome mining targeted to self-resistance genes close to biosynthetic gene clusters identifies a pathway that produces aspterric acid, which proves to be a potent inhibitor of plant growth.
- Yan Yan
- , Qikun Liu
- & Yi Tang
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News |
Coming soon to a lab near you? Genetically modified cannabis
Scientists might be able to draw from new sources of cannabis compounds for research.
- Amy Maxmen
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News |
Hybrid white-rhino embryos created in last-ditch effort to stop extinction
DNA of northern white rhino — of which only two remain — mixed with that of close subspecies in a bid towards growing population using surrogates.
- Helen Thomson
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News & Views |
Taking bioengineered heart valves from faulty to functional
Bioengineered heart valves are a promising treatment for heart-valve disease, but often undergo mechanical failure when implanted. Computational modelling of the initial valve design has now improved their performance in sheep.
- Craig A. Simmons
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Research Highlight |
CRISPR with a heart of gold helps ailing mice
Gene-editing molecules ride gold nanoparticles into the brain.
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Research Highlight |
An eggshell mixture that sheds water and shrugs off punishment
A layer of this eco-friendly substance could prevent corrosion and ice build-up.
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Research Highlight |
Synthetic nerve flexes a cockroach’s muscle
Electronic system recreates an advanced sense of touch.
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Career Q&A |
An ultralight way to manipulate brain signals
Materials scientist Bozhi Tian reveals the story behind a nanoscale device that stimulates neural activity when illuminated.
- Virginia Gewin
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Books & Arts |
Blood, sweat and tears in biotech — the Theranos story
Eric Topol extols a gripping account of the rise and fall of the US medical-testing company.
- Eric Topol
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Obituary |
Ruth S. Nussenzweig (1928–2018)
Immunologist who paved the way to a malaria vaccine.
- Robert A. Seder
- & Fidel Zavala
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News & Views |
From CRISPR scissors to virus sensors
Two bacterial Cas proteins cleave nucleic acids indiscriminately after binding to specific target sequences. This property has now been harnessed to create highly sensitive, portable diagnostic tools for detecting viruses at low cost.
- D. Dewran Kocak
- & Charles A. Gersbach
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News & Views |
Organoids reveal cancer dynamics
Single-cell analyses in cancer are limited by the small biomass of individual cells. In vitro production of 3D organoid structures from single tumour-derived cells generates sufficient biomass for in-depth analyses.
- Calvin J. Kuo
- & Christina Curtis
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Letter |
Optogenetic regulation of engineered cellular metabolism for microbial chemical production
Finely tuned optogenetic control of engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae enhances the biosynthesis of valuable products such as isobutanol in laboratory-scale fermenters.
- Evan M. Zhao
- , Yanfei Zhang
- & José L. Avalos
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World View |
Drug executives should take a Hippocratic oath
The industry must earn patients’ trust that new medicines really are worth the price, says Bob More.
- Bob More
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Nature Podcast |
Geoengineering Antarctica and increasing NMR’s resolution
Join Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell to hear the latest updates from the world of science.
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News & Views |
Machine learning classifies cancer
Brain tumours are often classified by visual assessment of tumour cells, yet such diagnoses can vary depending on the observer. Machine-learning methods to spot molecular patterns could improve cancer diagnosis.
- Derek Wong
- & Stephen Yip
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