nature

THIS WEEK

Editorials

Justice for all ▶

The US government must not wriggle out of paying compensation to the victims of horrific experiments in Guatemala in the 1940s.

No shame ▶

The handling of results suggesting faster-than-light neutrinos was a model of fitting behaviour.

All together now ▶

The financial crisis brings Europe unexpected opportunities for international collaboration.

World View

Deep-water drilling remains a risky business ▶

Donald Boesch argues that the lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill should be enshrined in legislation before they fade from memory.

Seven Days

Seven days: 13–19 April 2012 ▶

The week in science: Premature splashdown for North Korean rocket; Johnson & Johnson fined for improper marketing of Risperdal; and US greenhouse-gas emissions rise.

NEWS IN FOCUS

European groups go global ▶

International collaborations seek far-flung members to close budget gap.

Tsunami simulations scare Japan ▶

Updated risk assessment warns country to prepare for much larger earthquakes and waves.

A question of science ▶

Nature quizzes the French presidential frontrunners on research policies.

Japan gambles on displays ▶

Consortium of three big brands gains government backing to spur mobile technologies.

Gene hunt is on for mental disability ▶

Pioneering clinical genome-sequencing projects focus on patients with developmental delay.

Features

Science in court: Arrested development ▶

Neuroscience shows that the adolescent brain is still developing. The question is whether that should influence the sentencing of juveniles.

Particle physics: A matter of detail ▶

American neutrino physicists are getting the measure of their quarry in ultra-high precision.

COMMENT

Astrophysics: Prepare for the coming space weather storm ▶

We need to improve estimates of geomagnetic storm size, says Mike Hapgood, so we can be ready for huge disruptions to electrical systems.

Books and Arts

Medicine: Leonardo's anatomy years ▶

A London exhibition will expose the Renaissance master's staggering medical discoveries, which languished unpublished for centuries, explains Martin Clayton.

Evolution: Work–life balance ▶

John Whitfield gauges a study that tackles the evolutionary conflicts behind workplace inequity.

Correspondence

Personalized medicine: Keep a way open for tailored treatments Jeffrey T. Leek, Roger D. Peng & R. Reeves Anderson | Water accessibility: Boost water safety in rural China Hong Yang, Jim A. Wright & Stephen W. Gundry | Agriculture: Soil remedies for small-scale farming Marijn van der Velde, Linda See & Steffen Fritz | Data accessibility: Getting a handle on biological data Dave Roberts & Alex Hardisty

RESEARCH

Latest Online

The genomic and transcriptomic architecture of 2,000 breast tumours reveals novel subgroups ▶

Christina Curtis, Sohrab P. Shah, Suet-Feung Chin, Gulisa Turashvili, Oscar M. Rueda et al.

Integrative analysis of copy number and gene expression in 2,000 primary breast tumours with long-term clinical follow-up revealed putative cis-acting driver genes, novel subgroups and trans-acting aberration hotspots that modulate subgroup-specific gene networks.

Osteoprotection by semaphorin 3A ▶

Mikihito Hayashi, Tomoki Nakashima, Masahiko Taniguchi, Tatsuhiko Kodama, Atsushi Kumanogoh et al.

Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) is shown to function as a protector of bone, by synchronously inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption and promoting osteoblastic bone formation.

In vivo reprogramming of murine cardiac fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocytes ▶

Li Qian, Yu Huang, C. Ian Spencer, Amy Foley, Vasanth Vedantham et al.

Previous work has shown that a combination of three transcription factors can directly reprogram cardiac fibroblasts into cardiomyocyte-like cell in vitro; now, the same authors demonstrate in vivo reprogramming of cardiac fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocytes.

Restoration of grasp following paralysis through brain-controlled stimulation of muscles ▶

C. Ethier, E. R. Oby, M. J. Bauman & L. E. Miller

A functional electrical stimulation system in primates that is controlled by recordings made from microelectrodes permanently implanted in the brain can be used to control the intensity of stimulation of muscles that are temporarily paralysed by pharmacological motor nerve blockade, thereby restoring voluntary control of the affected muscles; this is a major advance towards similar restoration of hand function in human patients with spinal cord injury.

Restoration of vision after transplantation of photoreceptors ▶

R. A. Pearson, A. C. Barber, M. Rizzi, C. Hippert, T. Xue et al.

Transplanted rod precursor cells restore visual function, from electrophysiology to behaviour, after transplantation into a mouse model of congenital night blindness.

Selective cortical representation of attended speaker in multi-talker speech perception ▶

Nima Mesgarani & Edward F. Chang

The neural correlates of how attended speech is internally represented are described, shedding light on the ‘cocktail party problem’.

A Xanthomonas uridine 5′-monophosphate transferase inhibits plant immune kinases ▶

Feng Feng, Fan Yang, Wei Rong, Xiaogang Wu, Jie Zhang et al.

The plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris effector, AvrAC, is shown to have uridine 5′-monophosphate transferase activity, enabling it to interfere with plant immune signalling by using this protein modification.

Live-cell delamination counterbalances epithelial growth to limit tissue overcrowding ▶

Eliana Marinari, Aida Mehonic, Scott Curran, Jonathan Gale, Thomas Duke et al.

To maintain homeostasis in epithelial cell layers in Drosophila, cell overcrowding causes a proportion of cells to undergo a loss of cell adhesive junctions and be squeezed out by neighbouring cells.

Cell attachment protein VP8* of a human rotavirus specifically interacts with A-type histo-blood group antigen ▶

Liya Hu, Sue E. Crawford, Rita Czako, Nicolas W. Cortes-Penfield, David F. Smith et al.

This crystallographic study shows the attachment of human rotavirus VP8* to histo blood group A antigen, and suggests how changes within the structure of VP8* could allow switching from sialylated to non-sialylated glycan receptor.

Crowding induces live cell extrusion to maintain homeostatic cell numbers in epithelia ▶

George T. Eisenhoffer, Patrick D. Loftus, Masaaki Yoshigi, Hideo Otsuna, Chi-Bin Chien et al.

Here it is shown that epithelia extrude live but not dying cells at sites of high strain, elucidating a mechanism for maintaining homeostatic cell numbers.

A novel putative auxin carrier family regulates intracellular auxin homeostasis in plants ▶

Elke Barbez, Martin Kubeš, Jakub Rolčík, Chloé Béziat, Aleš Pěnčík et al.

The identification of PILS proteins, putative auxin transport facilitators, suggests that intracellular auxin transport might be evolutionarily older than directional, cell-to-cell PIN-dependent auxin transport, and highlights the developmental importance of intracellular auxin transport.

Validation of ITD mutations in FLT3 as a therapeutic target in human acute myeloid leukaemia ▶

Catherine C. Smith, Qi Wang, Chen-Shan Chin, Sara Salerno, Lauren E. Damon et al.

Internal tandem duplication mutations in FLT3, known to be associated with a poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukaemia, are now shown to be a valid therapeutic target for the disease.

Articles and Letters

A novel ChREBP isoform in adipose tissue regulates systemic glucose metabolism ▶

Mark A. Herman, Odile D. Peroni, Jorge Villoria, Michael R. Schön, Nada A. Abumrad et al.

Downregulation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 in adipose tissue occurs early in the development of type 2 diabetes; here GLUT4-mediated glucose uptake is shown to induce a novel form of the transcription factor ChREBP, which regulates de novo lipogenesis and systemic glucose metabolism.

A unique regulatory phase of DNA methylation in the early mammalian embryo ▶

Zachary D. Smith, Michelle M. Chan, Tarjei S. Mikkelsen, Hongcang Gu, Andreas Gnirke et al.

Reduced representation bisulphite sequencing is used to generate genome-scale DNA methylation maps in mouse gametes and several stages of early, pre-implantation embryogenesis, allowing a base-pair resolution timeline of the changes in DNA methylation during developmental transitions.

The 2.8 Å crystal structure of the dynein motor domain ▶

Takahide Kon, Takuji Oyama, Rieko Shimo-Kon, Kenji Imamula, Tomohiro Shima et al.

The crystal structure of the entire motor domain of cytoplasmic dynein at the highest resolution so far is presented, giving insights into the communication between the different subdomains of the motor.

Formation of the ‘Great Unconformity’ as a trigger for the Cambrian explosion ▶

Shanan E. Peters & Robert R. Gaines

Changes in ocean chemistry promoted during the formation of the Great Unconformity, a stratigraphic surface that separates continental basement rock from younger marine sedimentary deposits, are proposed as the cause of the Cambrian explosion of marine animals.

Clusters of iron-rich cells in the upper beak of pigeons are macrophages not magnetosensitive neurons ▶

Christoph Daniel Treiber, Marion Claudia Salzer, Johannes Riegler, Nathaniel Edelman, Cristina Sugar et al.

Birds have been thought to have a magnetic sensing system consisting of magnetite-containing dendrites in the upper beak; a comprehensive anatomical characterization in pigeons now shows that the iron-rich cells in the beak are in fact macrophages not magnetosensitive neurons.

Unexpected features of Drosophila circadian behavioural rhythms under natural conditions ▶

Stefano Vanin, Supriya Bhutani, Stefano Montelli, Pamela Menegazzi, Edward W. Green et al.

Behavioural, neurogenetic and molecular studies of circadian 24-hour rhythms in fruitflies kept in semi-confinement outdoors challenge our established laboratory-based views of the relative importance of sources of rhythmic entrainment, including temperature, photoperiod and moonlight, as well as the role of some of the underlying clock genes in regulating circadian behaviour in the wild.

Local generation of glia is a major astrocyte source in postnatal cortex ▶

Woo-Ping Ge, Atsushi Miyawaki, Fred H. Gage, Yuh Nung Jan & Lily Yeh Jan

A major source of glia in the postnatal cortex in mice is the local proliferation of differentiated astrocytes.

Optogenetic stimulation of a hippocampal engram activates fear memory recall ▶

Xu Liu, Steve Ramirez, Petti T. Pang, Corey B. Puryear, Arvind Govindarajan et al.

The activation of a population of hippocampal neurons thought to encode a specific fear memory is shown to elicit freezing behaviour in mice.

DBIRD complex integrates alternative mRNA splicing with RNA polymerase II transcript elongation ▶

Pierre Close, Philip East, A. Barbara Dirac-Svejstrup, Holger Hartmann, Mark Heron et al.

Characterization of the human interactome of chromatin-associated messenger ribonucleoprotein particles identifies DBC1 and a new protein (ZIRD) as subunits of a protein complex (DBIRD) that binds directly to RNAPII, regulates alternative splicing of exons embedded in (A + T)-rich DNA, and whose depletion results in region-specific decreases in transcript elongation.

Differential positioning of adherens junctions is associated with initiation of epithelial folding ▶

Yu-Chiun Wang, Zia Khan, Matthias Kaschube & Eric F. Wieschaus

Shifts in the position of adherens junctions, triggered by a change in the ratio of Bazooka and Par-1, initiate epithelial folding in the Drosophila embryo.

Hsp72 preserves muscle function and slows progression of severe muscular dystrophy ▶

Stefan M. Gehrig, Chris van der Poel, Timothy A. Sayer, Jonathan D. Schertzer, Darren C. Henstridge et al.

Increasing the expression of intramuscular heat shock protein 72 preserves muscle strength and ameliorates the dystrophic pathology in two mouse models of muscular dystrophy, suggesting a promising way forward for the treatment of muscular dystrophy.

Crystal structure of a membrane-embedded H⁺-translocating pyrophosphatase ▶

Shih-Ming Lin, Jia-Yin Tsai, Chwan-Deng Hsiao, Yun-Tzu Huang, Chen-Liang Chiu et al.

A model for the coupling of proton pumping and pyrophosphatase hydrolysis is proposed.

News & Views

Sensory biology: Search for the compass needles ▶

Henrik Mouritsen

50 & 100 years ago ▶

Circadian rhythms: No lazing on sunny afternoons ▶

François Rouyer

Corrigendum

Corrigendum: Recovery rates reflect distance to a tipping point in a living system ▶

Annelies J. Veraart, Elisabeth J. Faassen, Vasilis Dakos, Egbert H. van Nes, Miquel Lürling et al.

Research Highlights

Ecology: Can coral cope with climate change? | Immunology: How fat spurs inflammation | Nanotechnology: Injectable protein nanofactories | Stem cells: Recipes for making lung cells | Neuropsychology: Poor attention linked to dyslexia | Infectious disease: Multiple malaria mechanisms | Neuroscience: Fragile X fixed in mice

NEWS & COMMENT

Justice for all | Gene hunt is on for mental disability | Science in court: Arrested development | Medicine: Leonardo's anatomy years | Evolution: Work–life balance | Personalized medicine: Keep a way open for tailored treatments Jeffrey T. Leek, Roger D. Peng & R. Reeves Anderson | Water accessibility: Boost water safety in rural China Hong Yang, Jim A. Wright & Stephen W. Gundry | Agriculture: Soil remedies for small-scale farming Marijn van der Velde, Linda See & Steffen Fritz

CAREERS

Turning point: Marc Modat | Narcissists excel | Global-health research | UK drug development

More Biological Sciences ▶

RESEARCH

Latest Online

A Xanthomonas uridine 5′-monophosphate transferase inhibits plant immune kinases ▶

Feng Feng, Fan Yang, Wei Rong, Xiaogang Wu, Jie Zhang et al.

The plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris effector, AvrAC, is shown to have uridine 5′-monophosphate transferase activity, enabling it to interfere with plant immune signalling by using this protein modification.

Articles and Letters

The 2.8 Å crystal structure of the dynein motor domain ▶

Takahide Kon, Takuji Oyama, Rieko Shimo-Kon, Kenji Imamula, Tomohiro Shima et al.

The crystal structure of the entire motor domain of cytoplasmic dynein at the highest resolution so far is presented, giving insights into the communication between the different subdomains of the motor.

DBIRD complex integrates alternative mRNA splicing with RNA polymerase II transcript elongation ▶

Pierre Close, Philip East, A. Barbara Dirac-Svejstrup, Holger Hartmann, Mark Heron et al.

Characterization of the human interactome of chromatin-associated messenger ribonucleoprotein particles identifies DBC1 and a new protein (ZIRD) as subunits of a protein complex (DBIRD) that binds directly to RNAPII, regulates alternative splicing of exons embedded in (A + T)-rich DNA, and whose depletion results in region-specific decreases in transcript elongation.

NEWS & COMMENT

Japan gambles on displays | Water accessibility: Boost water safety in rural China Hong Yang, Jim A. Wright & Stephen W. Gundry | Agriculture: Soil remedies for small-scale farming Marijn van der Velde, Linda See & Steffen Fritz

More Chemical Sciences ▶

RESEARCH

Latest Online

Solid-state physics: Electrons do the split ▶

Ralph Claessen

Spin–orbital separation in the quasi-one-dimensional Mott insulator Sr₂CuO₃  ▶

J. Schlappa, K. Wohlfeld, K. J. Zhou, M. Mourigal, M. W. Haverkort et al.

The splitting of the electron into distinct quasi-particles separately carrying the elementary particles’ spin and orbital angular momentum is observed in a one-dimensional Mott insulator.

Restoration of grasp following paralysis through brain-controlled stimulation of muscles ▶

C. Ethier, E. R. Oby, M. J. Bauman & L. E. Miller

A functional electrical stimulation system in primates that is controlled by recordings made from microelectrodes permanently implanted in the brain can be used to control the intensity of stimulation of muscles that are temporarily paralysed by pharmacological motor nerve blockade, thereby restoring voluntary control of the affected muscles; this is a major advance towards similar restoration of hand function in human patients with spinal cord injury.

Live-cell delamination counterbalances epithelial growth to limit tissue overcrowding ▶

Eliana Marinari, Aida Mehonic, Scott Curran, Jonathan Gale, Thomas Duke et al.

To maintain homeostasis in epithelial cell layers in Drosophila, cell overcrowding causes a proportion of cells to undergo a loss of cell adhesive junctions and be squeezed out by neighbouring cells.

Crowding induces live cell extrusion to maintain homeostatic cell numbers in epithelia ▶

George T. Eisenhoffer, Patrick D. Loftus, Masaaki Yoshigi, Hideo Otsuna, Chi-Bin Chien et al.

Here it is shown that epithelia extrude live but not dying cells at sites of high strain, elucidating a mechanism for maintaining homeostatic cell numbers.

Articles and Letters

An absence of neutrinos associated with cosmic-ray acceleration in γ-ray bursts ▶

IceCube Collaboration

An upper limit has been placed on the flux of energetic neutrinos associated with γ-ray bursts that is at least a factor of 3.7 below the predictions, implying either that γ-ray bursts are not the only sources of high-energy cosmic rays or that the efficiency of neutrino production is much lower than has been predicted.

Coherent quantum phase slip ▶

O. V. Astafiev, L. B. Ioffe, S. Kafanov, Yu. A. Pashkin, K. Yu. Arutyunov et al.

The magnetic-flux analogue to coherent Josephson tunnelling of electric charge has been observed in a strongly disordered superconducting nanowire.

News & Views

Electronics: Carbon nanotubes finally deliver ▶

Franz Kreupl

Quantum physics: Tunnelling across a nanowire ▶

Alexey Bezryadin

Solid-state physics: Electrons do the split ▶

Ralph Claessen

Research Highlights

Photonics: Diamond sparkles with one photon | Climate modelling: Predicting the Indian monsoon | Bioelectronics: Snail drives implanted fuel cell

NEWS & COMMENT

No shame | European groups go global | Tsunami simulations scare Japan | Japan gambles on displays | Particle physics: A matter of detail | Astrophysics: Prepare for the coming space weather storm

CAREERS

Alien encounters

More Physical Sciences ▶

RESEARCH

Articles and Letters

Air density 2.7 billion years ago limited to less than twice modern levels by fossil raindrop imprints ▶

Sanjoy M. Som, David C. Catling, Jelte P. Harnmeijer, Peter M. Polivka & Roger Buick

Experiments dropping raindrops onto ash combined with raindrop fossil imprints yield an upper limit for air density in the Archaean.

Formation of the ‘Great Unconformity’ as a trigger for the Cambrian explosion ▶

Shanan E. Peters & Robert R. Gaines

Changes in ocean chemistry promoted during the formation of the Great Unconformity, a stratigraphic surface that separates continental basement rock from younger marine sedimentary deposits, are proposed as the cause of the Cambrian explosion of marine animals.

Reviews and Perspectives

Deformation cycles of subduction earthquakes in a viscoelastic Earth ▶

Kelin Wang, Yan Hu & Jiangheng He

‘Snapshots’ of subduction zones using space geodesy reveal that the viscous behaviour of the mantle controls crustal deformation, requiring the revision of traditional ‘elastic’ models for earthquake risk assessment.

News & Views

Geoscience: Fossil raindrops and ancient air ▶

William S. Cassata & Paul R. Renne

Corrigendum

Corrigendum: Recovery rates reflect distance to a tipping point in a living system ▶

Annelies J. Veraart, Elisabeth J. Faassen, Vasilis Dakos, Egbert H. van Nes, Miquel Lürling et al.

Research Highlights

Climate modelling: Predicting the Indian monsoon

NEWS & COMMENT

Deep-water drilling remains a risky business | Tsunami simulations scare Japan | Astrophysics: Prepare for the coming space weather storm

CAREERS

Alien encounters

More Earth & Environmental Sciences ▶

Alien encounters ▶

Establishing a career in astrobiology is not always easy. But keeping one's options open can lead to work in this niche field.

Turning point: Marc Modat ▶

A postdoc's development of a software code leads to numerous publications early in his career.

Narcissists excel ▶

Self-promotion is a big plus when applying for jobs.

Global-health research ▶

Fellowships offer opportunity to study global-health diseases in developing regions.

UK drug development ▶

Venture-capital funding in the United Kingdom represents a boost for translational research.

Careers related news & comment

All together now | European groups go global | A question of science | Japan gambles on displays | Personalized medicine: Keep a way open for tailored treatments Jeffrey T. Leek, Roger D. Peng & R. Reeves Anderson | Data accessibility: Getting a handle on biological data Dave Roberts & Alex Hardisty

Research Lab Technician

USC - University of Southern California 

X-ray Crystallography Technician

King's College London 

Program Manager, Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Initiative

The New York Academy of Sciences 

Phd Student in Human Systems Biology

The Center for Systems Biology at the University of Iceland 

Colloids and Nanomedicine 2012

15.-17.07.12 Amsterdam, Netherlands