In this week's issue:
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Research
Summaries |
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Editor summaries of this week's
papers.
Highlights of the recent
literature.
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Editorial
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News of The
Week |
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In science news around the world, a controversial
stem cell treatment developed by the Stamina Foundation
gets another chance at clinical trials, Japanese
scientists protest a new state secrets law, an expert
panel recommends phasing out the decades-old U.S.
Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, and
more.
The Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013 will spend
December retracing the path of Australian geologist
Douglas Mawson's perilous 1911 to 1914 expedition and
documenting the effects of poleward-shifting westerly
winds. And scientists document what may be the first
case of reptilian tool use in the hunting tactics of
crocodiles and alligators.
Marine ecologist Charles Monnett, who sparked
controversy for his observations of drowned polar bears,
reaches a settlement with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management, and European research commissioner
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn talks with Science about
the vision behind the Horizon 2020
program.
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News &
Analysis |
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Astronomy
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
Rocked by budget cuts, the 125-year-old Lick
Observatory near San Jose, California, is losing staff
and faces closure or conversion to a public
museum.
Planetary Science
Richard A. Kerr
Recent results from the Curiosity Mars rover have
helped scientists formulate a plan for the next phase of
its mission: looking for possible "molecular fossils"
left by ancient martian microbes.
Pharmaceuticals
Jon Cohen
A new hepatitis C drug promises to revolutionize
treatment—for the relatively few people in the world who
can afford it.
Ancient DNA
Andrew Curry
Microbial DNA preserved in ancient dental
calculus—and in equally prosaic human coprolites
(fossilized or preserved feces)—carries a record of the
communities of bacteria that lived in and on people who
died hundreds or thousands of years ago.
Evolution
Elizabeth Pennisi
Unleashed genetic changes may explain rapid loss of
cavefish eyes.
Astronomy
Daniel Clery
A soon-to-be-launched European satellite called Gaia
will map the positions and movements of a billion stars
with unprecedented precision.
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News Focus
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Ann Gibbons
Scientists uncover a tortured history of disease and
death from the Middle Ages onward.
Jeffrey Mervis
The German architect is recognized for his smart,
sustainable buildings. But an innovative science lab
also requires a good partner.
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Letters
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Anand Reddi
Sinan Aral et al.
Raffaele Bolla et al.
Jessica L. Deichmann and Alfonso
Alonso
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Books et al.
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Physics
Daniel W. McShea
The contributors examine the nature of complexity and
its changes over time as well as their
causes.
Ecology
Frances Bonier
Into this memoir, field biologist Greene weaves the
natural history of snakes and the importance of sharing
a love of nature with people.
A listing of books received at Science
during the week ending 06 December 2013.
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Policy Forum
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Ethics
Amy Gutmann
Shared decision-making allows patients, participants,
and consumers to decide what they do and do not want to
know.
Climate Change
J. K. Shoemaker et al.
Parallel strategies must focus on long- and
short-lived pollutants, but not at the cost of reducing
pressure for action on CO2.
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Perspectives
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Evolution
Robert J. Weatheritt and M. Madan
Babu
Constraints due to transcription factor binding
within protein-coding regions of the genome result in
biased codon usage and amino acid choice. [Also see
Report by Stergachis et al.]
Applied Physics
Nicholas L. Abbott
Dynamic interactions of a colloidal particle with a
liquid crystalline solvent can cause its diffusion to
deviate from classical Brownian motion. [Also see Report
by Turiv et al.]
Genetics
Antonis Rokas
Decoding of the ctenophore genome prompts
reevaluation of the complexity of the metazoan ancestor.
[Also see Research Article by Ryan et al.]
Microbiology
Inês A. C. Pereira
An enzyme efficiently hydrogenates carbon dioxide to
produce formate, a liquid that has a high energy density
and can be safely transported. [Also see Report by
Schuchmann and Müller]
Epidemiology
Angela R. McLean
Definition of an effective distance between airports
helps to explain the spread of epidemics across the
global aviation network. [Also see Report by Brockmann
and Helbing]
Chemistry
Linda C. Hsieh-Wilson and Matthew E.
Griffin
The chemical synthesis of a single glycosylated form
of erythropoietin may help elucidate the functions of
its sugars and tailor its properties. [Also see Report
by Wang et al.]
Molecular Biology
Pedro P. Rocha et al.
The three-dimensional organization of the genome
plays a role in controlling legitimate and illegitimate
DNA recombination.
Retrospective
Julian E. Sale et al.
A sharp immunologist who unraveled the mechanisms of
antibody diversification helped to launch a biomedical
engineering revolution.
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Research
Articles |
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Joseph F. Ryan et al.
Analysis of the genome of the sea walnut reveals
insights into the early evolution of the animal kingdom.
[Also see Perspective by Rokas]
Dirk Brockmann and Dirk Helbing
A model based on effective rather than geographical
distance can reveal the origin, timing, and likely
spread of epidemics. [Also see Perspective by
McLean]
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Reports
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M. J. Barlow et al.
Spectroscopic observations of the remains of stellar
explosions confirm that argon-36 and phosphorus are
produced in such energetic events.
Bon-Chul Koo et al.
Spectroscopic observations of the remains of stellar
explosions confirm that argon-36 and phosphorus are
produced in such energetic events.
Andreas Reiserer et al.
An atom in a cavity can be used for the
nondestructive detection of optical
photons.
T. Turiv et al.
Colloidal particles in a nematic liquid crystal
experience anomalous and anisotropic Brownian motion.
[Also see Perspective by Abbott]
Kyle N. Crabtree et al.
Spectroscopy reveals an isomer of nitrous acid
previously considered too unstable to
observe.
Ping Wang et al.
Chemical synthesis of a glycoprotein hormone provides
a sample uniformly substituted with specific sugar
chains. [Also see Perspective by Hsieh-Wilson and
Griffin]
C. H. Luce et al.
Weakening westerly winds since 1950 have decreased
streamflows across the Pacific Northwest United
States.
Michael J. Wiser et al.
Even in a constant environment, over 50,000
generations, evolutionary fitness continues to increase
in bacterial cultures.
Andrew B. Stergachis et al.
Transcription factor binding within protein-coding
regions of DNA constrains how the protein can evolve.
[Also see Perspective by Weatheritt and
Babu]
Nicolas Rohner et al.
Preexisting but “hidden” variations in eye size
provide a substrate for natural selection in fish reared
in the dark.
Kathleen Roensch et al.
Salamanders regenerate limb segments using the same
molecular hierarchy observed in
development.
Yasemin Sancak et al.
A final but essential protein component involved in
maintaining mitochondrial calcium levels is
discovered.
K. Schuchmann and V. Müller
Enzymes from anaerobic bacteria can catalyze the
storage of hydrogen in the form of formic acid. [Also
see Perspective by Pereira]
Claudia L. L. Valentim et
al.
Mutations in a distinctive sulfotransferase are
responsible for oxamniquine resistance in a human blood
fluke.
Marley D. Kass et al.
The response of mouse olfactory sensory neurons was
selectively increased when an odor was linked to
discomfort.
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Podcast
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Listen to stories on fear-enhanced odor detection,
the latest news from the Curiosity mission, and more.
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New Products
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