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Volume 504 Number 7478 |
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nature
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The science that matters. Every week.
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| | Speed. Resolution. Clarity. Accuracy. The Hamamatsu NanoZoomer Series delivers all of this and more. The ultimate digital whole-slide scanner and virtual microscopy tool, the NanoZoomer delivers reliable, robust scanning 24/7/365 at the touch of a button. Outstanding features include high sensitivity, fast scanning, flexible fluorescence capabilities, and a Z-stack feature to accommodate thicker tissue samples. | |
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Jump to the content that matters to you
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Specials - Insight: Coastal Regions |
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Coastal regions are home to billions of people worldwide, but our
intense use is placing them under pressure. This Insight explores
some of the factors shaping coastal systems, including flooding by
tropical cyclones, ice loss in Greenland, wetland stability, carbon
cycling in the coastal ocean, seaweed tides, offshore groundwater
reserves and coastal defence in the face of global change.
▼ more
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Highly polarized light from stable ordered magnetic fields in GRB 120308A
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On 8 March 2012 NASA's Swift satellite identified the γ-ray burster
GRB120308A, initially as a single pulse of γ-rays lasting about 100
seconds. The LaPalma-based Liverpool Telescope, responding automatically
to the Swift discovery, identified the optical afterglow and was able
to track the evolution of polarized light during the crucial early
minutes of the outburst. Those results, presented here, provide a
tantalizing glimpse of the physics of the jets of material ejected in a
γ-ray |
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Late-twentieth-century emergence of the El Niño propagation asymmetry and future projections
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The extreme El Niño climate events of 1982 and 1997 were associated
with eastward propagating warm anomalies and led to unusual weather
conditions and widespread environmental disruption. In contrast, during
moderate El Niños unusually warm waters persist in the eastern equatorial
Pacific and La Niña upwellings of cool waters are evident, both features
tending to propagate westward. A new analysis shows that this asymmetry
can be linked to variations in upper ocean currents, and that the
asymmetry is stronger in a warming world as the equatorial currents and
the trade winds are expected to weaken. In scenarios of future warming,
eastward propagating 'super' El Niños double in frequency — and could
cause widespread disruption. |
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Immunosuppressive CD71+ erythroid cells compromise neonatal host defence against infection
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During the first few weeks after birth, infants are highly susceptible
to disseminated infection. This vulnerability is commonly attributed
to intrinsic defects of the neonates' immune cells, but this study
presents evidence that host defences are in fact compromised by active
immune suppression. Immune cell activation is suppressed in neonate
mice by the action of a subset of red blood cells, thereby protecting
against harmful inflammation that might be triggered by colonization
with the commensal microbes to which the newborn is suddenly exposed.
This same suppression has the unfortunate consequence that resistance
to infection is also reduced. |
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In this week's podcast: DNA from an ancient human relative, the origins of the moon,
and the dangers of following the herd when it comes to peer review. |
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Call the cops ▶
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The long arm of the law has reached into an investigation of alleged scientific misconduct in Italy, and should perhaps stretch still farther.
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The FDA and me ▶
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Medical testing firms find it is in their best interests to cooperate with regulators.
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Lecture notes ▶
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A physics course that hooked a generation reminds us that teachers need support.
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Geology: North America's broken heart ▶
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A billion years ago, a huge rift nearly cleaved North America down the middle. And then it failed. Researchers may be getting close to finding out why.
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Planetary science: Lunar conspiracies ▶
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Current theories on the formation of the Moon owe too much to cosmic coincidences, says Robin Canup. She calls for better models and a mission to Venus.
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Structural mechanism of ligand activation in human GABAB receptor ▶
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Yong Geng, Martin Bush, Lidia Mosyak et al.
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Crystallographic structural analysis of bound states of the GBR1 and GBR2 subunits of human GABAB receptor shows that both subunits adopt an open conformation at rest — represented by the apo and antagonist-bound structures — and that only GBR1 closes in the activated state — represented by the agonist-bound structure.
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Ultrafast endocytosis at mouse hippocampal synapses ▶
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Shigeki Watanabe, Benjamin R. Rost, Marcial Camacho-Pérez et al.
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Sustained neurotransmission requires recycling of synaptic vesicles, but the proposed mechanisms have been controversial; here a ‘flash-and-freeze’ method for electron microscopy reveals a new ultrafast form of endocytosis that is actin- and dynamin-dependent and occurs within 100 milliseconds of stimulation.
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Biochemical reconstitution of topological DNA binding by the cohesin ring ▶
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Yasuto Murayama, Frank Uhlmann
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Many DNA processes require chromosomes to be held together by a ring-shaped complex called cohesin, but despite the importance of this protein, its interaction with DNA has not been reproduced in vitro; here, using purified yeast proteins, cohesin loading is successfully recapitulated, offering mechanistic insight into how the loader complex mediates topological cohesin binding.
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HMGA2 functions as a competing endogenous RNA to promote lung cancer progression ▶
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Madhu S. Kumar, Elena Armenteros-Monterroso, Philip East et al.
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HMGA2 promotes lung cancer progression in mice and humans; in mouse and human lung cancer cells, HMGA2 competes with mRNAs like TGFBR3 for the let-7 microRNA family, and in human non-small-cell lung cancer tissue, expression levels of HMGA2 and TGFBR3 are correlated, suggesting that HMGA2 functions both as a protein-coding gene and as a non-coding RNA.
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A mitochondrial genome sequence of a hominin from Sima de los Huesos ▶
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Matthias Meyer, Qiaomei Fu, Ayinuer Aximu-Petri et al.
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A full mitochondrial genome from a 400,000-year-old Middle Pleistocene hominin from Spain unexpectedly reveals a close relationship to Denisovans, a sister group to the Neanderthals, raising interesting questions about the origins of Neanderthals and Denisovans.
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Role of Tet1 in erasure of genomic imprinting ▶
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Shinpei Yamaguchi, Li Shen, Yuting Liu et al.
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This study establishes an important role for the enzyme Tet1 in erasing genomic imprinting in vivo — mice with a knockout of paternal Tet1 give rise to progeny with imprinting defects and associated growth and development defects, which leads to early embryonic lethality; furthermore, analysis of the DNA methylation dynamics in reprogramming primordial germ cells (PGCs) suggests that Tet1 is required at a late stage of the reprogramming process, in the second wave of DNA demethylation in PGCs.
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Perturbed neural activity disrupts cerebral angiogenesis during a postnatal critical period ▶
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Christina Whiteus, Catarina Freitas, Jaime Grutzendler
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In mice, chronic stimulation by repetitive sounds, whisker deflection, motor activity or seizures during a postnatal developmental critical period, leads to permanent reductions in brain microvascular density, an effect that impairs oxygen delivery to neurons but can be prevented by blocking nitric oxide signalling.
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p53 status determines the role of autophagy in pancreatic tumour development ▶
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Mathias T. Rosenfeldt, Jim O’Prey, Jennifer P. Morton et al.
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In a mouse model of pancreatic tumours driven by Kras mutations, the outcome of suppressing autophagy is shown to depend on the status of p53: if p53 is intact, deletion of key autophagy genes blocks the progression of pre-cancerous lesions to aggressive carcinomas; however, in the absence of p53, loss of autophagy accelerates tumorigenesis, accompanied by deregulation of cancer cell metabolism.
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Activation and allosteric modulation of a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor ▶
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Andrew C. Kruse, Aaron M. Ring, Aashish Manglik et al.
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Very little is known about how a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) transitions from an inactive to an active state, but this study has solved the X-ray crystal structures of the human M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor bound to a high-affinity agonist in an active state and to a high-affinity agonist and a small-molecule allosteric modulator in an active state; the structures provide insights into the activation mechanism and allosteric modulation of muscarinic receptors.
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Structure of the TRPV1 ion channel determined by electron cryo-microscopy ▶
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Maofu Liao, Erhu Cao, David Julius et al.
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A high-resolution electron cryo-microscopy structure of the rat transient receptor potential (TRP) channel TRPV1 in its ‘closed’ state is presented; the overall structure of this ion channel is found to share some common features with voltage-gated ion channels, although several unique, TRP-specific features are also characterized.
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TRPV1 structures in distinct conformations reveal activation mechanisms ▶
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Erhu Cao, Maofu Liao, Yifan Cheng et al.
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Using a peptide toxin and small vanilloid agonists as pharmacological probes, high-resolution electron cryo-microscopy structures of rat TRPV1–ligand complexes are solved; these structures highlight conformational differences between TRP and voltage-gated ion channels in their active states, and suggest a dual gating mechanism that may account for the ability of members of the TRP channel superfamily to integrate diverse physiological signals.
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Genetic incompatibilities are widespread within species ▶
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Russell B. Corbett-Detig, Jun Zhou, Andrew G. Clark et al.
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The role that epistasis — non-additive interactions between alleles — plays in shaping population fitness is investigated in Drosophila melanogaster; the raw material to drive reproductive isolation is found to be segregating contemporaneously within species and does not necessarily require the emergence of incompatible mutations independently derived and fixed in allopatry.
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A melanocyte lineage program confers resistance to MAP kinase pathway inhibition ▶
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Cory M. Johannessen, Laura A. Johnson, Federica Piccioni et al.
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Expression of more than 15,500 genes individually in a melanoma cell line treated with RAF, MEK, ERK or combined RAF–MEK inhibitors reveals a cyclic-AMP-dependent melanocytic signalling network associated with drug resistance; this may represent a novel therapeutic target for melanoma treatment.
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Oncogenic Nras has bimodal effects on stem cells that sustainably increase competitiveness ▶
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Qing Li, Natacha Bohin, Tiffany Wen et al.
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Oncogenic Nras in mouse haematopoietic stem cells can increase the probability of cell division in some cells and decrease it in others; this bimodal activity explains how this single pre-leukaemic mutation can increase proliferation without reducing competitiveness by clonally expanding the rapidly dividing cell population and also promoting long-term self-renewal of stem cells.
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The protein quality control system manages plant defence compound synthesis ▶
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Jacob Pollier, Tessa Moses, Miguel González-Guzmán et al.
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Plants defend themselves against attackers by producing bioactive secondary metabolites such as triterpene saponins; here, the endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) system is shown to control the activity of HMGR, the rate-limiting enzyme in the supply of the terpene precursor isopentenyl diphosphate, thereby preventing unrestrained saponin production and ensuring the integrity of plant development.
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Histone deacetylase 3 coordinates commensal-bacteria-dependent intestinal homeostasis ▶
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Theresa Alenghat, Lisa C. Osborne, Steven A. Saenz et al.
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This work identifies a role for intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-intrinsic expression of histone deacetylase 3 in regulating commensal-bacteria-dependent gene expression and intestinal homeostasis; IEC-specific HDAC3 deficiency gives rise to Paneth cell abnormalities, impaired intestinal barrier function, and increased DSS-induced intestinal inflammation in commensal-bacteria-containing, but not germ-free, mice.
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Structural basis for the modular recognition of single-stranded RNA by PPR proteins ▶
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Ping Yin, Quanxiu Li, Chuangye Yan et al.
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Although the roles of pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins in RNA metabolism are well characterised, the mechanism by which they recognise specific single-stranded (ss)RNAs remains ill-understood; here X-ray crystal structures of maize PPR10 in the presence and absence of ssRNA provide details of the PPR10–ssRNA interaction.
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nature.com webcasts
Macmillan Science Communication presents a custom webcast on: Highly-multiplexed Tissue Biomarker Analysis: A Practical Approach for Developmental Biology, Neuroscience and Oncology
Thursday December 12th at 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET
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Structural basis for the modular recognition of single-stranded RNA by PPR proteins ▶
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Ping Yin, Quanxiu Li, Chuangye Yan et al.
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Although the roles of pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins in RNA metabolism are well characterised, the mechanism by which they recognise specific single-stranded (ss)RNAs remains ill-understood; here X-ray crystal structures of maize PPR10 in the presence and absence of ssRNA provide details of the PPR10–ssRNA interaction.
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Strong neutrino cooling by cycles of electron capture and β− decay in neutron star crusts ▶
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H. Schatz, S. Gupta, P. Möller et al.
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Cycles of electron capture and β− decay involving neutron-rich nuclei at a typical depth of about 150 metres are found to cool the outer crust of a neutron star by emitting neutrinos while also thermally decoupling the surface layers from the deeper crust; this mechanism has been studied in other astrophysical environments, but has not hitherto been considered in neutron stars.
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Olivine in an unexpected location on Vesta’s surface ▶
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E. Ammannito, M. C. De Sanctis, E. Palomba et al.
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Although olivine was expected to occur within the deep, south-pole basins of asteroid Vesta, which are thought to be excavated mantle rocks, spectral data from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft show that it instead occurs as near-surface materials in Vesta’s northern hemisphere.
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Structural basis for the modular recognition of single-stranded RNA by PPR proteins ▶
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Ping Yin, Quanxiu Li, Chuangye Yan et al.
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Although the roles of pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins in RNA metabolism are well characterised, the mechanism by which they recognise specific single-stranded (ss)RNAs remains ill-understood; here X-ray crystal structures of maize PPR10 in the presence and absence of ssRNA provide details of the PPR10–ssRNA interaction.
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!-- SUB HEADING -->
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Primitive layered gabbros from fast-spreading lower oceanic crust ▶
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Kathryn M. Gillis, Jonathan E. Snow, Adam Klaus et al.
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Drilling by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program has recovered primitive, modally layered, orthopyroxene-bearing cumulate rocks from the lower plutonic crust formed at a fast-spreading ridge, leading to a better-constrained estimate of the bulk composition of fast-spreading oceanic crust.
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Late-twentieth-century emergence of the El Niño propagation asymmetry and future projections ▶
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Agus Santoso, Shayne McGregor, Fei-Fei Jin et al.
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The El Niño propagation asymmetry (in which sea surface temperature anomalies propagate eastwards during an extreme El Niño event) is shown to be caused by the variations in upper ocean currents in the equatorial Pacific Ocean; increased occurrences of the propagation asymmetry may be a manifestation of global greenhouse warming.
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Nature Clinical Collection: Slowing down neurodegeneration
As the articles in this Clinical Collection illustrate, approaches to preventing or arresting neurodegeneration can take many forms, from lifestyle changes aimed at preserving the integrity of the brain, to pharmacological treatments and immunological interventions targeted at specific neurodegenerative disease mechanisms.
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Inequalities at work ▶ |
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Policy reform needed to boost numbers of minority female science-faculty members.
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Careers related news & comment |
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naturejobs.com Science jobs of the week
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No matter what your career stage, student, postdoc or senior scientist, you will find articles on naturejobs.com to help guide you in your science career. Keep up-to-date with the latest sector trends, vote in our reader poll and sign-up to receive the monthly Naturejobs newsletter.
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• Natureevents Directory featured events |
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natureevents directory featured events
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Natureevents Directory is the premier resource for scientists looking for the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia. Featured across Nature Publishing Group journals and centrally at natureevents.com it is an essential reference guide to scientific events worldwide.
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Nature Publishing Group | 75 Varick Street, 9th floor | New York | NY 10013-1917 | USA
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© 2013 Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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