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The Joy Cappel 2014 Young Investigator Award
Rockland Immunochemicals introduces: The Joy Cappel 2014 Young Investigator Award, intended to foster research conducted by 25 promising young investigators in various fields. These awards are in the form of a $4,000 credit for polyclonal antibody development provided by Rockland. To learn more about this competitive opportunity, click here.
 
 
 

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This week's highlights

 
 

Physical Sciences

More Physical sciences
 
The ultimate physical limits of privacy
 

Can you keep secrets safe from eavesdroppers? Yes you can, say Artur Ekert and Renato Renner. They argue that recent developments in quantum cryptography, coupled with the fact that we still possess free will, suggest that truly private communication will always be possible, even in a world with access to as yet undiscovered code-breaking technologies. The answer lies in new insights into the nature of randomness and non-local correlations. Thus equipped it should be possible to outsmart even the most powerful surveillance procedures.

 
 
 

Earth & Environmental Sciences

More Earth & Environmental sciences
 
Reconciliation of the carbon budget in the ocean's twilight zone
 

The amount of carbon from surface waters that is stored in the deep ocean is affected by biological processes in the twilight zone - the barely-lit waters at depths of about 100-1,000 metres. It has been unclear to what extent the surface carbon supply meets the energy demands of the organisms, as estimates of the amount of available carbon are much lower than corresponding estimates of metabolism. Now Sarah Giering et al. present a balanced carbon budget for the twilight zone in the North Eastern Atlantic Ocean. They suggest that a synergy between zooplankton and microbes has an important role in processing organic carbon, and show that the amount of available organic carbon meets the respiration needs of these organisms.

 
 
 

Biological Sciences

More Biological sciences
 
A suspension-feeding anomalocarid from the Early Cambrian
 

Many marine predators, including sharks, rays and whales, have transitioned to filter feeding, a strategy that has evolved independently several times in Earth's history. New fossils of Tamisiocaris borealis, from early Cambrian sediments in northern Greenland, suggest that this large shrimp-like creature was also a free-swimming filter feeder, using its scary frontal appendages not to seize prey but more as combs, peaceably harvesting the plankton. The presence of such filter feeders in the early Cambrian suggests that there were high densities of plankton available, which indicates the existence of a complex ecosystem in this period.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Podcast & Video

 
 

In this week's podcast: how gastric band surgery really works, a dwarf planet in the outer Solar System has a friend, and a physicist suggests a way to make quantum physics less puzzling. In our latest video feature a new fossil discovery suggests that not all the anomalocarids were the fearsome killing machines scientists once thought. At least one, it seems, evolved into a gentle giant.

 
 
 
 
News & Comment Read daily news coverage top
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

THIS WEEK

 
 
 
 
 

Editorials

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Be here now ▶

 
 

New views of quantum theory that can be tested and have practical applications bring welcome echoes of physics past.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Wheat lag ▶

 
 

Growth in yields of the cereal must double if the Green Revolution is to be put back on track.

 
 
 
 
 
 

A parlous state ▶

 
 

The decay at ancient Pompeii is symbolic of a deeper malaise in Italy’s heritage.

 
 
 
 
 
 

World View

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Fundamental research is the key to eliminating TB ▶

 
 

To speed up progress to tackle the disease, basic researchers and those on the front line must talk to each other more, says Christian Lienhardt.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Seven Days

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Seven days: 21–27 March 2014 ▶

 
 

The week in science: Ebola kills dozens in Guinea, the top quark become more precise, and Japan hands over nuclear material.

 
 
 
 
 
 

NEWS IN FOCUS

 
 
 
 
 

Federal red tape ties up marijuana research ▶

 
 

Despite drug’s legalization in two US states, biomedical science faces continued restrictions.

 
 
 
 
 
 

NASA missions bid for extensions ▶

 
 

Scientists must show projects’ potential to secure funding.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Software patents await legal fate ▶

 
 

Supreme Court ruling could affect medical-diagnostics firms.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Sister city inspires Pompeii rescue ▶

 
 

Archaeologists hope that funding and conservation boost can halt decay of ancient city.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Chile puts plan for science ministry on hold ▶

 
 

Government rethinks former president’s bid to create first unified science department.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Features

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Human evolution: The Neanderthal in the family ▶

 
 

Thirty years after the study of ancient DNA began, it promises to upend our view of the past.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Immunology: A tolerant approach ▶

 
 

Despite a long record of failure, a few immunologists continue to pursue precisely targeted therapies for autoimmune diseases.

 
 
 
 
 
 

COMMENT

 
 
 
 
 

Physics: QBism puts the scientist back into science ▶

 
 

A participatory view of science resolves quantum paradoxes and finds room in classical physics for 'the Now', says N. David Mermin.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Preclinical research: Make mouse studies work ▶

 
 

More investment to characterize animal models can boost the ability of preclinical work to predict drug effects in humans, says Steve Perrin.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Books and Arts

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

In Retrospect: The Social Function of Science ▶

 
 

Roger Pielke Jr assesses the legacy of J. D. Bernal's science-policy classic on its 75th anniversary.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Microbiology: Majority rule ▶

 
 

Mark O. Martin relishes a stimulating tour of 'little lives', from fungi to bacteria.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Books in brief ▶

 
 
 
 
 
 

Mathematics: Numbers game ▶

 
 

George Szpiro enjoys a history of the slow but irresistible rise of mathematical symbols.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Correspondence

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Immigration: Swiss science set to stay international Martin Vetterli | Biomedical research: Publish results from volunteer computing Herman Tse | Sanitation: Thwart fatal infant gut parasite Brendon King, Paul Monis | WHO: Steering plans for neglected diseases Bernard Pécoul, Manica Balasegaram | Young scientists: Research problems in Portugal run deep Nuno Cerca, João Lopes, Miguel Jorge

 
 
 
 
 
 

Correction

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Correction ▶

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Biological Sciences top
 
 
 
 
 
 

RESEARCH

 
 
 
 
 

Latest Online

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Vascular biology: Brain vessels squeezed to death ▶

 
 

Daniel M. Greif, Anne Eichmann

 
 
 
 
 
 

Structural biology: The purple heart of photosynthesis ▶

 
 

Richard J. Cogdell, Aleksander W. Roszak

 
 
 
 
 
 

FXR is a molecular target for the effects of vertical sleeve gastrectomy ▶

 
 

Karen K. Ryan, Valentina Tremaroli, Christoffer Clemmensen et al.

 
 

Bariatric surgical procedures, such as vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), are the most effective therapy for the treatment of obesity; now bile acids, and the presence of the nuclear bile acid receptor FXR, are shown to underpin the mechanism of VSG action, and the ability of VSG to reduce body weight and improve glucose tolerance is substantially reduced if FXR is absent.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Capillary pericytes regulate cerebral blood flow in health and disease ▶

 
 

Catherine N. Hall, Clare Reynell, Bodil Gesslein et al.

 
 

Neuronal activity relaxes pericytes, leading to capillary dilation and increased blood flow, before arterioles dilate, suggesting that pericytes initiate blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) functional imaging signals; pericytes constrict and die in rigor in ischaemia, which will cause a long-lasting blood flow decrease after stroke, and damage the blood–brain barrier.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Structure of the LH1–RC complex from Thermochromatium tepidum at 3.0 Å ▶

 
 

Satomi Niwa, Long-Jiang Yu, Kazuki Takeda et al.

 
 

The near-atomic-level structure of a complete bacterial light-harvesting antenna–reaction centre (LH1–RC) complex is described here; the structure reveals how energy is transferred from the LH1 to the RC in a highly efficient way and suggests how ubiquinone might cross a closed LH1 barrier.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Structure of the human P2Y12 receptor in complex with an antithrombotic drug ▶

 
 

Kaihua Zhang, Jin Zhang, Zhan-Guo Gao et al.

 
 

The X-ray crystal structure of the human P2Y12 receptor, which regulates platelet activation and thrombus formation, is solved in complex with an antithrombotic drug, providing insights for the development of new drugs.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Constitutional and somatic rearrangement of chromosome 21 in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia ▶

 
 

Yilong Li, Claire Schwab, Sarra L. Ryan et al.

 
 

A rare constitutional translocation between chromosomes 15 and 21 predisposes to catastrophic chromosomal damage followed by amplification of megabase regions, causing a specific subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

 
 
 
 
 
 

XBP1 promotes triple-negative breast cancer by controlling the HIF1α pathway ▶

 
 

Xi Chen, Dimitrios Iliopoulos, Qing Zhang et al.

 
 

This study finds that triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) show an increased basal level of endoplasmic reticulum stress and activation of the XBP1 branch of the unfolded protein response; furthermore, XBP1 promotes tumour formation of TNBC cell lines by interacting with and regulating HIF1α.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Reversible and adaptive resistance to BRAF(V600E) inhibition in melanoma ▶

 
 

Chong Sun, Liqin Wang, Sidong Huang et al.

 
 

Patients with melanomas carrying an activating BRAF mutation respond to treatment with BRAF inhibitors although resistance to the inhibitor usually emerges; this resistance is shown to arise through increased expression of receptor tyrosine kinases such as EGFR; however, these changes decrease cell fitness and during a break from inhibitor treatment these cells are selected against, revealing that some patients who acquire EGFR expression may benefit from inhibitor re-treatment after a drug holiday.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Nuclear reprogramming by interphase cytoplasm of two-cell mouse embryos ▶

 
 

Eunju Kang, Guangming Wu, Hong Ma et al.

 
 

Reprogramming after somatic cell nuclear transfer had been thought to be dependent on the recipient cytoplasm being arrested at the metaphase stage, but here interphase two-cell mouse embryos are shown to support successful reprogramming and generation of embryonic stem cells or cloned mice.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Cystathionine γ-lyase deficiency mediates neurodegeneration in Huntington’s disease ▶

 
 

Bindu D. Paul, Juan I. Sbodio, Risheng Xu et al.

 
 

Cystathionine γ-lyase, which is responsible for the production of cysteine, is decreased in the striatum and cortex of mouse models of Huntington’s disease and in patients with Huntington’s disease, and cysteine supplementation in diet and drinking water partly rescues the phenotype and the diminished longevity of the mouse model.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Articles and Letters

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

REST and stress resistance in ageing and Alzheimer’s disease ▶

 
 

Tao Lu, Liviu Aron, Joseph Zullo et al.

 
 

REST, a developmental regulator, is markedly induced in human neurons during ageing but is lost in Alzheimer’s disease; REST represses genes that promote neurodegeneration, is neuroprotective in animal models, and is associated with cognitive preservation and longevity in humans.

 
 
 
 
 
 

An atlas of active enhancers across human cell types and tissues ▶

 
 

Robin Andersson, Claudia Gebhard, Irene Miguel-Escalada et al.

 
 

Using the FANTOM5 CAGE expression atlas, the authors show that bidirectional capped RNAs are a signature feature of active enhancers and identify over 40,000 enhancer candidates from over 800 human cell and tissue samples across the whole human body.

 
 
 
 
 
 

A promoter-level mammalian expression atlas ▶

 
 

A study from the FANTOM consortium using single-molecule cDNA sequencing of transcription start sites and their usage in human and mouse primary cells, cell lines and tissues reveals insights into the specificity and diversity of transcription patterns across different mammalian cell types.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Reconciliation of the carbon budget in the ocean’s twilight zone ▶

 
 

Sarah L. C. Giering, Richard Sanders, Richard S. Lampitt et al.

 
 

The discrepancy between the components of the oceanic carbon budget — export of carbon from the surface and its conversion into carbon dioxide by water-column biota at depth — is reconciled using field data and a steady-state model which indicates that synergy between microbes and zooplankton is an important factor.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Methane fluxes show consistent temperature dependence across microbial to ecosystem scales ▶

 
 

Gabriel Yvon-Durocher, Andrew P. Allen, David Bastviken et al.

 
 

Meta-analyses show that the temperature dependence of methane fluxes scales consistently across populations of methanogens, microbial communities and whole ecosystems, and that this temperature dependence is higher than for respiration and photosynthesis; this indicates that global warming may impact the relative contributions of CO2 and CH4 to total greenhouse gas emissions.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Geographical limits to species-range shifts are suggested by climate velocity ▶

 
 

Michael T. Burrows, David S. Schoeman, Anthony J. Richardson et al.

 
 

Global maps constructed using climate-change velocities to derive spatial trajectories for climatic niches between 1960 and 2100 show past and future shifts in ecological climate niches; properties of these trajectories are used to infer changes in species distributions, and thus identify areas that will act as climate sources and sinks, and geographical barriers to species migrations.

 
 
 
 
 
 

A suspension-feeding anomalocarid from the Early Cambrian ▶

 
 

Jakob Vinther, Martin Stein, Nicholas R. Longrich et al.

 
 

Tamisiocaris borealis, an Early Cambrian member of the anomalocarids—giant, predatory marine stem arthropods—probably used its frontal appendage to trap microscopic, planktonic animals.

 
 
 
 
 
 

A primitive placoderm sheds light on the origin of the jawed vertebrate face ▶

 
 

Vincent Dupret, Sophie Sanchez, Daniel Goujet et al.

 
 

Studies of the head of the very primitive jawed vertebrate Romundina show that it combines jawed vertebrate architecture with cranial and cerebral proportions resembling those of extant jawless vertebrates such as lampreys.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Visual space is compressed in prefrontal cortex before eye movements ▶

 
 

Marc Zirnsak, Nicholas A. Steinmetz, Behrad Noudoost et al.

 
 

Saccadic eye movements cause substantial shifts in the retinal image as we take in visual scenes, but our perception is stable and continuous; here, visual receptive fields are shown to shift dramatically towards the saccadic goal, running counter to the long-standing hypothesis of receptive field remapping as the basis of perceived stability.

 
 
 
 
 
 

The E3 ligase Cbl-b and TAM receptors regulate cancer metastasis via natural killer cells ▶

 
 

Magdalena Paolino, Axel Choidas, Stephanie Wallner et al.

 
 

The E3 ligase Cbl-b acts on TAM tyrosine kinase receptors and has a critical role in the regulation of natural killer (NK) cell rejection of metastatic tumours; a small molecule TAM kinase inhibitor is shown to enhance the anti-metastatic NK cell activity.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Transcription factor achaete-scute homologue 2 initiates follicular T-helper-cell development ▶

 
 

Xindong Liu, Xin Chen, Bo Zhong et al.

 
 

Here, the helix–loop–helix transcription factor Ascl2 is shown to be critically important for the initiation of follicular T-helper-cell development and the germinal centre response.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Structure-based programming of lymph-node targeting in molecular vaccines ▶

 
 

Haipeng Liu, Kelly D. Moynihan, Yiran Zheng et al.

 
 

An amphiphile vaccine consisting of a peptide antigen or adjuvant cargo linked to a lipophilic tail is shown to have improved potency and safety in mice by targeting the lymph nodes.

 
 
 
 
 
 

News & Views

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Neuroscience: Updating views of visual updating ▶

 
 

John A. Assad

 
 
 
 
 
 

Biogeochemistry: Methane minimalism ▶

 
 

Tori M. Hoehler, Marc J. Alperin

 
 
 
 
 
 

Alzheimer's disease: A protective factor for the ageing brain ▶

 
 

Li-Huei Tsai, Ram Madabhushi

 
 
 
 
 
 

Osteoarthritis: The zinc link ▶

 
 

Virginia Byers Kraus

 
 
 
 
 
 

Vascular biology: Brain vessels squeezed to death ▶

 
 

Daniel M. Greif, Anne Eichmann

 
 
 
 
 
 

Structural biology: The purple heart of photosynthesis ▶

 
 

Richard J. Cogdell, Aleksander W. Roszak

 
 
 
 
 
 

Research Highlights

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Genetics: Loblolly takes genome size prize | Zoology: How squid control their shine | Neuroscience: Protein seed as Alzheimer's test | Zoology: Chickens' Pacific voyaging detailed | Immunology: HIV vaccine success secrets

 
 
 
 

NEWS & COMMENT

 
 
 
 
 

Fundamental research is the key to eliminating TB | Human evolution: The Neanderthal in the family | Immunology: A tolerant approach | Preclinical research: Make mouse studies work | Microbiology: Majority rule | Biomedical research: Publish results from volunteer computing | Sanitation: Thwart fatal infant gut parasite | WHO: Steering plans for neglected diseases | Federal red tape ties up marijuana research | Software patents await legal fate

 
 
 
 
 
 

More Biological Sciences ▶

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nature Genetics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Anhui Medical University are pleased to present:
Genome Variation in Precision Medicine
May 15-17, 2014
Radegast Lake View Hotel Beijing
Click here for more information or to register for this conference today!
 
 
 
 
Health Sciences top
 
 
 
 
 
 

RESEARCH

 
 
 
 
 

Latest Online

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

FXR is a molecular target for the effects of vertical sleeve gastrectomy ▶

 
 

Karen K. Ryan, Valentina Tremaroli, Christoffer Clemmensen et al.

 
 

Bariatric surgical procedures, such as vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), are the most effective therapy for the treatment of obesity; now bile acids, and the presence of the nuclear bile acid receptor FXR, are shown to underpin the mechanism of VSG action, and the ability of VSG to reduce body weight and improve glucose tolerance is substantially reduced if FXR is absent.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Constitutional and somatic rearrangement of chromosome 21 in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia ▶

 
 

Yilong Li, Claire Schwab, Sarra L. Ryan et al.

 
 

A rare constitutional translocation between chromosomes 15 and 21 predisposes to catastrophic chromosomal damage followed by amplification of megabase regions, causing a specific subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

 
 
 
 
 
 

XBP1 promotes triple-negative breast cancer by controlling the HIF1α pathway ▶

 
 

Xi Chen, Dimitrios Iliopoulos, Qing Zhang et al.

 
 

This study finds that triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) show an increased basal level of endoplasmic reticulum stress and activation of the XBP1 branch of the unfolded protein response; furthermore, XBP1 promotes tumour formation of TNBC cell lines by interacting with and regulating HIF1α.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Reversible and adaptive resistance to BRAF(V600E) inhibition in melanoma ▶

 
 

Chong Sun, Liqin Wang, Sidong Huang et al.

 
 

Patients with melanomas carrying an activating BRAF mutation respond to treatment with BRAF inhibitors although resistance to the inhibitor usually emerges; this resistance is shown to arise through increased expression of receptor tyrosine kinases such as EGFR; however, these changes decrease cell fitness and during a break from inhibitor treatment these cells are selected against, revealing that some patients who acquire EGFR expression may benefit from inhibitor re-treatment after a drug holiday.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Cystathionine γ-lyase deficiency mediates neurodegeneration in Huntington’s disease ▶

 
 

Bindu D. Paul, Juan I. Sbodio, Risheng Xu et al.

 
 

Cystathionine γ-lyase, which is responsible for the production of cysteine, is decreased in the striatum and cortex of mouse models of Huntington’s disease and in patients with Huntington’s disease, and cysteine supplementation in diet and drinking water partly rescues the phenotype and the diminished longevity of the mouse model.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Articles and Letters

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

The E3 ligase Cbl-b and TAM receptors regulate cancer metastasis via natural killer cells ▶

 
 

Magdalena Paolino, Axel Choidas, Stephanie Wallner et al.

 
 

The E3 ligase Cbl-b acts on TAM tyrosine kinase receptors and has a critical role in the regulation of natural killer (NK) cell rejection of metastatic tumours; a small molecule TAM kinase inhibitor is shown to enhance the anti-metastatic NK cell activity.

 
 
 
 
 
 

News & Views

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Neuroscience: Updating views of visual updating ▶

 
 

John A. Assad

 
 
 
 
 
 

Alzheimer's disease: A protective factor for the ageing brain ▶

 
 

Li-Huei Tsai, Ram Madabhushi

 
 
 
 
 
 

Osteoarthritis: The zinc link ▶

 
 

Virginia Byers Kraus

 
 
 
 
 
 

Research Highlights

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Neuroscience: Protein seed as Alzheimer's test | Immunology: HIV vaccine success secrets

 
 
 
 

NEWS & COMMENT

 
 
 
 
 

Fundamental research is the key to eliminating TB | Immunology: A tolerant approach | Preclinical research: Make mouse studies work | Biomedical research: Publish results from volunteer computing | Sanitation: Thwart fatal infant gut parasite | WHO: Steering plans for neglected diseases | Federal red tape ties up marijuana research | Software patents await legal fate

 
 
 
 
 
 

More Health Sciences ▶

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Physical Sciences top
 
 
 
 
 
 

RESEARCH

 
 
 
 
 

Latest Online

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Solar System: Ring in the new ▶

 
 

Joseph A. Burns

 
 
 
 
 
 

Dynamics of continental accretion ▶

 
 

L. Moresi, P. G. Betts, M. S. Miller et al.

 
 

Three-dimensional dynamic computer models show how accretionary tectonic margins evolve from the initial plate-collision state, through a period of plate margin instability, and then re-establish a stable convergent margin; the models illustrate how significant curvature of the orogenic system develops, as well as the mechanism for tectonic escape of the back-arc region.

 
 
 
 
 
 

A ring system detected around the Centaur (10199) Chariklo ▶

 
 

F. Braga-Ribas, B. Sicardy, J. L. Ortiz et al.

 
 

Observations of a stellar occultation by (10199) Chariklo, a minor body that orbits the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune, reveal that it has a ring system, a property previously observed only for the four giant planets of the Solar System.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Articles and Letters

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

A Sedna-like body with a perihelion of 80 astronomical units ▶

 
 

Chadwick A. Trujillo, Scott S. Sheppard

 
 

The discovery of the distant dwarf planet 2012 VP113, with its large perihelion like that of the dwarf planet Sedna, shows that Sedna is not isolated and may be part of the putative massive inner Oort cloud, which extends far beyond the observable Solar System.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Quantum chaos in ultracold collisions of gas-phase erbium atoms ▶

 
 

Albert Frisch, Michael Mark, Kiyotaka Aikawa et al.

 
 

An ultracold gas of erbium atoms is shown to have many scattering resonances whose quantum fluctuations exhibit chaotic behaviour resulting from the anisotropy of the atoms’ interactions.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Reviews and Perspectives

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

The ultimate physical limits of privacy ▶

 
 

Artur Ekert, Renato Renner

 
 

Developments in quantum cryptography show that it is possible to protect secrets — from those with superior technology, those who profess to provide our security and even those who manipulate us without our knowledge — under surprisingly weak assumptions.

 
 
 
 
 
 

News & Views

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Solar System: Stranded in no-man's-land ▶

 
 

Megan E. Schwamb

 
 
 
 
 
 

Low-temperature physics: Chaos in the cold ▶

 
 

Paul S. Julienne

 
 
 
 
 
 

Solar System: Ring in the new ▶

 
 

Joseph A. Burns

 
 
 
 
 
 

Research Highlights

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Materials: Strong, stiff and shell-like ceramic | Nanotechnology: Writing with water and silk | Astrophysics: Early quasars ate like the rest

 
 
 
 

NEWS & COMMENT

 
 
 
 
 

Be here now | Physics: QBism puts the scientist back into science | Books in brief | Mathematics: Numbers game | Biomedical research: Publish results from volunteer computing

 
 
 
 
 
 

More Physical Sciences ▶

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earth & Environmental Sciences top
 
 
 
 
 
 

RESEARCH

 
 
 
 
 

Latest Online

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Solar System: Ring in the new ▶

 
 

Joseph A. Burns

 
 
 
 
 
 

Dynamics of continental accretion ▶

 
 

L. Moresi, P. G. Betts, M. S. Miller et al.

 
 

Three-dimensional dynamic computer models show how accretionary tectonic margins evolve from the initial plate-collision state, through a period of plate margin instability, and then re-establish a stable convergent margin; the models illustrate how significant curvature of the orogenic system develops, as well as the mechanism for tectonic escape of the back-arc region.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Articles and Letters

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Reconciliation of the carbon budget in the ocean’s twilight zone ▶

 
 

Sarah L. C. Giering, Richard Sanders, Richard S. Lampitt et al.

 
 

The discrepancy between the components of the oceanic carbon budget — export of carbon from the surface and its conversion into carbon dioxide by water-column biota at depth — is reconciled using field data and a steady-state model which indicates that synergy between microbes and zooplankton is an important factor.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Geomagnetic fluctuations reveal stable stratification at the top of the Earth’s core ▶

 
 

Bruce Buffett

 
 

MAC waves (arising from magnetic, Archimedes and Coriolis forces) in the liquid core indicate a 140-kilometre-thick stratified layer on top of the Earth’s core and account for the 60-year geomagnetic fluctuations observed in the Earth’s geomagnetic field.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Geographical limits to species-range shifts are suggested by climate velocity ▶

 
 

Michael T. Burrows, David S. Schoeman, Anthony J. Richardson et al.

 
 

Global maps constructed using climate-change velocities to derive spatial trajectories for climatic niches between 1960 and 2100 show past and future shifts in ecological climate niches; properties of these trajectories are used to infer changes in species distributions, and thus identify areas that will act as climate sources and sinks, and geographical barriers to species migrations.

 
 
 
 
 
 

News & Views

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Solar System: Stranded in no-man's-land ▶

 
 

Megan E. Schwamb

 
 
 
 
 
 

Biogeochemistry: Methane minimalism ▶

 
 

Tori M. Hoehler, Marc J. Alperin

 
 
 
 
 
 

Climate science: A high bar for decadal forecasts of El Niño ▶

 
 

Pedro DiNezio

 
 
 
 
 
 

Solar System: Ring in the new ▶

 
 

Joseph A. Burns

 
 
 
 
 
 

Research Highlights

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Atmospheric science: Aircraft spy on tropical storms | Climate science: Climate change endangers culture

 
 
 
 

NEWS & COMMENT

 
 
 
 
 

NASA missions bid for extensions

 
 
 
 
 
 

More Earth & Environmental Sciences ▶

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This Poster summarizes the molecular functions of BDNF in the CNS and highlights its therapeutic potential for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and spinal cord injury.
 
This poster is freely available thanks to support from
 
 
 
 
Careers & Jobs top
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Research tools: Jump off the page ▶

 
 

Researchers are learning to embrace online lab notebooks, but not without growing pains.

 
 
 
     
 
 
 

Gender differences ▶

 
 

Success rate for UK government grants is lower for women, analysis reveals.

 
 
 
     
 
 
 

Swiss frozen out ▶

 
 

Erasmus Plus grants off-limits for student exchanges in and out of Switzerland.

 
 
 
     
 
 
 

Public boost ▶

 
 

US public universities give higher salary increases than do private universities, finds poll.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Careers related news & comment

 
     
 
 
 
 
 

Seven days: 21–27 March 2014 | Preclinical research: Make mouse studies work Steve Perrin | Immigration: Swiss science set to stay international Martin Vetterli | Young scientists: Research problems in Portugal run deep Nuno Cerca, João Lopes, Miguel Jorge | Software patents await legal fate Heidi Ledford | Chile puts plan for science ministry on hold Michele Catanzaro

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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natureevents directory featured events

 
 
 
 

A Celebration of Organic Chemistry 2014

 
 

22.09.14 Surrey, UK

 
 
 
 

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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