Table of contents
Volume 444 Number 7117 pp243-400
In this issue (16 November 2006)
Also this week
Image: Johannes Krause/ Steven W. Marcus of Studio 819/ ExhibitEase LLC
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Editorials
Congressional agendas p243
A US Congress newly dominated by Democrats needs to exercise financial restraint. Manned spaceflight is a good candidate for cuts, and energy research needs belated leadership.
doi:10.1038/444243a
Order for microbes p243
Burgeoning microbial gene data require coherent efforts to make them readily usable.
doi:10.1038/444243b
Success and successor p244
Exit an outstanding science minister; enter a more political operator.
doi:10.1038/444244a
News
The politics of breathing p248
Both sides in a US pollution dispute claim that science is on their side. Emma Marris explains how environmental laws have forced them into this position.
doi:10.1038/444248a
WHO boss faces test of independence p250
China's candidate secures top job at health agency.
Declan Butler
doi:10.1038/444250a
Q&A: Bart Gordon p251
The incoming chair of the House Committee on Science sets out his stall.
Emma Maris
doi:10.1038/444251a
Sidelines p251
doi:10.1038/444251b
UK civil servants accused of warping science p252
Politicians criticized for 'cherry-picking' evidence.
Jim Giles
doi:10.1038/444252a
Gunmen seize academics at Baghdad ministry p252
Iraq rocked by mass kidnap at institute
Jim Giles and Declan Butler
doi:10.1038/444252b
German stem-cell law under fire p253
Funding agency calls for relaxation of research rules.
Alison Abbott
doi:10.1038/444253a
Neanderthal genome sees first light p254
Initial sequences sheds light on common ancestor.
Rex Dalton
doi:10.1038/444254a
See also: Editor's summary
Business
The chips are down p256
Geneticists' desire to track the roots of complex diseases has shaken up the market for gene chips. Meredith Wadman reports on two firms jostling for position in a business potentially worth US$500 million.
doi:10.1038/444256a
In brief p257
doi:10.1038/444257a
Market watch p257
doi:10.1038/444257b
News Features
Genetic information: Codes and enigmas p259
There's more than one way to read a stretch of DNA, finds Helen Pearson — and we need to understand them all.
doi:10.1038/444259a
Waste management: One man's trash... p262
When landfills overflow, governments need new ways to deal with garbage. David Cyranoski visits a plant in Japan where plasma technology is turning waste into energy.
doi:10.1038/444262a
Charmed, I'm sure p264
What makes the perfect protein purification or the right reagent reaction? Trevor Stokes investigates the weird world of good-luck lab charms.
doi:10.1038/444264a
Correspondence
Answering critics can add fuel to controversy p265
Edward Witten
doi:10.1038/444265a
Criticism: what to do about science's bad public image? p265
Boris Striepen
doi:10.1038/444265b
Creationists attack secular education in Russia p265
Georgy S. Levit, Uwe Hofeld and Lennart Olsson
doi:10.1038/444265c
Creationism, evolution: nothing has been proved p265
Maciej Giertych
doi:10.1038/444265d
Commentary
Safe handling of nanotechnology p267
The pursuit of responsible nanotechnologies can be tackled through a series of grand challenges, argue Andrew D. Maynard and his co-authors.
doi:10.1038/444267a
See also: Editor's summary
Books and Arts
Opposition to science p271
A molecular biologist explores the gulf between spirituality and his own rationalist viewpoint.
James T. Bradley reviews Challenging Nature: The Clash of Science and Spirituality at the New Frontiers of Life by Lee M. Silver
doi:10.1038/444271a
Biology's big idea p272
David Robinson reviews In the Beat of a Heart: Life, Energy, and the Unity of Nature by John Whitfield
doi:10.1038/444272a
A complex mind p273
Elio Raviola reviews Il Nobel dimenticato: La vita e la scienza di Camillo Golgi (The Forgotten Nobel: the Life and Science of Camillo Golgi) by Paolo Mazzarello
doi:10.1038/444273a
Science in culture p274
Artists reveal a variety of responses to the contents of a natural-history museum.
Philip Campbell
doi:10.1038/444274a
News and Views
Evolutionary biology: Ancient genomics is born p275
The reality of a complete Neanderthal genome draws near, as two papers report the sequencing of large amounts of Neanderthal DNA. The results will help to answer some central questions on human evolution.
David M. Lambert and Craig D. Millar
doi:10.1038/444275a
See also: Editor's summary
Seismology: Greatness thrust upon them p276
The latest research seems to imply that all earthquakes are born equal. But combining that insight with earlier, seemingly contradictory, work could help us to tell which tremors grow to become more equal than others.
James F. Dolan
doi:10.1038/444276a
See also: Editor's summary
50 & 100 Years Ago p277
doi:10.1038/444277a
Cell biology: Brief encounters bolster contacts p279
Molecules often work together in complexes to carry out their functions in the cell. But how do they get together in such a dynamic environment? A structural study follows proteins as they meet their partners.
Tom L. Blundell and Juan Fernández-Recio
doi:10.1038/nature05306
See also: Editor's summary
Medicine: Grapes versus gluttony p280
A compound found in red grapes called resveratrol improves the health and lifespan of mice on a high-calorie diet. This is potentially good news for overweight humans. Does it bode well for the rest of us too?
Matt Kaeberlein and Peter S. Rabinovitch
doi:10.1038/nature05308
See also: Editor's summary
Fluid dynamics: Spinning discs in the lab p281
What causes gas to be drawn in towards black holes, rather than remain in a stable orbit as planets do around the Sun? A laboratory result indicates that something more than just hydrodynamics must be at work.
Steven A. Balbus
doi:10.1038/444281a
See also: Editor's summary
Environmental chemistry: Browning the waters p283
Levels of dissolved organic carbon in British streams and lakes have risen over the past two decades. It might be a downstream effect of decreased acid rain — but isolating single factors is notoriously difficult.
Nigel Roulet and Tim R. Moore
doi:10.1038/444283a
Brief Communications
Upper Palaeolithic infant burials p285
Thomas Einwögerer, Herwig Friesinger, Marc Händel, Christine Neugebauer-Maresch, Ulrich Simon and Maria Teschler-Nicola
doi:10.1038/444285a
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (270K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Materials: Carbon nanotubes in an ancient Damascus sabre p286
M. Reibold, P. Paufler, A. A. Levin, W. Kochmann, N. Pätzke and D. C. Meyer
doi:10.1038/444286a
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (195K) | Supplementary information
Top of page
Brief Communications Arising
Earth science: Palaeo-altimetry of Tibet pE4
Peter Molnar, Gregory A. Houseman and Philip C. England
doi:10.1038/nature05368
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (76K)
Earth science: Palaeo-altimetry of Tibet (reply) pE4
D. B. Rowley and B. S. Currie
doi:10.1038/nature05369
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (81K)
Insight: Chemical Sensing -
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Insight: Chemical Sensing
Chemical sensing p287
I-han Chou, Tanguy Chouard, John E. Spiro and Lesley Anson
doi:10.1038/444287a
The receptors and cells for mammalian taste p288
Jayaram Chandrashekar, Mark A. Hoon, Nicholas J. P. Ryba and Charles S. Zuker
doi:10.1038/nature05401
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,163K)
Comparative chemosensation from receptors to ecology p295
Cornelia I. Bargmann
doi:10.1038/nature05402
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (642K)
Insects as chemosensors of humans and crops p302
Wynand van der Goes van Naters and John R. Carlson
doi:10.1038/nature05403
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (719K)
Pheromonal communication in vertebrates p308
Peter A. Brennan and Frank Zufall
doi:10.1038/nature05404
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (903K)
Smell images and the flavour system in the human brain p316
Gordon M. Shepherd
doi:10.1038/nature05405
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,116K)
Review
The plant immune system p323
Jonathan D. G. Jones and Jeffery L. Dangl
doi:10.1038/nature05286
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (517K)
See also: Editor's summary
Articles
Analysis of one million base pairs of Neanderthal DNA p330
Richard E. Green, Johannes Krause, Susan E. Ptak, Adrian W. Briggs, Michael T. Ronan, Jan F. Simons, Lei Du, Michael Egholm, Jonathan M. Rothberg, Maja Paunovic and Svante Pääbo
doi:10.1038/nature05336
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (899K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Lambert & Millar
Resveratrol improves health and survival of mice on a high-calorie diet p337
Joseph A. Baur, Kevin J. Pearson, Nathan L. Price, Hamish A. Jamieson, Carles Lerin, Avash Kalra, Vinayakumar V. Prabhu, Joanne S. Allard, Guillermo Lopez-Lluch, Kaitlyn Lewis, Paul J. Pistell, Suresh Poosala, Kevin G. Becker, Olivier Boss, Dana Gwinn, Mingyi Wang, Sharan Ramaswamy, Kenneth W. Fishbein, Richard G. Spencer, Edward G. Lakatta, David Le Couteur, Reuben J. Shaw, Placido Navas, Pere Puigserver, Donald K. Ingram, Rafael de Cabo and David A. Sinclair
doi:10.1038/nature05354
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (520K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Kaeberlein & Rabinovitch
Letters
Hydrodynamic turbulence cannot transport angular momentum effectively in astrophysical disks p343
Hantao Ji, Michael Burin, Ethan Schartman and Jeremy Goodman
doi:10.1038/nature05323
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (342K)
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Balbus
Half-metallic graphene nanoribbons p347
Young-Woo Son, Marvin L. Cohen and Steven G. Louie
doi:10.1038/nature05180
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (543K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Free-electron-like dispersion in an organic monolayer film on a metal substrate p350
R. Temirov, S. Soubatch, A. Luican and F. S. Tautz
doi:10.1038/nature05270
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (617K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Flushing submarine canyons p354
Miquel Canals, Pere Puig, Xavier Durrieu de Madron, Serge Heussner, Albert Palanques and Joan Fabres
doi:10.1038/nature05271
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (2,106K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Predicting the endpoints of earthquake ruptures p358
Steven G. Wesnousky
doi:10.1038/nature05275
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (227K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Dolan
Allee effects and pulsed invasion by the gypsy moth p361
Derek M. Johnson, Andrew M. Liebhold, Patrick C. Tobin and Ottar N. Bjørnstad
doi:10.1038/nature05242
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (345K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
A protein interaction network for pluripotency of embryonic stem cells p364
Jianlong Wang, Sridhar Rao, Jianlin Chu, Xiaohua Shen, Dana N. Levasseur, Thorold W. Theunissen and Stuart H. Orkin
doi:10.1038/nature05284
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (507K) | Supplementary information
Boc is a receptor for sonic hedgehog in the guidance of commissural axons p369
Ami Okada, Frédéric Charron, Steves Morin, David S. Shin, Karen Wong, Pierre J. Fabre, Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Susan K. McConnell
doi:10.1038/nature05246
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,126K) | Supplementary information
Influence of the thalamus on spatial visual processing in frontal cortex p374
Marc A. Sommer and Robert H. Wurtz
doi:10.1038/nature05279
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (913K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Haemagglutinin mutations responsible for the binding of H5N1 influenza A viruses to human-type receptors p378
Shinya Yamada, Yasuo Suzuki, Takashi Suzuki, Mai Q. Le, Chairul A. Nidom, Yuko Sakai-Tagawa, Yukiko Muramoto, Mutsumi Ito, Maki Kiso, Taisuke Horimoto, Kyoko Shinya, Toshihiko Sawada, Makoto Kiso, Taiichi Usui, Takeomi Murata, Yipu Lin, Alan Hay, Lesley F. Haire, David J. Stevens, Rupert J. Russell, Steven J. Gamblin, John J. Skehel and Yoshihiro Kawaoka
doi:10.1038/nature05264
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (415K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Visualization of transient encounter complexes in protein–protein association p383
Chun Tang, Junji Iwahara and G. Marius Clore
doi:10.1038/nature05201
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (659K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Blundell & Fernández-Recio
Bacterial chromatin organization by H-NS protein unravelled using dual DNA manipulation p387
Remus T. Dame, Maarten C. Noom and Gijs J. L. Wuite
doi:10.1038/nature05283
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (2,816K) | Supplementary information
Structural basis for messenger RNA movement on the ribosome p391
Gulnara Yusupova, Lasse Jenner, Bernard Rees, Dino Moras and Marat Yusupov
doi:10.1038/nature05281
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (861K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Naturejobs
ProspectProspects p395
Global university rankings provide uncertain guidance.
Paul Smaglik
doi:10.1038/nj7117-395a
Region
Treasure Ireland p396
The Irish government is investing heavily in science and technology. As a result, career opportunities are becoming plentiful. Quirin Schiermeier reports
Quirin Schiermeier
doi:10.1038/nj7117-396a
Career Views
John McNeil, scientific director, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, Malaria Vaccine Initiative, Bethesda, Maryland p398
John McNeil seeks fresh approaches to malaria treatment.
Virginia Gewin
doi:10.1038/nj7117-398a
A step between bench and bedside p398
NIH institute establishes translational-research centre for environmental sciences.
Hannah Hoag
doi:10.1038/nj7117-398b
Done deal p398
With my dissertation defence finally done, I can get on with my life.
Andreas Andersson
doi:10.1038/nj7117-398c
Spotlight
Spotlight on Ireland
doi:10.1038/nj0133
Futures
An unfortunate book tour p400
Who wants to live for ever?
Will Heydt-Minor
doi:10.1038/444400a