Contents
Vol 326, Issue 5955
Contents
This Week in Science
Editorial
Editors' Choice
Podcasts
- Science Podcast
The show includes climate change predictions, creating hermaphroditic worms, and more.
Products & Materials
- New Products
A weekly roundup of information on newly offered instrumentation, apparatus, and laboratory materials of potential interest to researchers.
News of the Week
- U.S. Takes Steps to Use Science To Improve Ties to Muslim World
In a surprise announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week named three prominent scientists as special envoys to assess the potential for scientific partnerships with Muslim-majority countries.
- Wellcome Trust to Shift From Projects to People
This week, Wellcome Trust officials announced that they are phasing out their biomedical research grants for U.K. scientists, which consists of 3-year to 5-year awards focused on a specific problem, and instead will put that money into a new program called Investigator Awards. The awards will be bigger, more flexible, and longer—up to 7 years.
- Europe Reconsiders H1N1 Flu Shots for Children
As the H1N1 flu outbreak gathers speed and more vaccine becomes available, some European countries are now telling families that healthy children—or at least infants—are candidates for vaccination after all. The change of mind did not reassure a jittery public.
- Restructuring Physics Labs Brings Delight and Despair
Four of Russia's most prominent physics labs are to be merged into a new national research center. But a different reform aimed at separating basic and applied research at one of the institutes has researchers up in arms.
- From the Science Policy Blog
This week, ScienceInsider explored why academic biomedical scientists report that they are receiving less corporate support for their research now than in the 1990s and reported on the Dutch House of Representatives' rejection of a motion asking the government to sever all ties with virologist Albert Osterhaus, who had been accused of conflicts of interest in his role as a health adviser, among other stories.
- No Sign Yet of Himalayan Meltdown, Indian Report Finds
Himalayan glaciers are beating a rapid retreat in the face of global warming, according to a flurry of recent reports by BBC and other mass media. But the picture is more complex—and poses scientific puzzles, according to a review of satellite and ground measurements released by India's Ministry of Environment and Forests earlier this week.
- Could Glacier Research Help Thaw Himalayan Standoff?
Because of lingering tensions over a swath of the Himalayas that is claimed by both China and India, a diplomatic initiative to get Chinese and Indian scientists working together on glaciers has quietly been put on ice.
- From Science's Online Daily News Site
ScienceNOW reported this week on expert criticism of a nanoparticle study, additional support for a human role in China's devastating Wenchuan earthquake, and the findings that prosthetic limbs offer no advantage to sprinters and babies cry in their native language, among other stories.
Random Samples
News Focus
- Amid Worrisome Signs of Warming, 'Climate Fatigue' Sets In
As scientists debate whether climate is changing faster than anticipated, some worry that a drumbeat of dire warnings may be helping to erode U.S. public concerns about global warming.
- Internal Affairs
Newly discovered cytoplasmic defenses called inflammasomes sound the alarm when pathogens penetrate our cells.
- ITER Blueprints Near Completion, But Financial Hurdles Lie Ahead
As staff put finishing touches to the fusion project's final design, member governments mull over the latest cost estimates and prepare to raid piggybanks.
Letters
Books et al.
- Newton in Three Dimensions
Constructed from Newton's own words, Baxter's play brings to life the complexity and controversy of its subject's character.
- Books Received
A listing of books received at Science during the week ended 06 November 2009.
Policy Forum
- Pandemic H1N1 and the 2009 Hajj
It will take vigilance, commitment, and action by all global stakeholders to reduce the potential impact of pandemic influenza during the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage.
- Bridging the Montreal-Kyoto Gap
Using carbon markets to eliminate substances that deplete stratospheric ozone could pay huge dividends in combating global warming.
Perspectives
- Viewing the Seeds of Crystallization
Electron microscopy is providing glimpses of the complex structural processes that precede crystal nucleation.
- Reflections on Cybersecurity
The lack of security in cyberspace may be addressed by learning from the strengths of the Internet.
- Strategies to Get Arrested
Two gene families in the worm control survival strategies in response to stressful environmental conditions.
- Photosynthesis in the Open Ocean
A little-understood electron flow pathway helps cyanobacteria to adapt to high-light, low-nutrient ocean environments.
- Ruth L. Kirschstein (1926–2009)
The leadership, political skills, and commitment of the first woman director at the U.S. National Institutes of Health are unrivaled.
Viewpoint
Brevia
- Widespread Occurrence of Self-Cleaving Ribozymes
Once thought to be an oddity, small catalytic RNAs have been found in a wide range of organisms.
Research Article
- Starvation Protects Germline Stem Cells and Extends Reproductive Longevity in C. elegans
During starvation, germline stem cells are saved for regeneration when food is restored.
Reports
- Global Observations of the Interstellar Interaction from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)
Observations by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer have revealed surprising features in the interaction between the heliosphere and the interstellar medium.
- Width and Variation of the ENA Flux Ribbon Observed by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer
Observations by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer have revealed surprising features in the interaction between the heliosphere and the interstellar medium.
- Structures and Spectral Variations of the Outer Heliosphere in IBEX Energetic Neutral Atom Maps
Observations by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer have revealed surprising features in the interaction between the heliosphere and the interstellar medium
- Comparison of Interstellar Boundary Explorer Observations with 3D Global Heliospheric Models
Observations by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer have revealed surprising features in the interaction between the heliosphere and the interstellar medium.
- Direct Observations of Interstellar H, He, and O by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer
Detection of H, He, and O flowing into the heliosphere from the interstellar medium tells us about our local interstellar environment.
- Imaging the Interaction of the Heliosphere with the Interstellar Medium from Saturn with Cassini
Observations by Cassini show that some of the features revealed by IBEX extend to high energies.
- Observation of Half-Quantum Vortices in an Exciton-Polariton Condensate
Evidence is presented for the existence of half-quantum vortices in exciton-polariton condensates.
- A Strain-Driven Morphotropic Phase Boundary in BiFeO3
Growth of epitaxial films of BiFeO3 on various substrates may provide a route toward making lead-free ferroelectric devices.
- Observation of the Role of Subcritical Nuclei in Crystallization of a Glassy Solid
Fluctuation transmission electron microscopy images nanoscale nuclei and their influence on subsequent crystallization.
- Partitioning Recent Greenland Mass Loss
The major components of decay contributing to mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet can be quantified.
- CD4+ Regulatory T Cells Control TH17 Responses in a Stat3-Dependent Manner
Suppressor T cells regulate different classes of immune responses through induction of specific transcription factors.
- A Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Protein Functions in Prophase I Arrest and Prometaphase Progression
A protein vital for correct segregation of chromosomes in mitosis is also needed to complete meiosis in mouse oocytes.
- Two Chemoreceptors Mediate Developmental Effects of Dauer Pheromone in C. elegans
Chemical signals that determine alternative nematode developmental programs act via two G protein–coupled receptors.
- Sexual Conflict Resolved by Invasion of a Novel Sex Determiner in Lake Malawi Cichlid Fishes
A color phenotype that is advantageous to females is linked to a sex-determining gene locus in cichlids.
- Mutations in Two Independent Pathways Are Sufficient to Create Hermaphroditic Nematodes
Female nematode worms can be turned into hermaphrodites through the modification of two genes.
- Amyloid-β Dynamics Are Regulated by Orexin and the Sleep-Wake Cycle
Sleep patterns can influence amyloid plaque formation in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.
