Science and satire p.243
The terrorist attacks in Paris were an assault on the fundamental values of free and democratic societies. Researchers, and humorists, must combat obscurantism everywhere.doi: 10.1038/517243a
Volume 517 Issue 7534
Editorials
Deep mysteries p.244
Arguments among ocean scientists show how much remains to be discovered.doi: 10.1038/517244a
Out of the bag p.244
The preference for either cats or dogs affects science more than you might think.doi: 10.1038/517244b
News
Political appointments spur concerns for Amazon p.251
Environmentalists worried after Brazilian president picks ministers with ties to agriculture lobby.doi: 10.1038/517251a
‘I can haz genomes’: cats claw their way into genetics p.252
Canine dominance bows to tabby chic as cat sequencing takes off.doi: 10.1038/517252a
First biosimilar drug set to enter US market p.253
But such cheaper, generic versions of biological drugs face scientific, regulatory and patent hurdles.doi: 10.1038/517253a
Blown-up brains reveal nanoscale details p.254
Material used in diaper absorbant can make brain tissue bigger and enable ordinary microscopes to resolve features down to 60 nanometres.doi: 10.1038/nature.2015.16667
Tropical paradise inspires virtual ecology lab p.255
Digital version of Moorea will provide a way to experiment with an entire ecosystem.doi: 10.1038/517255a
Al Gore’s dream spacecraft gears up for launch p.256
Delayed DSCOVR probe will monitor conditions on Earth and solar storms in space.doi: 10.1038/517256a
News Features
State-of-the-art soil p.258
A charcoal-rich product called biochar could boost agricultural yields and control pollution. Scientists are putting the trendy substance to the test.doi: 10.1038/517258a
Here's looking at you, squid p.262
Margaret McFall-Ngai has dissected the relationship between a beautiful squid and its live-in bacteria — and found lessons for microbiome research on the way.doi: 10.1038/517262a
News & Views
Boxed up and ready to go p.274
Flow-tank experiments and fluid-dynamics simulations refute the idea that water movements over the body of boxfishes are a stabilizing influence, instead showing that the fish's shape amplifies destabilizing forces to improve manoeuvrability.doi: 10.1038/517274a
Mixing it up in the mantle p.275
Analysis reveals that the uranium isotopic composition of oceanic crust that is being subducted into Earth's interior is distinctive, allowing the development of chemical heterogeneity in the mantle to be tracked. See Letter p.356doi: 10.1038/517275a
African dawn p.276
The African Genome Variation Project presents genotyping and whole-genome data from individuals across sub-Saharan Africa, giving insight into population history and guiding future genomic studies on the continent. See Article p.327doi: 10.1038/nature14077
Hydrophobic interactions in context p.277
The finding that immobilized ions can alter the strength of hydrophobic interactions between molecules suggests a strategy for tuning hydrophobicity to optimize molecular recognition and self-assembly processes. See Letter p.347doi: 10.1038/517277a
Dragonflies predict and plan their hunts p.279
An analysis reveals that the dragonfly's impressive ability to catch its prey arises from internal calculations about its own movements and those of its target — the first example of such predictions in invertebrates. See Article p.333doi: 10.1038/nature14078
One catalyst, two reactions p.280
A catalyst has been tuned to make different compounds from the same molecules in carbon–nitrogen bond-forming reactions, depending on the conditions used. The products are potential building blocks for biologically active molecules.doi: 10.1038/517280a
Seeking ultimate victory p.281
HIV variants that have mutated to escape T-cell immune responses dominate the latent viral reservoir in most patients on antiretroviral therapy. This finding will need to guide therapeutic approaches targeting reactivated virus. See Letter p.381doi: 10.1038/nature14194
Articles
The African Genome Variation Project shapes medical genetics in Africa OPEN p.327
The African Genome Variation Project contains the whole-genome sequences of 320 individuals and dense genotypes on 1,481 individuals from sub-Saharan Africa; it enables the design and interpretation of genomic studies, with implications for finding disease loci and clues to human origins.doi: 10.1038/nature13997
Internal models direct dragonfly interception steering p.333
This study tracks dragonfly head and body movements during high-velocity and high-precision prey-capture flights, and shows that the dragonfly uses predictive internal models and reactive control to build an interception trajectory that complies with biomechanical constraints.doi: 10.1038/nature14045
Letters
Impact jetting as the origin of chondrules p.339
The origin of most chondrules (small, previously molten spherules inside meteorites) is shown to be impact jetting; chondrules form from the shock-melted material ejected from a protoplanet on impact, making meteorites a byproduct of planet formation.doi: 10.1038/nature14105
Direct observation of electron propagation and dielectric screening on the atomic length scale p.342
Attosecond light pulses are now available experimentally, enabling ultrafast processes on the atomic scale to be probed; here the free-electron-like propagation of electrons through ultrathin layers of magnesium is observed in real time.doi: 10.1038/nature14094
Modulation of hydrophobic interactions by proximally immobilized ions p.347
Chemical force microscopy measurements show that the immobilization of specific cationic groups near non-polar domains produces pronounced changes in the domains’ hydrophobic interaction strengths: charged ammonium groups double interaction strengths, whereas guanidinium groups eliminate measurable interactions.doi: 10.1038/nature14018
Non-stabilized nucleophiles in Cu-catalysed dynamic kinetic asymmetric allylic alkylation p.351
A copper-catalysed dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation using racemic substrates and alkyl nucleophiles is reported; organometallic reagents are generated in situ from alkenes by hydrometallation, and give highly enantioenriched products under mild reaction conditions.doi: 10.1038/nature14089
The terrestrial uranium isotope cycle p.356
Examination of the global uranium cycle — whereby uranium from the Earth’s crust is first transported to the oceans and then returned, by subduction, to the mantle — shows that the subducted uranium is isotopically distinct from the Earth as a whole and that this signature has been stirred throughout upper mantle, arguably within the past 600 million years.doi: 10.1038/nature14062
Promoterless gene targeting without nucleases ameliorates haemophilia B in mice p.360
Promoterless recombinant adeno-associated virus is used without nucleases to target the human coagulation factor IX gene to the liver-expressed albumin locus in haemophilia B mice, with an on-target integration into ~0.5% of the albumin alleles in hepatocytes; stable F9 plasma levels at 7–20% of normal were obtained, leading to normal coagulation times in treated factor-IX-deficient mice.doi: 10.1038/nature13864
Productivity limits and potentials of the principles of conservation agriculture p.365
A global meta-analysis of conservation agriculture principles indicates that the potential contribution of no-till to the sustainable intensification of agriculture is more limited than often assumed.doi: 10.1038/nature13809
Long-term phenotypic evolution of bacteria p.369
A comparative analysis of bacterial growth and genetic phenotypes using hundreds of genome-scale metabolic models reveals a two-stage evolutionary process that consists of a rapid initial phenotypic diversification followed by a slow long-term divergence.doi: 10.1038/nature13827
The neural representation of taste quality at the periphery p.373
Using two-photon microendoscopy and genetically encoded calcium indicators the tuning properties of the first neural station of the gustatory system are explored; results reveal that ganglion neurons are matched to specific taste receptor cells, supporting a labelled line model of information transfer in the taste system.doi: 10.1038/nature13873
Control of plant stem cell function by conserved interacting transcriptional regulators p.377
Here, plant HAM proteins are shown to physically interact with the transcription factor WUSCHEL and the related WOX proteins, with this interaction driving downstream transcriptional programs and determining the activities of stem cells.doi: 10.1038/nature13853
Broad CTL response is required to clear latent HIV-1 due to dominance of escape mutations p.381
Despite receiving antiretroviral therapy, most patients with HIV still have latent reservoirs of the virus; here, these reservoirs are shown to be dominated by viruses with cytotoxic T lymphocyte escape mutations, with potential implications for the development of therapeutic vaccines.doi: 10.1038/nature14053
CEACAM1 regulates TIM-3-mediated tolerance and exhaustion p.386
CEACAM1 functions as a novel heterophilic ligand for TIM-3 and is necessary for TIM-3-mediated tolerance, which has marked consequences for inflammation, infection and cancer.doi: 10.1038/nature13848
An ERK/Cdk5 axis controls the diabetogenic actions of PPARγ p.391
Obesity-linked insulin resistance is a major precursor to the development of type 2 diabetes. Previous work has shown that phosphorylation of PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) at serine 273 by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) stimulates diabetogenic gene expression in adipose tissues
doi: 10.1038/nature13887
Subnanometre-resolution electron cryomicroscopy structure of a heterodimeric ABC exporter p.396
The subnanometre-resolution electron cryomicroscopy structure of TmrAB, a heterodimeric ABC transport protein, in a nucleotide-free, inward-facing conformation, is determined.doi: 10.1038/nature13872
