Reality must trump rhetoric after US election shock p.329
It is time for scientists and politicians alike to constructively engage with core issues — from climate change and energy independence to social inequality.doi: 10.1038/539329a
Volume 539 Issue 7629
Editorials
Being able to explain your work to passers-by is laudable — but not always possible p.330
The first person to invoke the ‘man on the street’ has been identified, but sometimes maths is just too difficult to make simple.doi: 10.1038/539330a
Fed up of Earth? Try Mars p.330
Establishing a Martian outpost is likely to bring many of the same societal problems we face on Earth.doi: 10.1038/539330b
News
The ultimate experiment: How Trump will handle science p.337
Climate-change and immigration policies raise alarm, but much of the incoming US president's agenda is simply unknown.doi: 10.1038/nature.2016.20971
Pollsters struggle to explain failures of US presidential forecasts p.339
Most surveys did not predict Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton.doi: 10.1038/nature.2016.20968
Disgraced stem-cell entrepreneur under fresh investigation p.340
Davide Vannoni is barred from offering a controversial stem-cell therapy in Italy but may be continuing his work abroad.doi: 10.1038/539340a
I can haz more science emoji? Host of nerd icons proposed p.341
At a conference in San Francisco, a group drafted proposals to add more planets, instruments and other science icons to the keyboard.doi: 10.1038/nature.2016.20960
Rwanda feels the pinch as donors slash health aid p.342
Country's progress on public health and science prompts funding shift to more-troubled nations.doi: 10.1038/539342a
Open peer review finds more takers p.343
Journal experiments and surveys suggest scientists are coming round to the idea of publishing review reports.doi: 10.1038/nature.2016.20969
News Features
How much longer can Antarctica’s hostile ocean delay global warming? p.346
The waters of the Southern Ocean have absorbed much of the excess heat and carbon generated by humanity.doi: 10.1038/539346a
News & Views
Clear directions for random lasers p.360
Random lasers use disordered structures to produce light, which is usually emitted in many directions. A random laser that can produce a collimated beam offers a wide range of applications, from imaging to security scanning.doi: 10.1038/nature20477
Mature proteins braced by a chaperone p.361
Hsp70 chaperone molecules help other proteins to fold, and were thought to bind mainly to unfolded proteins. Single-molecule experiments now suggest that Hsp70s can also stabilize almost fully folded proteins. See Letter p.448doi: 10.1038/nature20470
Ions surprise in Earth's deep fluids p.362
Models indicate that there are strong gradients in element concentrations and in the pH of fluids at the slab–mantle interface — a major discontinuity deep within Earth. This transforms our view of global geochemical transport. See Letter p.420doi: 10.1038/539362a
Sleepy and dreamless mutant mice p.364
Sleep in mammals consists of non-rapid-eye-movement and rapid-eye-movement sleep. A large genetic screen reveals that these two sleep states are altered in mice by mutations dubbed Sleepy and Dreamless. See Article p.378doi: 10.1038/nature20471
Semiconductors that stretch and heal p.365
Polymeric semiconductors have been prepared whose molecular properties make them stretchable and healable — a milestone in the development of sophisticated organic electronic surfaces that mimic human skin. See Letter p.411doi: 10.1038/539365a
Deep-sea secrets of butane metabolism p.367
Anaerobic microbes have been found to break down the hydrocarbon butane by a pathway with some similarities to anaerobic methane breakdown. Harnessing the butane pathway might enable biofuel generation. See Article p.396doi: 10.1038/539367a
Review
The effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on the dopamine system p.369
A review into the complex effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on the dopamine system, examining data from animal and human studies and discussing the necessary future direction of research.doi: 10.1038/nature20153
Articles
Forward-genetics analysis of sleep in randomly mutagenized mice p.378
Two mutations affecting the sleep–wakefulness balance in mice are detected, showing that the SIK3 protein kinase is essential for determining daily wake time, and the NALCN cation channel regulates the duration of rapid eye movement sleep.doi: 10.1038/nature20142
CRISPR/Cas9 β-globin gene targeting in human haematopoietic stem cells p.384
These preclinical studies outline a CRISPR-based methodology for correcting β-globin gene mutations in haematopoietic stem cells to advance the development of next-generation therapies for β-haemoglobinopathies.doi: 10.1038/nature20134
LKB1 loss links serine metabolism to DNA methylation and tumorigenesis p.390
Human tumours with mutations in LKB1 and Kras have a specific hypermetabolic state associated with increased DNA methylation, pointing to potential metabolic and epigenetic vulnerabilities of specific tumours.doi: 10.1038/nature20132
Thermophilic archaea activate butane via alkyl-coenzyme M formation p.396
Anaerobic archaea enriched in thermophilic microbial consortia completely degrade butane by modifying mechanisms which were hitherto thought to be specific to methane metabolism.doi: 10.1038/nature20152
Letters
Tidal evolution of the Moon from a high-obliquity, high-angular-momentum Earth p.402
A model of the Moon’s tidal evolution, starting from the fast-spinning, high-obliquity Earth that would be expected after a giant impact, reveals that solar perturbations on the Moon’s orbit naturally produce the current lunar inclination and Earth’s low obliquity.doi: 10.1038/nature19846
Nanoscale thermal imaging of dissipation in quantum systems p.407
A cryogenic thermal imaging technique that uses a superconducting quantum interference device fabricated on the tip of a sharp pipette can be used to image the thermal signature of extremely low power nanometre-scale dissipation processes.doi: 10.1038/nature19843
Intrinsically stretchable and healable semiconducting polymer for organic transistors p.411
Introducing non-covalent crosslinking moieties to polymer semiconductors produces a stretchable and healable material suitable for wearable electronics.doi: 10.1038/nature20102
Amazon boundary layer aerosol concentration sustained by vertical transport during rainfall p.416
Rapid vertical transport of small aerosol particles from the free troposphere to the atmospheric boundary layer occurs during precipitation and maintains the population of aerosol particles over Amazonia.doi: 10.1038/nature19819
Implications for metal and volatile cycles from the pH of subduction zone fluids p.420
A thermodynamic model of fluid pH and its variability in Earth’s mantle and subducting crust highlights chemical feedbacks that connect deep Earth to surface processes.doi: 10.1038/nature20103
Variability in plant nutrients reduces insect herbivore performance p.425
Variation in plant nutrient levels suppresses insect herbivore populations and the homogenous nutrient content of modern agricultural crops could be contributing to insect pest outbreaks.doi: 10.1038/nature20140
Neuromodulators signal through astrocytes to alter neural circuit activity and behaviour p.428
Calcium signalling in astrocytes, driven through the octopamine/tyramine receptor and the TRP channel Water witch, is essential for neuromodulation and sensory responses in Drosophila larvae.doi: 10.1038/nature20145
Transcription of the non-coding RNA upperhand controls Hand2 expression and heart development p.433
Transcription of a long non-coding RNA, known as upperhand (Uph) located upstream of the HAND2 transcription factor is required to maintain transcription of the Hand2 gene by RNA polymerase, and blockade of Uph expression leads to heart defects and embryonic lethality in mice.doi: 10.1038/nature20128
PI3Kγ is a molecular switch that controls immune suppression p.437
Macrophages play critical, but opposite, roles in acute and chronic inflammation and cancer
doi: 10.1038/nature19834
Overcoming resistance to checkpoint blockade therapy by targeting PI3Kγ in myeloid cells p.443
Recent clinical trials using immunotherapy have demonstrated its potential to control cancer by disinhibiting the immune system. Immune checkpoint blocking (ICB) antibodies against cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 or programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 have displayed durable clinical responses in various cancers
doi: 10.1038/nature20554
Alternative modes of client binding enable functional plasticity of Hsp70 p.448
Hsp70 binds unfolded protein segments in its groove, but can also bind and stabilize folded protein structures, owing to its moveable lid, with ATP hydrolysis and co-chaperones allowing control of these contrasting effects.doi: 10.1038/nature20137
Local regulation of gene expression by lncRNA promoters, transcription and splicing p.452
Various cis-regulatory functions of genomic loci that produce long non-coding RNAs are revealed, including instances where their promoters have enhancer-like activity and the lncRNA transcripts themselves are not required for activity.doi: 10.1038/nature20149
