Nature supports the March for Science p.137
Critics of the March for Science have a point. But those scientists who will protest and speak up globally for research have the chance to make a greater one.doi: 10.1038/544137a
Volume 544 Issue 7649
Editorials
Natural-history collections face fight for survival p.137
Regional hubs offer lifeline to museums’ precious plant and animal specimens.doi: 10.1038/544137b
The 100-year-old challenge to Darwin that is still making waves in research p.138
On Growth and Form showed how physical and mathematical forces affect natural selection.doi: 10.1038/544138a
News
Muons’ big moment could fuel new physics p.145
Fermilab experiment to measure muon magnetic moment more precisely might reveal unknown virtual particles.doi: 10.1038/544145a
Mobile-phone signals bolster street-level rain forecasts p.146
Real-time analysis of wireless communications data could improve weather forecasts around the world.doi: 10.1038/nature.2017.21799
Fish live longer on ‘young poo’ p.147
The gut microbes of young killifish can extend the lifespans of older fish – hinting at the microbiome’s role in ageing.doi: 10.1038/nature.2017.21770
Immigration crackdowns damage health — even for unborn children p.148
The lasting effects of stress and fear of deportation are beginning to emerge.doi: 10.1038/544148a
Saturn spacecraft begins science swan-song p.149
NASA’s Cassini probe will go where no spacecraft has gone before — between a planet and its rings.doi: 10.1038/544149a
News Features
Antarctica’s sleeping ice giant could wake soon p.152
The massive East Antarctic Ice Sheet looks stable from above — but it’s a dangerously different story below.doi: 10.1038/544152a
News & Views
Liquid crystals in living tissue p.164
Evidence has been found that a biological tissue might behave like a liquid crystal. Even more remarkably, topological defects in this liquid-crystal system seem to influence cell behaviour. A materials physicist and a biologist discuss what the findings mean for researchers in their fields. See Letter p.212doi: 10.1038/544164a
The race to fish slows down p.165
A fishery can allow participants to fish as hard as they can until its quota is reached, or allocate quota shares that can be caught at any time. A comparison of the systems in action reveals that shares slow the race to fish. See Letter p.223doi: 10.1038/nature21906
Screen printing of 2D semiconductors p.167
Atomically thin semiconductors have been made by transferring the oxide 'skin' of a liquid metal to substrates. This opens the way to the low-cost mass production of 2D semiconductors at the sizes needed for electronics applications.doi: 10.1038/nature21908
Crown-of-thorns no more p.168
The starfish Acanthaster planci destroys coral reefs. Whole- genome sequences provide clues to the proteins that mediate A. planci outbreaks — information that might be used to help protect coral. See Letter p.231doi: 10.1038/nature21905
How the lizard gets its speckled scales p.170
Can a reptile compute? In one species of lizard, Timon lepidus, the colour and pattern of its scales evolve in a manner akin to a discrete rule-based computation called a cellular automaton. See Letter p.173doi: 10.1038/544170a
Human genes lost and their functions found p.171
Individuals who lack a functional copy of a gene — gene knockouts — can reveal the gene's role. Most knockout research has used model organisms, but now a comprehensive catalogue of human knockouts is in sight. See Letter p.235doi: 10.1038/544171a
Articles
A living mesoscopic cellular automaton made of skin scales p.173
A mesoscopic cellular automaton arising from a microscopic reaction–diffusion system as a function of skin thickness is observed in ocellated lizards, showing that cellular automata are not merely abstract computational systems, but can directly correspond to processes generated by biological evolution.doi: 10.1038/nature22031
Aboriginal mitogenomes reveal 50,000 years of regionalism in Australia p.180
Analysis of Aboriginal Australian mitochondrial genomes shows geographic patterns and deep splits across the major haplogroups that indicate a single, rapid migration along the coasts around 49–45 ka, followed by longstanding persistence in discrete geographic areas.doi: 10.1038/nature21416
Mono-unsaturated fatty acids link H3K4me3 modifiers to C. elegans lifespan p.185
A deficiency in H3K4me3 methyltransferase causes accumulation of mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which is important for lifespan extension in C. elegans and could be relevant in mammals.doi: 10.1038/nature21686
In-crystal reaction cycle of a toluene-bound diiron hydroxylase p.191
Crystal structures and DFT calculations suggest a possible mechanism for diiron enzyme arene hydroxylation.doi: 10.1038/nature21681
Mediator structure and rearrangements required for holoenzyme formation p.196
Cryo-electron microscopy maps of the fission yeast Mediator complex and of a Mediator–RNA polymerase II holoenzyme reveal how changes in the Med14 subunit enable large-scale rearrangements of the Mediator structure that are essential for holoenzyme formation.doi: 10.1038/nature21393
Letters
Star formation inside a galactic outflow p.202
Star formation at a rate of more than 15 solar masses a year has been observed inside a massive outflow of gas from a nearby galaxy; this could also be happening inside other galactic outflows.doi: 10.1038/nature21677
Optically excited structural transition in atomic wires on surfaces at the quantum limit p.207
A structural transition in an atomic indium wire on a silicon substrate proceeds as fast as the indium atom vibrations and is facilitated by strong In–Si interface bonds.doi: 10.1038/nature21432
Topological defects in epithelia govern cell death and extrusion p.212
By modelling epithelial cells as active nematic liquid crystals, stresses induced at the sites of topological defects are found to be the primary drivers of extrusion and cell death.doi: 10.1038/nature21718
Finding pathways to national-scale land-sector sustainability p.217
Options for achieving multiple sustainability goals in land systems are limited, and integrated national-scale analyses are needed across the broader environment and economy to prioritize efficient sustainability interventions.doi: 10.1038/nature21694
Catch shares slow the race to fish p.223
A large-scale treatment–control meta-analysis of US fisheries provides evidence that the implementation of catch shares extend fishing seasons by slowing the race to fish.doi: 10.1038/nature21728
Evolutionary dynamics on any population structure p.227
The authors derive a condition for how natural selection chooses between two competing strategies on any graph for weak selection, elucidating which population structures promote certain behaviours, such as cooperation.doi: 10.1038/nature21723
The crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest OPEN p.231
Genome sequencing and proteomic analyses of the crown-of-thorns starfish identify species-specific secreted factors that are associated with aggregating starfish and might be useful for biocontrol strategies.doi: 10.1038/nature22033
Human knockouts and phenotypic analysis in a cohort with a high rate of consanguinity p.235
By sequencing the exomes of 10,503 individuals living in Pakistan, the authors identify rare predicted loss-of-function mutations that are estimated to knock out genes and correlate these mutations with a broad range of phenotypes, providing a framework for a human knockout project.doi: 10.1038/nature22034
Re-evaluation of learned information in Drosophila p.240
Depending on prediction accuracy at the time of memory recall, specific mushroom body output neurons drive different combinations of dopaminergic neurons to extinguish or reconsolidate appetitive memory in Drosophila.doi: 10.1038/nature21716
Myt1l safeguards neuronal identity by actively repressing many non-neuronal fates p.245
The neuron-specific transcription factor Myt1l represses many somatic lineage programs, but not the neuronal lineage program, to both induce and maintain neuronal identity.doi: 10.1038/nature21722
Mutual regulation of tumour vessel normalization and immunostimulatory reprogramming p.250
The cross-talk between immune cells and blood vessel endothelial cells promotes pericyte coverage and decreases hypoxia in mouse tumour models, and correlative evidence suggests that these processes influence cancer prognosis in humans.doi: 10.1038/nature21724
