Nature contents: 15 December 2011

Can't view this email? Click here to view in your browser.     Volume 480 Number 7377      nature •Visit Nature homepage •Subscribe to Nature •View Table of Contents The science that matters. Every week.                       Olympus launches multi-purpose DP73 & DP73WDR digital microscope cameras The new ultra resolution DP73 and DP73WDR digital cameras offer highly detailed digital imaging with true colour reproduction in brightfield and fluorescence microscopy. This is achieved using Olympus' new '3CCD mode' and 'Fine Detail Process' technologies. Thanks to the Olympus WiDeR (Wide Dynamic Range) technology, the DP73WDR ensures always optimally exposed images. http://www.microscopy.olympus.eu/microscopes/Cameras_DP73.htm             Jump to the content that matters to you View Table of Contents ▶ ▼ News & Comment   ▼ Biological Sciences   ▼ Chemical Sciences   ▼ Physical Sciences   ▼ Earth & Environmental Sciences   ▼ Careers & Jobs       This week's highlights     Earth & Environmental Sciences More Earth & Environmental sciences ▼   Nationalize the Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant   How Japan deals with the radioactive and political fallout from the natural disasters of March 2011 that wrecked the Fukushima-Daiichi atomic plant will have immense implications for the nuclear power industry worldwide. In a Commentary piece this week, two prominent Japanese politicians, Tomoyuki Taira and Yukio Hatoyama, call for the nationalization of the plant as part of the recovery process.       Biological Sciences More Biological sciences ▼   Structure of HIV-1 gp120 V1/V2 domain with broadly neutralizing antibody PG9   The atomic-level structure of the V1/V2 variable region of gp120 envelope glycoprotein of HIV has been determined using an antibody called PG9, capable of neutralizing most strains of HIV. Instead of being confounded by the N-linked glycan that shields most of gp120 from immune recognition, PG9 uses it for binding via a mechanism shared by a number of antibodies capable of effective HIV neutralization.       Physical Sciences More Physical sciences ▼   Supernova SN 2011fe from an exploding carbon–oxygen white dwarf star   Supernova 2011fe in the Pinwheel galaxy, discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory on 24 August 2011, is the brightest type Ia supernova seen from Earth for many years. These observations, some of the earliest ever made on a type Ia supernova, suggest that the exploding star was probably a carbon-oxygen white dwarf, and its companion a main sequence star.                   RNA-Seq just went from complicated to compatible. EA will provide your data in a format you are used to -- 100% microarray compatible format. Now you can have your data and use it too! Expression Analysis will help you detect 2x more differentially expressed transcripts, novel isoforms and SNVs and can achieve >97% alignment to your reference genome. 919-405-2248                 Podcast & Video     In this week's podcast: The elusive Higgs, a nearby supernova goes bang, a worrying ruling for stem cell research in Europe and why the Mediterranean went through a dry patch.       Specials - Outlook: Multiple Myeloma     Despite a rash of new drugs and advances in stem-cell therapy, this rare, bloodborne cancer is still an almost certain death sentence. Although a cure remains a long way off, studies of multiple myeloma are yielding insights into bone biology, the role of the tumour microenvironment and the origins of a whole range of different cancers. ▼ more         News & Comment Read daily news coverage▶ ▲top             THIS WEEK           Editorials                   Critical mass ▶     Even Japan's political leaders struggle to get answers regarding the Fukushima disaster. It is just the latest example of the government's lack of independent scientific advice.             Error of judgment ▶     The European Court of Justice was wrong to weigh in on the definition of a human embryo.             The mask slips ▶     The Durban meeting shows that climate policy and climate science inhabit parallel worlds.             World View                   Watching the players at the climate poker table ▶     In two decades of covering climate-change negotiations, Frank McDonald, has seen youthful hope fight dark forces, and a distant threat become a reality.             Seven Days                   Seven days: 9–15 December 2011 ▶     The week in science: boost for gene therapy; EPA reports concern over fracking; and a fresh clue to ancient water on Mars.           NEWS IN FOCUS           Durban maps path to climate treaty ▶     Marathon talks enable Europe to break deadlock over global-warming deal with major greenhouse-gas emitters.             Detectors home in on Higgs boson ▶     Hunt gathers momentum as range narrows and hints of a possible signal emerge.             Super-Earths give theorists a super headache ▶     An abundance of medium-sized worlds is challenging planet-formation models.             Three-dimensional technique on trial ▶     Critics take a hard look at ankylography, a proposed method for revealing molecular structures from single pictures.             Europe appoints science adviser ▶     Scottish cell biologist Anne Glover hopes to influence EU policy-making.             Rhapsody for Hungarian science ▶     Major reforms and extra funding will help free country's researchers from communist legacy.             Features                   Astronomy in South Africa: The long shot ▶     South Africa is vying fiercely with Australia to host a giant radio telescope that may never be built — but the competition itself is changing the country's science landscape.             Stem cells: The cell division ▶     Oliver Brüstle fought for more than a decade to pursue and patent human embryonic stem-cell research in Germany. Now his efforts have backfired.           COMMENT           Nuclear energy: Nationalize the Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant ▶     Only by bringing the nuclear power station into government hands can scientists find out what really happened, say Tomoyuki Taira and Yukio Hatoyama.             Sustainable energy: Cutting science's electricity bill ▶     Large-scale research facilities need to reduce their energy consumption and begin moving towards sustainability, says Thomas Parker.             Books and Arts                   Molecular biology: Seed of revolution ▶     Michael A. Goldman hails the first English translation of the three-man paper that launched molecular biology.             Philosophy: Life emergent ▶     Evan Thompson weighs up a treatise that explores the dynamics of matter and consciousness.             Geology: High on Antarctica ▶     Gabrielle Walker enjoys a historic exploration of the frozen continent's great mountain range.             Mathematics: Drowning by numbers ▶     Stefan Michalowski and Georgia Smith find that a mix of unexplained equations and thunderclaps doesn't add up.             Correspondence                   Carbon footprints: Relative drop for farming emissions Hans Martin Seip | Funding policy: Europe needs research networks Peter Dederichs | Expanding Universe: Lemaître did stake a claim on discovery Sidney van den Bergh | Food security: Overcome India's GM crops prejudice Govindarajan Padmanaban | Autism: Social norms depend on what is typical Jasper van Haasteren           Obituary                   Har Gobind Khorana (1922–2011) ▶     Chemical biologist who helped to establish the genetic code.                         $3 million available now for innovative research funding Submit proposals now for projects focused in the following areas: - Development of therapeutics that target specific B cell lineages involved in MS pathology - Identification of surrogate or endogenous ligands for Orphan G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) expressed exclusively or primarily in the central nervous system (CNS) that relate to the pathology of MS. Apply TODAY at www.fastforward.org               Biological Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   DNA-binding factors shape the mouse methylome at distal regulatory regions ▶     Michael B. Stadler, Rabih Murr, Lukas Burger, Robert Ivanek, Florian Lienert et al.     Methylation of cytosines is an essential epigenetic modification in mammalian ge...             A microRNA regulon that mediates endothelial recruitment and metastasis by cancer cells ▶     Kim J. Png, Nils Halberg, Mitsukuni Yoshida & Sohail F. Tavazoie     Metastatic progression of cancer is a complex and clinically daunting process. W...             Cryptochromes mediate rhythmic repression of the glucocorticoid receptor ▶     Katja A. Lamia, Stephanie J. Papp, Ruth T. Yu, Grant D. Barish, N. Henriette Uhlenhaut et al.     Mammalian metabolism is highly circadian and major hormonal circuits involving n...             Cysteine methylation disrupts ubiquitin-chain sensing in NF-κB activation ▶     Li Zhang, Xiaojun Ding, Jixin Cui, Hao Xu, Jing Chen et al.     NF-κB is crucial for innate immune defence against microbial infection. In...             An unanticipated architecture of the 750-kDa α6β6 holoenzyme of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase ▶     Christine S. Huang, Peng Ge, Z. Hong Zhou & Liang Tong     3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCC), a member of the biotin-dependent carboxy...             Acquisition of a multifunctional IgA+ plasma cell phenotype in the gut ▶     Jörg H. Fritz, Olga Lucia Rojas, Nathalie Simard, Douglas D. McCarthy, Siegfried Hapfelmeier et al.     The largest mucosal surface in the body is in the gastrointestinal tract, a loca...             DCC constrains tumour progression via its dependence receptor activity ▶     Marie Castets, Laura Broutier, Yann Molin, Marie Brevet, Guillaume Chazot et al.     The role of deleted in colorectal carcinoma (DCC) as a tumour suppressor has bee...             Articles and Letters                   A disinhibitory microcircuit for associative fear learning in the auditory cortex ▶     Johannes J. Letzkus, Steffen B. E. Wolff, Elisabeth M. M. Meyer, Philip Tovote, Julien Courtin et al.     Learning causes a change in how information is processed by neuronal circuits. W...             Structure of HIV-1 gp120 V1/V2 domain with broadly neutralizing antibody PG9 ▶     Jason S. McLellan, Marie Pancera, Chris Carrico, Jason Gorman, Jean-Philippe Julien et al.     Variable regions 1 and 2 (V1/V2) of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) gp120...             Resolving the evolutionary relationships of molluscs with phylogenomic tools ▶     Stephen A. Smith, Nerida G. Wilson, Freya E. Goetz, Caitlin Feehery, Sónia C. S. Andrade et al.     Molluscs (snails, octopuses, clams and their relatives) have a great disparity o...             Metagenomic analysis of a permafrost microbial community reveals a rapid response to thaw ▶     Rachel Mackelprang, Mark P. Waldrop, Kristen M. DeAngelis, Maude M. David, Krystle L. Chavarria et al.     Permafrost contains an estimated 1672 Pg carbon (C), an amount roughly ...             Sustained axon regeneration induced by co-deletion of PTEN and SOCS3 ▶     Fang Sun, Kevin K. Park, Stephane Belin, Dongqing Wang, Tao Lu et al.     A formidable challenge in neural repair in the adult central nervous system (CNS...             Experimental infection of bats with Geomyces destructans causes white-nose syndrome ▶     Jeffrey M. Lorch, Carol U. Meteyer, Melissa J. Behr, Justin G. Boyles, Paul M. Cryan et al.     White-nose syndrome (WNS) has caused recent catastrophic declines among multiple...             HIV-1 restriction factor SAMHD1 is a deoxynucleoside triphosphate triphosphohydrolase ▶     David C. Goldstone, Valerie Ennis-Adeniran, Joseph J. Hedden, Harriet C. T. Groom, Gillian I. Rice et al.     SAMHD1, an analogue of the murine interferon (IFN)-γ-induced gene Mg11 (re...             Regulatory evolution through divergence of a phosphoswitch in the transcription factor CEBPB ▶     Vincent J. Lynch, Gemma May & Günter P. Wagner     There is an emerging consensus that gene regulation evolves through changes in c...             RAF inhibitor resistance is mediated by dimerization of aberrantly spliced BRAF(V600E) ▶     Poulikos I. Poulikakos, Yogindra Persaud, Manickam Janakiraman, Xiangju Kong, Charles Ng et al.     Activated RAS promotes dimerization of members of the RAF kinase family. ATP-com...             Chromatin-associated RNA interference components contribute to transcriptional regulation in Drosophila ▶     Filippo M. Cernilogar, Maria Cristina Onorati, Greg O. Kothe, A. Maxwell Burroughs, Krishna Mohan Parsi et al.     RNA interference (RNAi) pathways have evolved as important modulators of gene ex...             Structure of full-length Drosophila cryptochrome ▶     Brian D. Zoltowski, Anand T. Vaidya, Deniz Top, Joanne Widom, Michael W. Young et al.     The cryptochrome/photolyase (CRY/PL) family of photoreceptors mediates adaptive ...             News & Views                   Vaccinology: A sweet cleft in HIV's armour ▶     Quentin J. Sattentau             Cancer: A drug-resistant duo ▶     Hugo Lavoie & Marc Therrien             50 & 100 years ago ▶             Research Highlights                   Neurodevelopment: Wasp neurons lack nuclei | Animal behaviour: Rats rescue others in distress | Evolution and development: How the brain became human | Neuroscience: The brain's nutrient sensor         NEWS & COMMENT           Error of judgment | Europe appoints science adviser | Stem cells: The cell division | Molecular biology: Seed of revolution | Philosophy: Life emergent | Autism: Social norms depend on what is typical Jasper van Haasteren | Har Gobind Khorana (1922–2011)           CAREERS           Research: Radical rethink | Turning point: Jimmy Lin | Jobs in animal research             More Biological Sciences ▶                         Introducing the Omni5 The latest Illumina® Omni microarray offers unprecedented coverage of variants from the International HapMap and 1000 Genomes projects. Plus, you can customize with content from your own sequencing studies. HumanOmni5-Quad BeadChip enables you to target genetic variation down to 1% minor allele frequency, and to identify structural variants using nearly 5,000 indel and multibase substitution markers.               Chemical Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Cryptochromes mediate rhythmic repression of the glucocorticoid receptor ▶     Katja A. Lamia, Stephanie J. Papp, Ruth T. Yu, Grant D. Barish, N. Henriette Uhlenhaut et al.     Mammalian metabolism is highly circadian and major hormonal circuits involving n...             Cysteine methylation disrupts ubiquitin-chain sensing in NF-κB activation ▶     Li Zhang, Xiaojun Ding, Jixin Cui, Hao Xu, Jing Chen et al.     NF-κB is crucial for innate immune defence against microbial infection. In...             An unanticipated architecture of the 750-kDa α6β6 holoenzyme of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase ▶     Christine S. Huang, Peng Ge, Z. Hong Zhou & Liang Tong     3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCC), a member of the biotin-dependent carboxy...             Articles and Letters                   RAF inhibitor resistance is mediated by dimerization of aberrantly spliced BRAF(V600E) ▶     Poulikos I. Poulikakos, Yogindra Persaud, Manickam Janakiraman, Xiangju Kong, Charles Ng et al.     Activated RAS promotes dimerization of members of the RAF kinase family. ATP-com...             Structure of full-length Drosophila cryptochrome ▶     Brian D. Zoltowski, Anand T. Vaidya, Deniz Top, Joanne Widom, Michael W. Young et al.     The cryptochrome/photolyase (CRY/PL) family of photoreceptors mediates adaptive ...             News & Views                   Supramolecular chemistry: Molecular wires get connected ▶     Dario M. Bassani             Cancer: A drug-resistant duo ▶     Hugo Lavoie & Marc Therrien           NEWS & COMMENT           Philosophy: Life emergent | Har Gobind Khorana (1922–2011)             More Chemical Sciences ▶               Physical Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Astrophysics: The final plunge ▶     Mark Morris             DNA-binding factors shape the mouse methylome at distal regulatory regions ▶     Michael B. Stadler, Rabih Murr, Lukas Burger, Robert Ivanek, Florian Lienert et al.     Methylation of cytosines is an essential epigenetic modification in mammalian ge...             A gas cloud on its way towards the supermassive black hole at the Galactic Centre ▶     S. Gillessen, R. Genzel, T. K. Fritz, E. Quataert, C. Alig et al.     Measurements of stellar orbits provide compelling evidence that the compact radi...             Implementation of a Toffoli gate with superconducting circuits ▶     A. Fedorov, L. Steffen, M. Baur, M. P. da Silva & A. Wallraff     The Toffoli gate is a three-quantum-bit (three-qubit) operation that inverts the...             Articles and Letters                   Supernova SN 2011fe from an exploding carbon–oxygen white dwarf star ▶     Peter E. Nugent, Mark Sullivan, S. Bradley Cenko, Rollin C. Thomas, Daniel Kasen et al.     Type Ia supernovae have been used empirically as ‘standard candles|[rsqu...             Exclusion of a luminous red giant as a companion star to the progenitor of supernova SN 2011fe ▶     Weidong Li, Joshua S. Bloom, Philipp Podsiadlowski, Adam A. Miller, S. Bradley Cenko et al.     Type Ia supernovae are thought to result from a thermonuclear explosion of an ac...             Microwave amplification with nanomechanical resonators ▶     F. Massel, T. T. Heikkilä, J.-M. Pirkkalainen, S. U. Cho, H. Saloniemi et al.     The sensitive measurement of electrical signals is at the heart of modern techno...             Jamming by shear ▶     Dapeng Bi, Jie Zhang, Bulbul Chakraborty & R. P. Behringer     A broad class of disordered materials including foams, glassy molecular systems,...             Messinian salinity crisis regulated by competing tectonics and erosion at the Gibraltar arc ▶     D. Garcia-Castellanos & A. Villaseñor     The Messinian salinity crisis (5.96 to 5.33 million years ago) was caused by red...             News & Views                   Soft materials: Marginal matters ▶     Vincenzo Vitelli & Martin van Hecke             Supramolecular chemistry: Molecular wires get connected ▶     Dario M. Bassani             Astrophysics: Cosmic explosions under scrutiny ▶     Mario Hamuy             50 & 100 years ago ▶             Astrophysics: The final plunge ▶     Mark Morris             Research Highlights                   Nanotechnology: Swirls move tiny objects | Climate change: The growth of dying seas | Astronomy: A filter for the night sky | Bioelectronics: Recharge through the skin         NEWS & COMMENT           The mask slips | Watching the players at the climate poker table | Durban maps path to climate treaty | Detectors home in on Higgs boson | Super-Earths give theorists a super headache | Three-dimensional technique on trial | Astronomy in South Africa: The long shot | Nuclear energy: Nationalize the Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant | Sustainable energy: Cutting science's electricity bill | Molecular biology: Seed of revolution | Carbon footprints: Relative drop for farming emissions Hans Martin Seip | Expanding Universe: Lemaître did stake a claim on discovery Sidney van den Bergh             More Physical Sciences ▶               Earth & Environmental Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Articles and Letters                   Messinian salinity crisis regulated by competing tectonics and erosion at the Gibraltar arc ▶     D. Garcia-Castellanos & A. Villaseñor     The Messinian salinity crisis (5.96 to 5.33 million years ago) was caused by red...             Metagenomic analysis of a permafrost microbial community reveals a rapid response to thaw ▶     Rachel Mackelprang, Mark P. Waldrop, Kristen M. DeAngelis, Maude M. David, Krystle L. Chavarria et al.     Permafrost contains an estimated 1672 Pg carbon (C), an amount roughly ...             Research Highlights                   Climate change: The growth of dying seas | Energy: Sugar-cane biofuel fouls air         NEWS & COMMENT           The mask slips | Watching the players at the climate poker table | Durban maps path to climate treaty | Super-Earths give theorists a super headache | Geology: High on Antarctica | Carbon footprints: Relative drop for farming emissions Hans Martin Seip             More Earth & Environmental Sciences ▶               Specials - Nature Outlook: Multiple MyelomaFree Access ▲top               Multiple myeloma ▶     Herb Brody              Overview: Multiple lines of attack ▶     Researchers are developing new weapons to fight a deadly form of blood cancer.              Diagnostics: The early bird ▶     Identifying the patients most likely to progress from a precancerous condition to multiple myeloma could help doctors catch the disease early and stop it taking hold.              Animal models: Towards a myeloma mouse ▶     Introducing a human disease into mice is helping researchers explore its nature and find potential therapies.              Drugs: More shots on target ▶     Drugs introduced to fight multiple myeloma in the past decade have revolutionized treatment and extended patients' lives. Are the improvements set to continue?              Tumorigenesis: Testing ground for cancer stem cells ▶     Multiple myeloma is the ideal disease to study a controversial theory about the biology of cancer — and how to cure it.              Stem cells: Transplants on trial ▶     Stem-cell transplants are an important tool for treating myeloma. But with improved drug alternatives, doctors disagree about the best time to give the treatment.              Microenvironment: Neighbourhood watch ▶     In the fight against myeloma, researchers are investigating its interactions with molecular neighbours in the bone marrow.              Genetics: Profiling a shape-shifter ▶     Unlocking the genetic secrets of multiple myeloma could reveal new ways to attack this killer disease.              Imaging: Seeing is believing ▶     New technology to peer into the bones could help improve the treatment of multiple myeloma patients.              Aetiology: The path to disease ▶     Multiple myeloma begins with a benign condition before progression to full-blown cancer, and work is underway to uncover the origins of both.              Orthopaedics: Structural support ▶     Finding a treatment for the bone destruction caused by myeloma helped researchers understand the biology of bone.              Perspective: A model disease ▶     Despite its rarity, multiple myeloma is an ideal testing ground for cancer biology, says William Matsui.          Sponsors                     Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators Nature is the partner for the Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators. Listen to a podcast with the 2011 winner Suzan Rooijakkers and learn more about her work and the impact the award has had on her career. Alternatively, you can read excerpts from the interview in a Q&A feature article online.               Careers & Jobs ▲top               Research: Radical rethink ▶     Student-initiated projects have the potential to change a lab's focus. But with freedom comes responsibility.                   Turning point: Jimmy Lin ▶     Computational geneticist takes time away from academic pursuits to help kids with rare diseases.                   Foreigners more prolific ▶     Visitors to the US are more productive than native students.                   Jobs in animal research ▶     UK animal-health institute plans expansion and recruitment.                   Early-career boost ▶     European funding blueprint includes funds for young researchers.                   Careers related news & comment                   Funding policy: Europe needs research networks Peter Dederichs             naturejobs.com Science jobs of the week       Post doctoral position in 'Ecology of heterotrophic N2-fixing marine bacteria'     Copenhagen University, Department of Biology            Post-Doctoral Fellow (m / f) for the Electronic Structure and Magnetism group, ref. 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