Nature contents: 27 June 2013

Can't view this email? Click here to view in your browser.     Volume 498 Number 7455      nature •Visit Nature homepage •Subscribe to Nature •View Table of Contents The science that matters. Every week.               AIMResearch - Highlighting the latest research from the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) at Tohoku University, Japan Latest highlights: Glasses: From disorder to disorder | Superconductors: Riding the wave In the spotlight: Setting the stage for the next chapter (interview) Register today for monthly email alerts from the AIMR!       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     Specials - Outlook: Leukaemia     While survival rates for some types of leukaemia have improved dramatically, this family of blood cancers remains a potentially fatal disease. Research in epigenetics, immunotherapy, and cell transplants offers hope. And leukaemia is proving a testing ground for the theory of cancer stem cells – leading to knowledge that could advance cancer research overall. ▼ more       Physical Sciences More Physical sciences ▼   A micrometre-scale Raman silicon laser with a microwatt threshold   Much progress has been made in imparting useful optical properties to silicon – workhorse of the microelectronics industry – culminating in the realization of an all-silicon laser. Now a new type of miniature silicon laser that requires only a tiny amount of power to function has been developed, combining a cavity size of less than 10 micrometres with a threshold power of just one milliwatt. The device is well suited to integration with other photonic and electronic circuitry and may stimulate silicon photonics research in a number of novel areas.       Earth & Environmental Sciences More Earth & Environmental sciences ▼   Stability of active mantle upwelling revealed by net characteristics of plate tectonics   Earth's long history of mountain building and plate tectonic motion is correlated with viscous flow of the underlying mantle. This study shows that despite their apparent complexity, the net characteristics of plate tectonics reflect simple and steady large-scale flow patterns in the mantle. Two points of plate divergence beneath Africa and the Pacific have remained stationary for the past 250 million years despite the on-going formation and destruction of seafloor and supercontinents at the surface, and these stabilizing 'anchors' may have served to organize mantle flow and surface tectonics.           Brazilian science at the Royal Society Scientific cooperation between Brazil and Europe will be discussed at FAPESP Week London. Researchers from several countries are expected to attend Study paves the way to new therapy for congenital anemia Sign up for FAPESP's free weekly newsletter to know the latest developments of Brazilian science           Biological Sciences More Biological sciences ▼   Elastic energy storage in the shoulder and the evolution of high-speed throwing in Homo   Darwin speculated that by freeing up the arms, bipedalism could have enabled our hominin ancestors to hunt effectively using projectiles. An analysis of the biomechanics of male volunteers asked to pitch a baseball suggests that adaptations of the human upper body allow us to store and release elastic energy in the shoulder in a catapult-like fashion. The shifts in morphology that make this possible are preserved in the fossil record and imply that the ability to throw objects at high speed arose with Homo erectus, possibly in association with early hunting.       Podcast & Video     In this week's podcast: the oldest genome ever sequenced, how elephants evolved from tree-eaters to grass-eaters, and why humans are so good at playing baseball and a related video, Why chimps don't play baseball: compared with chimpanzees and other animals, we're very good at throwing. This video shows how our skill is down to the anatomy of our shoulders. In a second video When blood goes bad, Nature Video looks at the blood factories inside our bones, to see what goes awry in the main forms of leukaemia, or cancer of the blood.         News & Comment Read daily news coverage▶ ▲top               THIS WEEK           Editorials                   A culture of consent ▶     More than 50 years after the WI-38 cell line was derived from a fetus, science and society has still to get to grips with the ethical issues of using human tissue in research.             Family first ▶     Better sequencing techniques are enabling some scientists to take personal genomics literally.             How do you sleep? ▶     Modern sleep patterns cause ill health, so it is time to work out how much rest we really need.             World View                   Europe should rethink its stance on GM crops ▶     Second-generation crop genetic-modification techniques avoid some of the issues that previously provoked hostility, argues Brian Heap.             Seven Days                   Seven days: 21–27 June 2013 ▶     The week in science: Indonesian fires spew hazardous haze, Los Alamos scientist admits releasing classified nuclear data, and Fermilab names next leader.             NEWS IN FOCUS           Gas drilling taints groundwater ▶     Chemical analysis links methane in drinking wells to shale-gas extraction.             Sulphur back in vogue for batteries ▶     Lithium–sulphur batteries benefit from new materials.             Bid to cure HIV ramps up ▶     Clinical trial will aim to replicate virus-expunging therapy that worked in US infant.             Father's genetic quest pays off ▶     Mutation provides clue to daughter's undefined syndrome.             Proof mooted for quantum uncertainty ▶     Study confirms principle's limits on measurement accuracy.             Floating tubes test sea-life sensitivity ▶     Ocean labs probe effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems.             Feature                   Medical research: Cell division ▶     In 1962, Leonard Hayflick created a cell strain from an aborted fetus. More than 50 years later, WI-38 remains a crucial, but controversial, source of cells.             COMMENT           Chronobiology: The human sleep project ▶     To establish the true role of sleep, researchers must gather real-world data from thousands, even millions, of people, says Till Roenneberg.             Marine science: Get ready for ocean acidification ▶     Sam Dupont and Hans Pörtner call for experiments of greater complexity that can probe how plummeting pH will affect marine ecosystems as the climate warms.             Books and Arts                   History: Beam me home ▶     Joanne Baker enjoys a biography of the doughty French inventor of the bull's-eye lens, the secret of the modern lighthouse.             Books in brief ▶             Science fiction: Broken brains and runaway technology ▶     Jennifer Rohn enters the dystopian world of Susan Greenfield's first novel.             Q&A: Sound chaser ▶     Audio sculptor Bill Fontana creates recordings of particle generators as artist-in-residence at CERN, Europe's particle-physics laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. Ahead of his opening lecture, Fontana talks about probing the links between the speeds of sound and light, and chasing vibrations in gases, liquids and solids.             Correspondence                   Tuberculosis: Society should decide on UK badger cull Mark Woolhouse, James Wood | Global networks: InterAcademy Panel to inform policy Volker ter Meulen, Mohamed Hassan, Robin Fears | Brazil: Nuclear plans add to pressure on Caatinga Erika dos Santos Nunes | Conservation: Relaxed laws imperil Australian wildlife Euan G. Ritchie | Goal-line technology: American football is clear on uncertainty Eric Altschuler             Obituary                   Joe Farman (1930–2013) ▶     Discoverer of the ozone hole.             Correction                   Correction ▶                 Biological Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Bioinorganic chemistry: Enzymes activated by synthetic components ▶     Ryan D. Bethel, Marcetta Y. Darensbourg             Ancient DNA: Towards a million-year-old genome ▶     Craig D. Millar, Allan Wilson, David M. Lambert             Cancer: An acidic link ▶     Suzanne Devkota, Peter. J. Turnbaugh             Comprehensive molecular characterization of clear cell renal cell carcinoma OPEN ▶     The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network reports an integrative analysis of more than 400 samples of clear cell renal cell carcinoma based on genomic, DNA methylation, RNA and proteomic characterisation; frequent mutations were identified in the PI(3)K/AKT pathway, suggesting this pathway might be a potential therapeutic target, among the findings is also a demonstration of metabolic remodelling which correlates with tumour stage and severity.             An siRNA screen for NFAT activation identifies septins as coordinators of store-operated Ca2+ entry ▶     Sonia Sharma, Ariel Quintana, Gregory M. Findlay et al.     A genome-wide RNA interference analysis identifies the septin family of cytoskeletal filaments as important regulators of store-operated Ca2+ entry into the cell; septins are shown to organize plasma membrane microdomains important in STIM1 and ORAI1 signalling, and may also be relevant in membrane microdomains underlying other signalling processes.             Reversal of an ancient sex chromosome to an autosome in Drosophila  ▶     Beatriz Vicoso, Doris Bachtrog     An autosomal chromosome pair in Drosophila, the dot chromosome, is shown to have evolved from an ancestral X chromosome: these findings explain several previously puzzling aspects of dot chromosome biology and challenge the view that differentiated sex chromosomes represent a terminal evolutionary stage.             Behaviour-dependent recruitment of long-range projection neurons in somatosensory cortex ▶     Jerry L. Chen, Stefano Carta, Joana Soldado-Magraner et al.     In the mouse whisker region of primary somatosensory cortex (S1), neurons projecting to secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) and primary motor cortex (M1), respectively, are differentially activated during distinct whisker-based behavioural tasks; sensory stimulus features alone do not elicit these differences, suggesting that selective transmission of S1 information to S2 and M1 is driven by behaviour.             Biomimetic assembly and activation of [FeFe]-hydrogenases ▶     G. Berggren, A. Adamska, C. Lambertz et al.     Three synthetic mimics of the di-iron centre in [FeFe]-hydrogenases are loaded onto the HydF protein and then transferred to apo-HydA1; full activation of HydA1 was achieved only with the HydF hybrid protein that contained the mimic with an azadithiolate bridge, confirming the presence of this ligand in the active site of native [FeFe]-hydrogenases.             Transport dynamics in a glutamate transporter homologue ▶     Nurunisa Akyuz, Roger B. Altman, Scott C. Blanchard et al.     Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging of a bacterial glutamate transporter reveals how the transport domains move.             The role of behaviour in adaptive morphological evolution of African proboscideans ▶     Adrian M. Lister     To test whether a behavioural change can lead to morphological evolution, stable isotopes in tooth enamel are used to show that archaic elephants were feeding on grassland millions of years before their teeth adapted by becoming high-crowned.             Attention enhances synaptic efficacy and the signal-to-noise ratio in neural circuits ▶     Farran Briggs, George R. Mangun, W. Martin Usrey     In monkeys performing a visual spatial attention task, stimulation of neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus and recording of shock-evoked responses from monosynaptically connected primary-visual-cortex neurons shows that attention enhances neuronal communication by increasing the efficacy of presynaptic input, increasing synchronous responses, and by decreasing redundant signals.             AID stabilizes stem-cell phenotype by removing epigenetic memory of pluripotency genes ▶     Ritu Kumar, Lauren DiMenna, Nadine Schrode et al.     Fibroblasts deficient in the activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) enzyme are shown to fail to stabilize in the pluripotent state, despite initiating the expression of pluripotency genes.             Recalibrating Equus evolution using the genome sequence of an early Middle Pleistocene horse ▶     Ludovic Orlando, Aurélien Ginolhac, Guojie Zhang et al.     A low-coverage draft genome sequence from a horse bone recovered from permafrost dated to approximately 560–780 thousand years ago is presented; this represents the oldest full genome sequence to date by almost an order of magnitude.             Obesity-induced gut microbial metabolite promotes liver cancer through senescence secretome ▶     Shin Yoshimoto, Tze Mun Loo, Koji Atarashi et al.     Obesity is shown in a mouse model of liver cancer to strongly enhance tumorigenesis; a high fat diet alters the composition of intestinal bacteria, leading to more production of the metabolite DCA which, probably together with other factors, induces senescence and the secretion of various senescence-associated cytokines in hepatic stellate cells, thus promoting cancer.             Promoter directionality is controlled by U1 snRNP and polyadenylation signals ▶     Albert E. Almada, Xuebing Wu, Andrea J. Kriz et al.     Asymmetric sequence determinants flanking gene transcription start sites are shown to control directionality of transcription elongation in mammalian cells by regulating promoter-proximal cleavage and polyadenylation.             Receptor binding by an H7N9 influenza virus from humans ▶     Xiaoli Xiong, Stephen R. Martin, Lesley F. Haire et al.     An examination of the receptor-binding properties of the H7N9 virus, which has recently emerged in China, shows that the virus has acquired the ability to bind the human α-2,6-linked sialic acid receptor while retaining binding to the avian α-2,3-linked receptor, and therefore does not have the preference for human versus avian receptors characteristic of pandemic viruses.             Articles and Letters                   Combinatorial temporal patterning in progenitors expands neural diversity ▶     Omer Ali Bayraktar, Chris Q. Doe     Drosophila neural stem cells and their proliferative progeny are both shown to change over time, thus increasing the diversity of their neuronal and glial progeny; such temporal patterning may also contribute to neuronal complexity in the human neocortex.             Temporal patterning of Drosophila medulla neuroblasts controls neural fates ▶     Xin Li, Ted Erclik, Claire Bertet et al.     Five transcription factors are sequentially expressed in a temporal cascade in Drosophila medulla neuroblasts of the visual system; cross-regulations between these transcription factors control the temporal transitions, and temporal switching of neural progenitors may be a common theme in neuronal specification, with different sequences of transcription factors being used in different contexts.             Elastic energy storage in the shoulder and the evolution of high-speed throwing in Homo  ▶     Neil T. Roach, Madhusudhan Venkadesan, Michael J. Rainbow et al.     Humans are able to throw projectiles with high speed and accuracy largely as a result of anatomical features that enable elastic energy storage and release at the shoulder; features that first appear together approximately 2 million years ago in Homo erectus, possibly as a means to hunt.             orco mutant mosquitoes lose strong preference for humans and are not repelled by volatile DEET ▶     Matthew DeGennaro, Carolyn S. McBride, Laura Seeholzer et al.     Mosquitoes with null mutations in the orco olfactory co-receptor have reduced preference for humans, are only attracted to human odour in the presence of CO2 and are not repelled by the odour of the insect repellent DEET.             EndMT contributes to the onset and progression of cerebral cavernous malformations ▶     Luigi Maddaluno, Noemi Rudini, Roberto Cuttano et al.     Cerebral cavernous malformations associated with loss of function of Ccm1 are shown to be formed by endothelial cells undergoing endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) induced by TGF-β and BMP signalling; inhibition of TGF-β and BMP signalling prevents EndMT and the appearance of CCM lesions.             In vivo cardiac reprogramming contributes to zebrafish heart regeneration ▶     Ruilin Zhang, Peidong Han, Hongbo Yang et al.     A cardiac injury study in zebrafish reveals the plasticity of heart cell lineages as shown by a Notch-dependent transdifferentiation of atrial to ventricular cardiomyocytes, regenerating a cell type that is damaged in human heart failure.             Severe malaria is associated with parasite binding to endothelial protein C receptor ▶     Louise Turner, Thomas Lavstsen, Sanne S. Berger et al.     Endothelial protein C receptor is shown to be the receptor for Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 variants associated with severe malaria.             BACH2 represses effector programs to stabilize Treg-mediated immune homeostasis ▶     Rahul Roychoudhuri, Kiyoshi Hirahara, Kambiz Mousavi et al.     Diverse autoimmune and allergic diseases are associated with polymorphisms in a locus encoding the transcription factor BACH2; here, BACH2 is shown to be a broad regulator of immune activation that stabilizes the differentiation of Treg cells by repressing commitment of CD4+ T cells to alternate cell fates.             Rev-Erbs repress macrophage gene expression by inhibiting enhancer-directed transcription ▶     Michael T. Y. Lam, Han Cho, Hanna P. Lesch et al.     It is unclear whether bidirectional non-coding RNAs transcribed from enhancer elements (eRNAs) have any functional role; here, the repressive functions of Rev-Erb nuclear receptors in macrophages are shown to be linked to their ability to inhibit the transcription of eRNAs.             Functional roles of enhancer RNAs for oestrogen-dependent transcriptional activation ▶     Wenbo Li, Dimple Notani, Qi Ma et al.     It is unclear whether bidirectional non-coding RNAs transcribed from enhancer elements (eRNAs) have any functional role; here, eRNA transcription is shown to be functionally important during the activation of genes by the oestrogen receptor in human breast cancer cells.             Unusual architecture of the p7 channel from hepatitis C virus ▶     Bo OuYang, Shiqi Xie, Marcelo J. Berardi et al.     The structure of the oligomeric hepatitis C virus viroporin p7 protein, solved by NMR spectroscopy, is reported; this protein can self-assemble into a channel complex that conducts cations and has a funnel-like channel architecture.             News & Views                   Regenerative biology: Heartbroken embryos heal ▶     Kenneth R. Chien             Neuroscience: Stem cells in multiple time zones ▶     Stefan Thor             Cell signalling: Nutrient sensing lost in cancer ▶     Suchithra Menon, Brendan D. Manning             Animal behaviour: Brain food ▶     Marian Turner             Epidemiology: Resistance mapping in malaria ▶     A. Taylor Bright, Elizabeth A. Winzeler             Bioinorganic chemistry: Enzymes activated by synthetic components ▶     Ryan D. Bethel, Marcetta Y. Darensbourg             Ancient DNA: Towards a million-year-old genome ▶     Craig D. Millar, Allan Wilson, David M. Lambert             Cancer: An acidic link ▶     Suzanne Devkota, Peter. J. Turnbaugh             Brief Communications Arising                   Diatom flickering prior to regime shift ▶     Jacob Carstensen, Richard J. Telford, H. John B. Birks             Wang et al. reply ▶     Rong Wang, John A. Dearing, Peter G. Langdon et al.             Corrigendum                   Corrigendum: Functional organization of human sensorimotor cortex for speech articulation ▶     Kristofer E. Bouchard, Nima Mesgarani, Keith Johnson & Edward F. Chang             Research Highlights                   Ecology: Escargot on the go | Evolution: Red Queen forces extinctions | Plant sciences: Vegetables' daily rhythm | Archaeology: Shells show rise of Homo sapiens | Neuroscience: Enzyme duo elicit nerve branching | Genetic engineering: Comprehensive fly library         NEWS & COMMENT           A culture of consent | Family first | How do you sleep? | Europe should rethink its stance on GM crops | Bid to cure HIV ramps up | Father's genetic quest pays off | Floating tubes test sea-life sensitivity | Medical research: Cell division | Chronobiology: The human sleep project | Books in brief | Tuberculosis: Society should decide on UK badger cull | Conservation: Relaxed laws imperil Australian wildlife             More Biological Sciences ▶                 Nature Publishing Index 2012 Global  The Nature Publishing Index (NPI) ranks institutions and countries according to the number of primary research articles they publish in the Nature family of journals in a one-year period. The Nature Publishing Index 2012 Global supplement provides league tables and commentary based on articles published between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2012.  Where does your institution rank?          Chemical Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Bioinorganic chemistry: Enzymes activated by synthetic components ▶     Ryan D. Bethel, Marcetta Y. Darensbourg             Biomimetic assembly and activation of [FeFe]-hydrogenases ▶     G. Berggren, A. Adamska, C. Lambertz et al.     Three synthetic mimics of the di-iron centre in [FeFe]-hydrogenases are loaded onto the HydF protein and then transferred to apo-HydA1; full activation of HydA1 was achieved only with the HydF hybrid protein that contained the mimic with an azadithiolate bridge, confirming the presence of this ligand in the active site of native [FeFe]-hydrogenases.             News & Views                   50 & 100 Years Ago ▶             Bioinorganic chemistry: Enzymes activated by synthetic components ▶     Ryan D. Bethel, Marcetta Y. Darensbourg           NEWS & COMMENT           Sulphur back in vogue for batteries             More Chemical Sciences ▶               Physical Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Bioinorganic chemistry: Enzymes activated by synthetic components ▶     Ryan D. Bethel, Marcetta Y. Darensbourg             Planetary science: The robustness of planet formation ▶     William F. Welsh             Biomimetic assembly and activation of [FeFe]-hydrogenases ▶     G. Berggren, A. Adamska, C. Lambertz et al.     Three synthetic mimics of the di-iron centre in [FeFe]-hydrogenases are loaded onto the HydF protein and then transferred to apo-HydA1; full activation of HydA1 was achieved only with the HydF hybrid protein that contained the mimic with an azadithiolate bridge, confirming the presence of this ligand in the active site of native [FeFe]-hydrogenases.             The same frequency of planets inside and outside open clusters of stars ▶     Søren Meibom, Guillermo Torres, Francois Fressin et al.     The transits of two Sun-like stars by small planets in an open star cluster are reported; such a stellar environment is unlike that of most planet-hosting field stars, and suggests that the occurrence of planets is unaffected by the stellar environment in open clusters.             Articles and Letters                   Multi-periodic pulsations of a stripped red-giant star in an eclipsing binary system ▶     Pierre F. L. Maxted, Aldo M. Serenelli, Andrea Miglio et al.     Measurements of a precursor to a low-mass white-dwarf star reveal that such white-dwarf stars probably had a thick hydrogen envelope, which was lost by irradiation or shell flashes in the case of rapidly cooling white-dwarf stars.             Entanglement between light and an optical atomic excitation ▶     L. Li, Y. O. Dudin, A. Kuzmich     Trapped Rydberg atoms are used to achieve deterministic entanglement between light and an optical atomic coherence, paving the way for functional, many-node quantum networks.             A micrometre-scale Raman silicon laser with a microwatt threshold ▶     Yasushi Takahashi, Yoshitaka Inui, Masahiro Chihara et al.     A continuous-wave Raman silicon laser with a photonic-crystal nanocavity less than ten micrometres in size and an unprecedentedly low lasing threshold of one microwatt is demonstrated, showing that the integration of all-silicon devices into photonic circuits may be possible.             Lifespan of mountain ranges scaled by feedbacks between landsliding and erosion by rivers ▶     David L. Egholm, Mads F. Knudsen, Mike Sandiford     Computational simulations show that variations in the rate of fluvial erosion between tectonically active and inactive mountain ranges may relate to a bidirectional coupling between bedrock river incision and landslides.             Elastic energy storage in the shoulder and the evolution of high-speed throwing in Homo  ▶     Neil T. Roach, Madhusudhan Venkadesan, Michael J. Rainbow et al.     Humans are able to throw projectiles with high speed and accuracy largely as a result of anatomical features that enable elastic energy storage and release at the shoulder; features that first appear together approximately 2 million years ago in Homo erectus, possibly as a means to hunt.             News & Views                   Quantum physics: Spooky action gets collective ▶     Matthias Weidemüller             Applied physics: Cloaking of heat ▶     Ulf Leonhardt             Electronics: The road to carbon nanotube transistors ▶     Aaron D. Franklin             50 & 100 Years Ago ▶             Photonics: An ultra-small silicon laser ▶     Roel Baets             Bioinorganic chemistry: Enzymes activated by synthetic components ▶     Ryan D. Bethel, Marcetta Y. Darensbourg             Planetary science: The robustness of planet formation ▶     William F. Welsh             Research Highlights                   Materials science: Droplets move to softer substrates | Applied physics: Metamaterial wall amplifies sound         NEWS & COMMENT           Sulphur back in vogue for batteries | History: Beam me home | Books in brief | Q&A: Sound chaser | Proof mooted for quantum uncertainty             More Physical Sciences ▶               Earth & Environmental Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Planetary science: The robustness of planet formation ▶     William F. Welsh             The role of behaviour in adaptive morphological evolution of African proboscideans ▶     Adrian M. Lister     To test whether a behavioural change can lead to morphological evolution, stable isotopes in tooth enamel are used to show that archaic elephants were feeding on grassland millions of years before their teeth adapted by becoming high-crowned.             Articles and Letters                   Lifespan of mountain ranges scaled by feedbacks between landsliding and erosion by rivers ▶     David L. Egholm, Mads F. Knudsen, Mike Sandiford     Computational simulations show that variations in the rate of fluvial erosion between tectonically active and inactive mountain ranges may relate to a bidirectional coupling between bedrock river incision and landslides.             Stability of active mantle upwelling revealed by net characteristics of plate tectonics ▶     Clinton P. Conrad, Bernhard Steinberger, Trond H. Torsvik     Global-scale mantle flow patterns can be deduced from the net behaviour (convergence and divergence) of surface plate motions; persistent quadrupole divergence in central Africa and the central Pacific suggest sustained stationary upwelling beneath these locations in the mantle.             News & Views                   Planetary science: The robustness of planet formation ▶     William F. Welsh             Brief Communications Arising                   Diatom flickering prior to regime shift ▶     Jacob Carstensen, Richard J. Telford, H. John B. Birks             Wang et al. reply ▶     Rong Wang, John A. Dearing, Peter G. Langdon et al.             Corrigendum                   Corrigendum: Human contribution to more-intense precipitation extremes ▶     Seung-Ki Min, Xuebin Zhang, Francis W. Zwiers & Gabriele C. Hegerl             Research Highlights                   Atmospheric science: Aerosols suppress hurricanes         NEWS & COMMENT           Floating tubes test sea-life sensitivity | Marine science: Get ready for ocean acidification | Brazil: Nuclear plans add to pressure on Caatinga | Joe Farman (1930–2013) | Gas drilling taints groundwater             More Earth & Environmental Sciences ▶               Specials - Nature Outlook: Leukaemia Free Access ▲top               Leukaemia ▶     Apoorva Mandavilli             Living with leukaemia ▶     Leukaemias are cancers of the blood or bone marrow. But how do they form, and can they be treated?             Genetics: Written in blood ▶     Technologies that rapidly sequence DNA reveal deep genetic diversity both within and among individuals with leukaemia.             Perspective: Combined forces ▶     Beginning treatment with a combination of drugs should help to stop drug resistance developing, says Charles L. Sawyers.             Drug development: Target practice ▶     Better designs for clinical trials and the use of combination therapies may improve leukaemia treatment.             Epigenetics: Reversible tags ▶     Enzymes that modify gene expression without changing the DNA sequence are now viewed as central to the development of leukaemia — and may lead to new drugs.             Stem cells: Bad seeds ▶     Leukaemia treatments must eliminate the versatile cells that can bring the cancer back to life years later.             Drug safety: Double jeopardy ▶     Leukaemia in children is highly curable, but many survivors suffer severe, even life-threatening, long-term effects. Scientists are seeking ways to deliver a safer cure.             Cell banks: Life blood ▶     Stem cells from the umbilical cord are among the latest weapons in the fight against leukaemia.             Perspective: Assembly line immunotherapy ▶     Bruce L. Levine and Carl H. June explore how to make engineered immune cells that can eradicate cancer widely available.         Sponsors             Nature Geoscience web focus: 5 years after the Wenchuan Earthquake   The Wenchuan earthquake of 2008 killed more than 80,000 people and displaced millions. The most recent quake in April 2013 wreaked further havoc in the region. This web focus discusses the mechanisms for the Wenchuan quake and the implications for our understanding of the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, the on-going risk from quake-induced landslides, and the societal impacts.   Free online to registered nature.com users until 31 October 2013. Produced with support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.         Careers & Jobs ▲top               Funding: Flirting with disaster ▶     Draconian US federal budget cuts due to 'sequestration' are already having dramatic effects.                   Turning point: Riccardo Bevilacqua ▶     Spacecraft designer's research takes off after move abroad                   Jump start for postdocs ▶     Shorter grant-eligibility period aims to speed researchers' independence                   University funding cuts ▶     European universities suffering financially after recession, says report.                   Help with expenses ▶     Child-care cost support available for conference attendees.             Careers related news & comment                   Seven days: 21–27 June 2013 | Global networks: InterAcademy Panel to inform policy Volker ter Meulen, Mohamed Hassan, Robin Fears               naturejobs.com Science jobs of the week       Postdoctoral Researcher     University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus            Scientific assistant     CSCC, Jena University Hospital            Post-Doctoral Research Associate     Queen Mary University London            PhD position     The University of Hong Kong          No matter what your career stage, student, postdoc or senior scientist, you will find articles on naturejobs.com to help guide you in your science career. Keep up-to-date with the latest sector trends, vote in our reader poll and sign-up to receive the monthly Naturejobs newsletter.           • Nature Newsevents Directory featured events           natureevents directory featured events         Cancer Therapeutics 2013: From Bench to Bedside     04.11.13 La Jolla, USA         Natureevents Directory is the premier resource for scientists looking for the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia. Featured across Nature Publishing Group journals and centrally at natureevents.com it is an essential reference guide to scientific events worldwide.               Futures                   Probability-1: termination ▶     Euan Nisbet                 Your email address is in the Nature mailing list. You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. You can change or discontinue your e-mail alerts at any time, by modifying your preferences on your nature.com account at: www.nature.com/nams/svc/myaccount (You will need to log in to be recognised as a nature.com registrant). For further technical assistance, please contact subscriptions@nature.com For other enquiries, please contact feedback@nature.com Nature Publishing Group | 75 Varick Street, 9th floor | New York | NY 10013-1917 | USA Nature Publishing Group's offices: Principal offices: London - New York - Tokyo Worldwide offices: Basingstoke - Boston - Buenos Aires - Delhi - Hong Kong - Madrid - Melbourne - Munich - Paris - San Francisco - Seoul - Washington DC Macmillan Publishers Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 785998 and whose registered office is located at Brunel Road, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. © 2013 Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.