This Week in Science

Editor summaries of this week's papers.
Science 18 January 2008: 257.
|Full Text »

Editorial:
Engaging Iran

Glenn Schweitzer and Norman Neureiter
Science 18 January 2008: 258.
Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Editors' Choice

Highlights of the recent literature.
Science 18 January 2008: 259.
|Full Text »

Science Podcast

Science 18 January 2008: 345.
Summary »|   Transcript »|  

NEW PRODUCTS

Science 18 January 2008: 348.
Summary »|   PDF »|  

News of the Week

SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING: Uncle Sam's Biomedical Archive Wants Your Papers

Jocelyn Kaiser
Science 18 January 2008: 266.
Last week, the U.S. National Institutes of Health informed its grantees that, to comply with a new law, they must begin sending copies of their accepted, peer-reviewed manuscripts to NIH for posting in a free online archive. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

REMOTE SENSING: Satellite Company Offers Earth-Observing Researchers a Ride

Daniel Clery
Science 18 January 2008: 267.
Satellite communications company Iridium is offering space on its next-generation fleet of 66 satellites for researchers to do earth observation. But the $1.6 billion price tag could prove a bit too steep. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

NEUROSCIENCE: Mirror Neurons May Help Songbirds Stay in Tune

Greg Miller
Science 18 January 2008: 269.
In work published this week, researchers describe mirror neurons in songbirds that fire when a bird sings or hears another bird sing a song similar to its own, a finding that may pave the way to insights into how songbirds learn and maintain their complex songs. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ASTRONOMY: New Dark-Matter Map Reveals Where Galaxies Gambol

Govert Schilling
Science 18 January 2008: 270.
The most detailed map of dark matter ever made confirms that galaxies cluster together where the density of the mysterious dark stuff is highest. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS: Polynesians Took the Express Train Through Melanesia to the Pacific

Constance Holden
Science 18 January 2008: 270.
A new study published this week supports the "express train" theory of the peopling of the far-flung islands of Remote Oceania, which posits that people from Taiwan moved rapidly through Melanesia, leaving little genetic footprint. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ASTRONOMY: Most-Massive Black Hole Confirms Relativity Rules the Universe

Govert Schilling
Science 18 January 2008: 271.
Astronomers observing a supermassive black hole 3.5 billion light-years from Earth have found that the object brightened dramatically at just the time the equations of general relativity predicted. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Isolated Tribe Gives Clues to the Origins of Syphilis

Carl Zimmer
Science 18 January 2008: 272.
A team of researchers argues in work published this week that syphilis originated as a milder, nonsexual disease in the New World and evolved into its current form after Europeans arrived. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

EPIDEMIOLOGY: Calculating Iraq's Death Toll: WHO Study Backs Lower Estimate

John Bohannon
Science 18 January 2008: 273.
A new estimate of the number of Iraqis who died violently in the first 40 months following the U.S.-led invasion--between 104,000 and 223,000--hews close to some other attempts to quantify the toll but comes in far below a controversial 2006 estimate of 600,000 violent deaths during the same period. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceScope

Science 18 January 2008: 269.
|Full Text »

Random Samples

Science 18 January 2008: 263.
|Full Text »

Newsmakers

Science 18 January 2008: 265.
|Full Text »

News Focus

SCIENCE AND COMMERCE: Gene Tests for Psychiatric Risk Polarize Researchers

Jennifer Couzin
Science 18 January 2008: 274-277.
A small California company is the first to venture into psychiatric gene testing. But is the science ready? Full Text »|   PDF »|  

SCIENCE AND COMMERCE: Hoping for a Glimpse of What's Ahead

Jennifer Couzin
Science 18 January 2008: 276-277.
Researchers are beginning to tackle the question of how people who undergo genetic testing for psychiatric disorders interpret the results and how such information alters their lives. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ARCHAEOLOGY: Seeking the Roots of Ritual

Andrew Curry
Science 18 January 2008: 278-280.
In the hills of Turkey, researchers are slowly uncovering the world's oldest monumental structures, strange monoliths built by hunter-gatherers perhaps 11,000 years ago. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ARCHAEOLOGY: Just Don't Call It the Garden of Eden

Andrew Curry
Science 18 January 2008: 280.
Everyone in the city of Urfa, Turkey, seems to know Klaus Schmidt's name--and to have an opinion on his work excavating the world's oldest monumental architecture. As Göbekli Tepe's fame spreads, tourism may become Schmidt's biggest concern. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Letters

This Week's Letters

Science 18 January 2008: 281.
Summary »|   PDF »|  

 Conservation with Sense

Matthew L. M. Lim, Navjot S. Sodhi, and John A. Endler
Science 18 January 2008: 281.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 Scientific Meetings: Worth Attending

Marcia McNutt
Science 18 January 2008: 281.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 Scientific Meetings: Call In Instead

Rustum Roy
Science 18 January 2008: 281-282.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 Putting a Human Face on Energy Usage

Robert Burruss
Science 18 January 2008: 282.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 Fair Game for Chimpanzees

Elisabetta Visalberghi, James Anderson;, Keith Jensen, Josep Call, and Michael Tomasello
Science 18 January 2008: 282-284.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books et al.

ECONOMICS AND CLIMATE CHANGE: Act Now (But How?)

William F. Ruddiman
Science 18 January 2008: 285.
Developing further a theme from earlier books, Lomborg advocates spending only modest amounts to lower carbon emissions and instead focusing on improving health and reducing poverty. He argues that the increased global wealth will in the long run allow a more effective response to climate change. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books Received

Science 18 January 2008: 285.
Summary »|  

Policy Forum

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: Aging Infrastructure and Ecosystem Restoration

Martin W. Doyle, Emily H. Stanley, David G. Havlick, Mark J. Kaiser, George Steinbach, William L. Graf, Gerald E. Galloway, and J. Adam Riggsbee
Science 18 January 2008: 286-287.
Targeted decommissioning of deteriorated and obsolete infrastructure can provide opportunities for restoring degraded ecosystems. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Perspectives

NEUROSCIENCE: Organizing the Source of Memory

Elizabeth A. Grove
Science 18 January 2008: 288-289.
Signals from the midline of the embryonic brain direct formation of the hippocampus. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ASTRONOMY: Orion Continues to Surprise

C. R. O'Dell and Leisa K. Townsley
Science 18 January 2008: 289-290.
Observations of a nearby nebula reveal an unusual region of extremely hot gas whose high temperature is the result of wind from massive stars. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ECOLOGY: Managing Coastal Wetlands

Ivan Valiela and Sophia E. Fox
Science 18 January 2008: 290-291.
Wetland management may be improved by evaluating nonlinear relationships of economic value and ecological services. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

GEOLOGY: Dreams of Natural Streams

David R. Montgomery
Science 18 January 2008: 291-292.
Human influences have fundamentally changed river morphologies in temperate regions around the world. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PHYSICS: Probing Quantum Magnetism with Cold Atoms

Maciej Lewenstein and Anna Sanpera
Science 18 January 2008: 292-293.
The interactions of atoms held in an optical trap reveal fundamental mechanisms of magnetism. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Brevia

Arabidopsis CLV3 Peptide Directly Binds CLV1 Ectodomain

Mari Ogawa, Hidefumi Shinohara, Youji Sakagami, and Yoshikatsu Matsubayashi
Science 18 January 2008: 294.
Peptides that maintain the stem cells in the shoot apical meristem of Arabidopsis act by binding to the extracellular portion of a receptor-like kinase. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Research Articles

Time-Resolved Observation and Control of Superexchange Interactions with Ultracold Atoms in Optical Lattices

S. Trotzky, P. Cheinet, S. Fölling, M. Feld, U. Schnorrberger, A. M. Rey, A. Polkovnikov, E. A. Demler, M. D. Lukin, and I. Bloch
Science 18 January 2008: 295-299.
Published online 20 December 2007 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1150841] (in Science Express Research Articles)
Ultracold atoms trapped at sites of optical lattices are used to investigate the superexchange interaction between neighboring spins. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Natural Streams and the Legacy of Water-Powered Mills

Robert C. Walter and Dorothy J. Merritts
Science 18 January 2008: 299-304.
Floodplains and streams in the eastern United States were altered extensively by milldams in the 1700s and 1800s, challenging recent hydrologic interpretations and restoration approaches. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Lhx2 Selector Activity Specifies Cortical Identity and Suppresses Hippocampal Organizer Fate

Vishakha S. Mangale, Karla E. Hirokawa, Prasad R. V. Satyaki, Nandini Gokulchandran, Satyadeep Chikbire, Lakshmi Subramanian, Ashwin S. Shetty, Ben Martynoga, Jolly Paul, Mark V. Mai, Yuqing Li, Lisa A. Flanagan, Shubha Tole, and Edwin S. Monuki
Science 18 January 2008: 304-309.
The brain’s cortex begins as a one-cell-thick sheet of stem cells, whose ultimate identity is specified by a gene that suppresses noncortical cell fates. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Reports

Million-Degree Plasma Pervading the Extended Orion Nebula

Manuel Güdel, Kevin R. Briggs, Thierry Montmerle, Marc Audard, Luisa Rebull, and Stephen L. Skinner
Science 18 January 2008: 309-312.
Published online 29 November 2007 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1149926] (in Science Express Reports)
Million-degree gas fills the Orion Nebula, implying that shock-heated gas from stellar outflows is common in our Galaxy. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Elementary Structural Motifs in a Random Network of Cytosine Adsorbed on a Gold(111) Surface

Roberto Otero, Maya Lukas, Ross E. A. Kelly, Wei Xu, Erik Lægsgaard, Ivan Stensgaard, Lev N. Kantorovich, and Flemming Besenbacher
Science 18 January 2008: 312-315.
Published online 13 December 2007 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1150532] (in Science Express Reports)
Upon cooling, cytosine molecules on a gold surface form a disordered network based on the assembly of three elementary structural units, which may have analogies with glasses. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

The Subduction Zone Flow Field from Seismic Anisotropy: A Global View

Maureen D. Long and Paul G. Silver
Science 18 January 2008: 315-318.
Identification of the fastest seismic-wave propagation speed in subduction zones reveals that trench migration induces flow in the mantle above and beneath the subducting slab. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

A Localized Negative Genetic Correlation Constrains Microevolution of Coat Color in Wild Sheep

J. Gratten, A. J. Wilson, A. F. McRae, D. Beraldi, P. M. Visscher, J. M. Pemberton, and J. Slate
Science 18 January 2008: 318-320.
Although the fitness of wild sheep increases with size, large, dark sheep are becoming rarer because color is genetically linked to genes that decrease fitness. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Coastal Ecosystem-Based Management with Nonlinear Ecological Functions and Values

Edward B. Barbier, Evamaria W. Koch, Brian R. Silliman, Sally D. Hacker, Eric Wolanski, Jurgenne Primavera, Elise F. Granek, Stephen Polasky, Shankar Aswani, Lori A. Cramer, David M. Stoms, Chris J. Kennedy, David Bael, Carrie V. Kappel, Gerardo M. E. Perillo, and Denise J. Reed
Science 18 January 2008: 321-323.
Taking into account the nonlinear relation between preserved habitat area and wave attenuation facilitates integrated management of coastal conservation and development. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

β-Catenin Defines Head Versus Tail Identity During Planarian Regeneration and Homeostasis

Kyle A. Gurley, Jochen C. Rink, and Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado
Science 18 January 2008: 323-327.
Published online 6 December 2007 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1150029] (in Science Express Reports)
After the head or tail of a planarian is severed, the signal intensity of a prominent developmental signaling pathway controls whether a new head or tail regenerates. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Smed-βcatenin-1 Is Required for Anteroposterior Blastema Polarity in Planarian Regeneration

Christian P. Petersen and Peter W. Reddien
Science 18 January 2008: 327-330.
Published online 6 December 2007 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1149943] (in Science Express Reports)
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Natural Genetic Variation in Lycopene Epsilon Cyclase Tapped for Maize Biofortification

Carlos E. Harjes, Torbert R. Rocheford, Ling Bai, Thomas P. Brutnell, Catherine Bermudez Kandianis, Stephen G. Sowinski, Ann E. Stapleton, Ratnakar Vallabhaneni, Mark Williams, Eleanore T. Wurtzel, Jianbing Yan, and Edward S. Buckler
Science 18 January 2008: 330-333.
Identification of the gene that controls vitamin A levels in maize will allow production of varieties that can improve global health without using transgenic methods. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Dual Positive and Negative Regulation of Wingless Signaling by Adenomatous Polyposis Coli

Carter M. Takacs, Jason R. Baird, Edward G. Hughes, Sierra S. Kent, Hassina Benchabane, Raehum Paik, and Yashi Ahmed
Science 18 January 2008: 333-336.
An important developmental signaling molecule known to be a tumor suppressor can also activate growth, possibly explaining the responses of some cancers. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Initiating and Cancer-Propagating Cells in TEL-AML1-Associated Childhood Leukemia

Dengli Hong, Rajeev Gupta, Philip Ancliff, Ann Atzberger, John Brown, Shamit Soneji, Joanne Green, Sue Colman, Wanda Piacibello, Veronica Buckle, Shinobu Tsuzuki, Mel Greaves, and Tariq Enver
Science 18 January 2008: 336-339.
Identical twins each carry preleukemic cells containing the characteristic chromosomal translocation, but only one undergoes further genetic changes and develops leukemia. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Effects of Molecular Memory and Bursting on Fluctuations in Gene Expression

Juan M. Pedraza and Johan Paulsson
Science 18 January 2008: 339-343.
A theory of stochastic gene expression suggests that noise can be modulated without feedback loops, complicating interpretation of single-cell experiments. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|