Plant Genomes

Green Genes

Laura M. Zahn, Pamela J. Hines, Elizabeth Pennisi, and John Travis
Science 25 April 2008: 465.
Summary »|   PDF »|  

Multimedia Feature: Plant Genomes

Science 25 April 2008: 465.
An interactive presentation featuring information graphics, video commentary, and an animation. Full Text »|  

News

GM Crops: A World View

Science 25 April 2008: 466-467.
Science maps where genetically modified crops are grown and imported, as well as which countries avoid them. An expanded version of the map is presented online. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Tough Lessons From Golden Rice

Martin Enserink
Science 25 April 2008: 468-471.
It was supposed to prevent blindness and death from vitamin A deficiency in millions of children. But almost a decade after its invention, golden rice is still stuck in the lab. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Papaya Takes on Ringspot Virus and Wins

Erik Stokstad
Science 25 April 2008: 472.
This GM fruit has a long track record and potential for developing countries, yet it is still running into acceptance problems. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Is the Drought Over for Pharming?

Jocelyn Kaiser
Science 25 April 2008: 473-475.
Companies are plowing ahead, making drugs and other compounds in plants, despite technological, economic, and social issues. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Uncorking the Grape Genome

John Travis
Science 25 April 2008: 475-477.
Pour a glass of wine and read the tale of two teams racing to sequence the fruit worth billions to the world's economy. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

A Life With Grapes

John Travis
Science 25 April 2008: 476-477.
After studying grape genetics for 3 decades, in 2003, Carole Meredith traded her lab bench for a life of winemaking. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Sowing the Seeds for High-Energy Plants

Eli Kintisch
Science 25 April 2008: 478.
New crops and improved genetics could be key to successful biofuel agriculture. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Perspectives

Genome-Enabled Approaches Shed New Light on Plant Metabolism

Dean DellaPenna and Robert L. Last
Science 25 April 2008: 479-481.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Genomic Plasticity and the Diversity of Polyploid Plants

A. R. Leitch and I. J. Leitch
Science 25 April 2008: 481-483.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Selection on Major Components of Angiosperm Genomes

Brandon S. Gaut and Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
Science 25 April 2008: 484-486.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Synteny and Collinearity in Plant Genomes

Haibao Tang, John E. Bowers, Xiyin Wang, Ray Ming, Maqsudul Alam, and Andrew H. Paterson
Science 25 April 2008: 486-488.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

The Epigenetic Landscape of Plants

Xiaoyu Zhang
Science 25 April 2008: 489-492.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Extending Genomics to Natural Communities and Ecosystems

Thomas G. Whitham, Stephen P. DiFazio, Jennifer A. Schweitzer, Stephen M. Shuster, Gery J. Allan, Joseph K. Bailey, and Scott A. Woolbright
Science 25 April 2008: 492-495.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

From Genotype to Phenotype: Systems Biology Meets Natural Variation

Philip N. Benfey and Thomas Mitchell-Olds
Science 25 April 2008: 495-497.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

This Week in Science

Editor summaries of this week's papers.
Science 25 April 2008: 421.
|Full Text »

Editorial:
Seeds of a Perfect Storm

Nina Fedoroff
Science 25 April 2008: 425.
Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Editors' Choice

Highlights of the recent literature.
Science 25 April 2008: 426.
|Full Text »

Science Podcast

Science 25 April 2008: 551.
Summary »|   Transcript »|  

NEW PRODUCTS

Science 25 April 2008: 551.
Summary »|   PDF »|  

News of the Week

CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS: New Superconductors Propel Chinese Physicists to Forefront

Adrian Cho
Science 25 April 2008: 432-433.
Several groups in China are building on the recent discovery of a new superconductor that carries electricity without resistance at a relatively balmy temperature of 26 kelvin. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PALEOANTHROPOLOGY: When Hobbits (Slowly) Walked the Earth

Elizabeth Culotta
Science 25 April 2008: 433-435.
At the recent American Association of Physical Anthropology meetings, a researcher described the foot bones of an 18,000-year-old Indonesian skeleton known as the "hobbit." The tiny hominin would not have walked like we do, he said, and may offer "a window into a primitive bipedal foot." Full Text »|   PDF »|  

GEOCHEMISTRY: Two Geologic Clocks Finally Keeping the Same Time

Richard A. Kerr
Science 25 April 2008: 434-435.
Geochronologists report on page 500 of this week's issue of Science that they have used variations in Earth's orbit to recalibrate one of their isotopic clocks, bringing it into agreement with the other. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

FACILITIES: Europe Takes Guesswork Out of Site Selection

Daniel Clery
Science 25 April 2008: 436.
Rather than allow politics to hold sway, the three cities vying to host a €1 billion neutron beam research center called the European Spallation Source will this week submit bids to a specially created, independent panel of "wise people." Full Text »|   PDF »|  

REGENERATIVE MEDICINE: Rebuilding the Injured Warrior

Constance Holden
Science 25 April 2008: 437.
In an initiative to speed treatments for wounded soldiers, the U.S. Department of Defense is entering the fast-growing field of regenerative medicine. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceScope

Science 25 April 2008: 435.
|Full Text »

Random Samples

Science 25 April 2008: 429.
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Newsmakers

Science 25 April 2008: 431.
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News Focus

MEDICINE: Bypassing Medicine to Treat Diabetes

Jennifer Couzin
Science 25 April 2008: 438-440.
By altering the gut's production of hormones, gastric bypass surgery may be able to eliminate type 2 diabetes. But scientists worry that this radical operation can also cause dangerously low blood sugar. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ARCHAEOLOGY: Japanese Experts Steal a Glance at Once-Taboo Royal Tomb

Dennis Normile
Science 25 April 2008: 441.
Japan's key-shaped burial mounds offer tantalizing glimpses into prehistory. Researchers have been given access for the first time to those built for the imperial family. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PARDIS SABETI PROFILE: Picking Up Evolution's Beat

Michael Balter
Science 25 April 2008: 442-443.
Pardis Sabeti mixes geek cool with hot science as she studies how human populations have evolved to resist malaria and Lassa fever. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY: A Renowned Field Station Rises From the Ashes

Jerry Guo
Science 25 April 2008: 444-445.
After a frustrating hiatus, wildlife researchers are returning to a swamp in war-torn Aceh Province in Indonesia for a chance to study some of the world's smartest apes. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Letters

 Parsing the Evolution of Language

Brian D. Joseph, Salikoko S. Mufwene;, Quentin D. Atkinson, Andrew Meade, Chris Venditti, Simon J. Greenhill, and Mark Pagel
Science 25 April 2008: 446.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 Inspecting Urban Health

Elizabeth Thomas; and Christopher Dye
Science 25 April 2008: 446-448.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 The Quest for Stronger, Tougher Materials

Robert O. Ritchie; and Yuris Dzenis
Science 25 April 2008: 448.
Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books et al.

ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY: Cultivating a New Nation

Sharon Kingsland
Science 25 April 2008: 449.
Examining the long history of the engineering of plants in the United States, the author discusses how horticulturalists shaped the landscapes and influenced the activities and experiences of the inhabitants. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

FILM: ENVIRONMENT: Seeing Green on the Silver Screen

Erik Stokstad, Laura M. Zahn, Guy Riddihough, and Barbara Jasny
Science 25 April 2008: 450-451.
Our reviewers discuss five films that appeared in the recent Environmental Film Festival in Washington, DC Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books Received

Science 25 April 2008: 451.
Summary »|  

Policy Forum

ECOLOGY: Harvesting Data from Genetically Engineered Crops

Michelle Marvier, Yves Carrière, Norman Ellstrand, Paul Gepts, Peter Kareiva, Emma Rosi-Marshall, Bruce E. Tabashnik, and L. LaReesa Wolfenbarger
Science 25 April 2008: 452-453.
More than a billion acres have been planted with genetically engineered crops in the USA since 1996, but we do not fully know their ecological costs and benefits. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Education Forum

LEARNING THEORY: The Advantage of Abstract Examples in Learning Math

Jennifer A. Kaminski, Vladimir M. Sloutsky, and Andrew F. Heckler
Science 25 April 2008: 454-455.
Undergraduate students may benefit more from learning mathematics through a single abstract, symbolic representation than from learning multiple concrete examples. Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Perspectives

BIOPHYSICS: Enigmas of Blood Clot Elasticity

John W. Weisel
Science 25 April 2008: 456-457.
Biophysical studies are beginning to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that lead to the unique viscoelastic properties of blood clots. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PLANETARY SCIENCE: Identifying Ancient Asteroids

Thomas H. Burbine
Science 25 April 2008: 457-458.
Remote spectroscopy has identified the oldest asteroids in the solar system. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

CELL BIOLOGY: A One-Sided Signal

Gregory D. Fairn and Sergio Grinstein
Science 25 April 2008: 458-460.
Changes in the distribution of a lipid within the plasma membrane affect normal cell function and virus infection. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

CLIMATE CHANGE: Carbon Crucible

Melinda Marquis and Pieter Tans
Science 25 April 2008: 460-461.
What are the data and modeling requirements for gauging the success of mitigation strategies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Full Text »|   PDF »|  

CELL BIOLOGY: RNA Metabolism and Oncogenesis

Deborah L. Johnson and Sandra A. S. Johnson
Science 25 April 2008: 461-462.
Regulating the production of RNAs involved in protein synthesis can induce the transformation of cells to an oncogenic state. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Association Affairs

AAAS News and Notes

Science 25 April 2008: 463-464.
Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Brevia

Molecular Phylogenetics of Mastodon and Tyrannosaurus rex

Chris L. Organ, Mary H. Schweitzer, Wenxia Zheng, Lisa M. Freimark, Lewis C. Cantley, and John M. Asara
Science 25 April 2008: 499.
Phylogenetic analyses of collagen protein fragments from fossils and 21 extant organisms group mastodons with elephants and Tyrannosaurus rex with birds. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Research Article

Synchronizing Rock Clocks of Earth History

K. F. Kuiper, A. Deino, F. J. Hilgen, W. Krijgsman, P. R. Renne, and J. R. Wijbrans
Science 25 April 2008: 500-504.
Tying an argon-argon dating standard to a section dated with Earth’s orbital variations yields older ages for the standard and for other events, including the K-T boundary. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Reports

Sign Change of Poisson's Ratio for Carbon Nanotube Sheets

Lee J. Hall, Vitor R. Coluci, Douglas S. Galvão, Mikhail E. Kozlov, Mei Zhang, Sócrates O. Dantas, and Ray H. Baughman
Science 25 April 2008: 504-507.
When stretched, a sheet made of carbon nanotubes contracts or expands in the opposite direction, depending on how many multiwalled tubes form zig-zag networks. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Stretchable and Foldable Silicon Integrated Circuits

Dae-Hyeong Kim, Jong-Hyun Ahn, Won Mook Choi, Hoon-Sik Kim, Tae-Ho Kim, Jizhou Song, Yonggang Y. Huang, Zhuangjian Liu, Chun Lu, and John A. Rogers
Science 25 April 2008: 507-511.
Published online 27 March 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1154367] (in Science Express Reports)
High-performance, bendable, and stretchable electronic devices are fabricated on an elastic plastic substrate by placing the critical electronic components in the neutral bending plane. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Near-Field Plates: Subdiffraction Focusing with Patterned Surfaces

Anthony Grbic, Lei Jiang, and Roberto Merlin
Science 25 April 2008: 511-513.
A grating near the focal plane can focus microwave radiation to a spot size well below the diffraction limit. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Ancient Asteroids Enriched in Refractory Inclusions

J. M. Sunshine, H. C. Connolly, Jr., T. J. McCoy, S. J. Bus, and L. M. La Croix
Science 25 April 2008: 514-517.
Published online 20 March 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1154340] (in Science Express Reports)
Spectral data imply that some asteroids contain higher concentrations of early solar system grains and materials than are found in any sampled meteorite. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Human-Induced Arctic Moistening

Seung-Ki Min, Xuebin Zhang, and Francis Zwiers
Science 25 April 2008: 518-520.
Comparison of 22 climate models to observations show that human activity has increased precipitation in the Arctic over the past 50 years, altering its timing and distribution. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Efficient Inhibition of the Alzheimer's Disease β-Secretase by Membrane Targeting

Lawrence Rajendran, Anja Schneider, Georg Schlechtingen, Sebastian Weidlich, Jonas Ries, Tobias Braxmeier, Petra Schwille, Jörg B. Schulz, Cornelia Schroeder, Mikael Simons, Gary Jennings, Hans-Joachim Knölker, and Kai Simons
Science 25 April 2008: 520-523.
Tethering an inhibitor to a membrane anchor renders it effective against a membrane enzyme that creates the amyloid fragments deposited in Alzheimer’s disease, even in vivo. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Plastin 3 Is a Protective Modifier of Autosomal Recessive Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Gabriela E. Oprea, Sandra Kröber, Michelle L. McWhorter, Wilfried Rossoll, Stefan Müller, Michael Krawczak, Gary J. Bassell, Christine E. Beattie, and Brunhilde Wirth
Science 25 April 2008: 524-527.
Expression of a protein that promotes axonal growth can compensate for the gene deletion in spinal muscular atrophy, indicating that axonal growth deficiencies cause the disease. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Role of C. elegans TAT-1 Protein in Maintaining Plasma Membrane Phosphatidylserine Asymmetry

Monica Darland-Ransom, Xiaochen Wang, Chun-Ling Sun, James Mapes, Keiko Gengyo-Ando, Shohei Mitani, and Ding Xue
Science 25 April 2008: 528-531.
A phospholipid translocase enzyme keeps a critical membrane lipid localized to the inner leaflet of the cell membrane so it does not trigger engulfment by immune cells. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Vaccinia Virus Uses Macropinocytosis and Apoptotic Mimicry to Enter Host Cells

Jason Mercer and Ari Helenius
Science 25 April 2008: 531-535.
To infect host cells, vaccinia virus exposes phosphatidylserine on its surfaces, which signals host cells to recognize the virus as cellular debris and take it up for clearance. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Encoding Gender and Individual Information in the Mouse Vomeronasal Organ

Jie He, Limei Ma, SangSeong Kim, Junichi Nakai, and C. Ron Yu
Science 25 April 2008: 535-538.
Mice can recognize the pheromones from individual mice through unique patterns of receptor activation in the vomeronasal organ. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Rare Structural Variants Disrupt Multiple Genes in Neurodevelopmental Pathways in Schizophrenia

Tom Walsh, Jon M. McClellan, Shane E. McCarthy, Anjené M. Addington, Sarah B. Pierce, Greg M. Cooper, Alex S. Nord, Mary Kusenda, Dheeraj Malhotra, Abhishek Bhandari, Sunday M. Stray, Caitlin F. Rippey, Patricia Roccanova, Vlad Makarov, B. Lakshmi, Robert L. Findling, Linmarie Sikich, Thomas Stromberg, Barry Merriman, Nitin Gogtay, Philip Butler, Kristen Eckstrand, Laila Noory, Peter Gochman, Robert Long, Zugen Chen, Sean Davis, Carl Baker, Evan E. Eichler, Paul S. Meltzer, Stanley F. Nelson, Andrew B. Singleton, Ming K. Lee, Judith L. Rapoport, Mary-Claire King, and Jonathan Sebat
Science 25 April 2008: 539-543.
Published online 27 March 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1155174] (in Science Express Reports)
Patients with schizophrenia carry multiple small deletions and duplications in their DNA that are associated nonrandomly with neuronal signaling and brain development pathways. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Metabolic Diversification—Independent Assembly of Operon-Like Gene Clusters in Different Plants

Ben Field and Anne E. Osbourn
Science 25 April 2008: 543-547.
Published online 20 March 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1154990] (in Science Express Reports)
Through strong selection, similar clusters of genes for triterpene biosynthesis have arisen independently through gene duplication and neofunctionalization in several plant lines. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Mechanism of Self-Sterility in a Hermaphroditic Chordate

Yoshito Harada, Yuhei Takagaki, Masahiko Sunagawa, Takako Saito, Lixy Yamada, Hisaaki Taniguchi, Eiichi Shoguchi, and Hitoshi Sawada
Science 25 April 2008: 548-550.
Published online 20 March 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1152488] (in Science Express Reports)
The sea squirt prevents self-fertilization with two genetic loci, each of which encodes a tightly linked sperm-egg receptor-ligand pair, a system similar to that of flowering plants. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Technical Comments

Comment on "Eddy/Wind Interactions Stimulate Extraordinary Mid-Ocean Plankton Blooms"

Amala Mahadevan, Leif N. Thomas, and Amit Tandon
Science 25 April 2008: 448.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Response to Comment on "Eddy/Wind Interactions Stimulate Extraordinary Mid-Ocean Plankton Blooms"

Dennis J. McGillicuddy, Jr., James R. Ledwell, and Laurence A. Anderson
Science 25 April 2008: 448.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|