This Week in Science

Editor summaries of this week's papers.
Science 13 March 2009: 1401.
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Editorial:
Scientist Citizens

Christopher Reddy
Science 13 March 2009: 1405.
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Editors' Choice

Highlights of the recent literature.
Science 13 March 2009: 1406.
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Science Podcast

Science 13 March 2009: 1507.
Summary: The 13 March 2009 show includes self-repairing materials, erasing a fear memory, nearing peak coal production, and more. Full Text »|   Transcript »|  

NEW PRODUCTS

Science 13 March 2009: 1507.
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News of the Week

BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: A First Step in Relaxing Restrictions on Stem Cell Research

Constance Holden
Science 13 March 2009: 1412-1413.
Summary: Scientists are breathing a huge sigh of relief now that President Barack Obama has put his signature on an executive order lifting the restrictions on stem cell research laid down by President George W. Bush on 9 August 2001. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

RESEARCH FUNDING: England Spreads Its Funds Widely, Sparking Debate

Daniel Clery
Science 13 March 2009: 1413.
Summary: Last week's announcement of how £1.57 billion in annual research funding will be distributed to English universities drew complaints from some unlikely sources: top research institutions. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: Humane Society Launches Offensive to Ban Invasive Chimp Research

Jon Cohen
Science 13 March 2009: 1414-1415.
Summary: The Humane Society of the United States last week stepped up its long-running campaign to end biomedical research with chimpanzees and is working with Congress to draft and introduce new legislation that would ban "invasive" research on great apes. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

SOLAR PHYSICS: Report Puts NASA's Solar Program Under a Cloud

Andrew Lawler
Science 13 March 2009: 1415.
Summary: A panel of space scientists has given NASA low grades on an ambitious 10-year plan to study the sun and its impact on Earth. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

BIOSECURITY: Paul Keim on His Life With the FBI During the Anthrax Investigation

Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
Science 13 March 2009: 1416.
Summary: In a recent interview with Science, geneticist Paul Keim recounted some of the key moments from his involvement in the 7-year-long investigation of the 2001 anthrax letter attacks. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

CHINA: Biologists Muscle Up With Major New Protein Facilities

Richard Stone
Science 13 March 2009: 1417.
Summary: This month, recruitment of researchers will begin for one of China's first national labs, the National Laboratory of Protein Science. A few dozen top-notch biologists will receive generous contracts, access to top equipment, and protection from the vitality-sapping chase for research funding. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PLANETARY SCIENCE: In Dune Map, Titan's Winds Seem to Blow Backward

Chelsea Wald
Science 13 March 2009: 1418.
Summary: A new map of the dunes on Saturn's moon Titan reveals that near-surface winds at the equator blow the wrong way: from west to east. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PALEOANTHROPOLOGY: Ice Age No Barrier to 'Peking Man'

Ann Gibbons
Science 13 March 2009: 1419.
Summary: Chinese and American researchers have redated bones and tools from the richest Homo erectus site in the world with a new radiometric method. In work published this week, they date the oldest human fossils to about 770,000 years ago, showing that H. erectus was able to survive mild glacial conditions at a northern site. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

SCIENCEINSIDER: From the Science Policy Blog

Science 13 March 2009: 1419.
Summary: The Science news staff offers some highlights from its policy blog, ScienceInsider. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Random Samples

Science 13 March 2009: 1409.
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Newsmakers

Science 13 March 2009: 1411.
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News Focus

GEOLOGY: How Much Coal Remains?

Richard A. Kerr
Science 13 March 2009: 1420-1421.
Summary: The planet's vast store of coal could fuel the world economy for centuries--and fiercely stoke global warming--but a few analysts are raising the prospect of an imminent shortfall. Full Text »|   PDF »|   Podcast Interview »|  

NEUROSCIENCE: A Memorable Device

Lucas Laursen
Science 13 March 2009: 1422-1423.
Summary: Wearable cameras offer help to people with memory problems and provide a tool for studying how the brain creates and retrieves personal histories. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

NUCLEAR PHYSICS: Fathoming Matter's Heart Unbound

Adrian Cho
Science 13 March 2009: 1424-1425.
Summary: Going to extremes, physicists hunt for "unbound" nuclei that don't stick together at all. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Letters

 A National Initiative for Social Participation

Ben Shneiderman
Science 13 March 2009: 1426-1427.
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 Indian Neutrino Detector: The Elephant in the Room

Michael W. Fox
Science 13 March 2009: 1427.
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 Indian Neutrino Detector: Environmental Costs

Priya Davidar; and Naba K. Mondal
Science 13 March 2009: 1427-1429.
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 Corrections and Clarifications

Science 13 March 2009: 1429.
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Books et al.

PHYSICS: Giant Ring on the Prairie

Robert W. Seidel
Science 13 March 2009: 1430-1431.
Summary: This detailed history illuminates the technical, sociological, and political complexities of establishing and operating a laboratory at the frontier of big physics. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ASTRONOMY: Through a Glass of Darkness

Pedro Ferreira
Science 13 March 2009: 1431.
Summary: Writing for a broad, nonspecialist audience, Gates discusses black holes, dark energy, dark matter, and similar topics. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books Received

Science 13 March 2009: 1431.
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Policy Forum

RESOURCE POLICY: Wood Energy in America

Daniel deB. Richter Jr., Dylan H. Jenkins, John T. Karakash, Josiah Knight, Lew R. McCreery, and Kasimir P. Nemestothy
Science 13 March 2009: 1432-1433.
Summary: Sustainable wood energy offers recurring economic, social, and environmental benefits. Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Perspectives

CLIMATE CHANGE: Shifting Westerlies

J. R. Toggweiler
Science 13 March 2009: 1434-1435.
Summary: What caused atmospheric westerly winds to shift after the last glacial period? Full Text »|   PDF »|  

CHEMISTRY: Inducing Chirality with Circularly Polarized Light

Robert J. Cave
Science 13 March 2009: 1435-1436.
Summary: An unexpected difference in electron transfer rates for right- and left-handed versions of a molecule is caused by quantum interference. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

BIOCHEMISTRY: The Evolution of Ribozyme Chemistry

Timothy J. Wilson and David M. J. Lilley
Science 13 March 2009: 1436-1438.
Summary: Insights into the mechanisms by which ribonucleic acid enzymes catalyze reactions may help us to understand how life progressed from an early RNA world. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

MATHEMATICS: Emergence of Connectivity in Networks

Tom Bohman
Science 13 March 2009: 1438-1439.
Summary: Can the evolution of real-world networks be accurately modeled? Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PLANT SCIENCE: Paternal Patterning Cue

Ueli Grossniklaus
Science 13 March 2009: 1439-1440.
Summary: A signaling factor in sperm couples fertilization to the first plant patterning event. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS: Linking the Loops

C. Robertson McClung
Science 13 March 2009: 1440-1441.
Summary: A new module in the plant circadian clock provides a long-missing link in the oscillator. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Brevia

Time-Variable Deformation in the New Madrid Seismic Zone

Eric Calais and Seth Stein
Science 13 March 2009: 1442.
Minimal strain has accumulated across the New Madrid seismic zone of the Central United States during the past several years. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Research Articles

Wind-Driven Upwelling in the Southern Ocean and the Deglacial Rise in Atmospheric CO₂

R. F. Anderson, S. Ali, L. I. Bradtmiller, S. H. H. Nielsen, M. Q. Fleisher, B. E. Anderson, and L. H. Burckle
Science 13 March 2009: 1443-1448.
Ventilation of carbon dioxide from the Southern Ocean preceded the last deglaciation. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

The Dynamic Control of Kiss-And-Run and Vesicular Reuse Probed with Single Nanoparticles

Qi Zhang, Yulong Li, and Richard W. Tsien
Science 13 March 2009: 1448-1453.
Published online 12 February 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1167373] (in Science Express Research Articles)
A transient form of vesicle fusion that allows vesicle reuse is more prevalent early during synaptic response to a train of stimuli. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Reports

Explosive Percolation in Random Networks

Dimitris Achlioptas, Raissa M. D'Souza, and Joel Spencer
Science 13 March 2009: 1453-1455.
Simulations show that transitions in the connectivity within a random network can occur discontinuously. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

The Initial Stages of Template-Controlled CaCO₃ Formation Revealed by Cryo-TEM

Emilie M. Pouget, Paul H. H. Bomans, Jeroen A. C. M. Goos, Peter M. Frederik, Gijsbertus de With, and Nico A. J. M. Sommerdijk
Science 13 March 2009: 1455-1458.
Amorphous mineral particles attached to an ordered organic monolayer play a role in the crystallization of calcium carbonate. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Self-Repairing Oxetane-Substituted Chitosan Polyurethane Networks

Biswajit Ghosh and Marek W. Urban
Science 13 March 2009: 1458-1460.
A polymer is modified to include a reactive group that can repair mechanical damage by exposure to ultraviolet light. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

Nonporous Organic Solids Capable of Dynamically Resolving Mixtures of Diiodoperfluoroalkanes

Pierangelo Metrangolo, Yvan Carcenac, Manu Lahtinen, Tullio Pilati, Kari Rissanen, Ashwani Vij, and Giuseppe Resnati
Science 13 March 2009: 1461-1464.
An ionic crystal that traps iodine-capped fluorocarbons selectively and reversibly has potential for industrial separations. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Time-Resolved Molecular Frame Dynamics of Fixed-in-Space CS₂ Molecules

Christer Z. Bisgaard, Owen J. Clarkin, Guorong Wu, Anthony M. D. Lee, Oliver Geßner, Carl C. Hayden, and Albert Stolow
Science 13 March 2009: 1464-1468.
Transient alignment of CS₂ molecules by a short laser pulse allows resolution of otherwise obscured reaction dynamics. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Clear Sky Visibility Has Decreased over Land Globally from 1973 to 2007

Kaicun Wang, Robert E. Dickinson, and Shunlin Liang
Science 13 March 2009: 1468-1470.
The concentration of atmospheric aerosols has decreased over Europe but not over the tropics or the Southern Hemisphere. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Recent Changes in Phytoplankton Communities Associated with Rapid Regional Climate Change Along the Western Antarctic Peninsula

Martin Montes-Hugo, Scott C. Doney, Hugh W. Ducklow, William Fraser, Douglas Martinson, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, and Oscar Schofield
Science 13 March 2009: 1470-1473.
Chlorophyll concentration has decreased by 12% over 30 years of ice retreat, with consequences for vertebrate populations. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

A Recessive Mutation in the APP Gene with Dominant-Negative Effect on Amyloidogenesis

Giuseppe Di Fede, Marcella Catania, Michela Morbin, Giacomina Rossi, Silvia Suardi, Giulia Mazzoleni, Marco Merlin, Anna Rita Giovagnoli, Sara Prioni, Alessandra Erbetta, Chiara Falcone, Marco Gobbi, Laura Colombo, Antonio Bastone, Marten Beeg, Claudia Manzoni, Bruna Francescucci, Alberto Spagnoli, Laura Cantù, Elena Del Favero, Efrat Levy, Mario Salmona, and Fabrizio Tagliavini
Science 13 March 2009: 1473-1477.
A mutation in the amyloid precursor protein gene causes Alzheimer's disease in homozygotic patients. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Structure of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome Interacting with a Mitotic Checkpoint Complex

Franz Herzog, Ivana Primorac, Prakash Dube, Peter Lenart, Björn Sander, Karl Mechtler, Holger Stark, and Jan-Michael Peters
Science 13 March 2009: 1477-1481.
Electron microscopy captures cell cycle checkpoint proteins in the act of inhibiting cell division in HeLa cells. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

A Functional Genomics Approach Reveals CHE as a Component of the Arabidopsis Circadian Clock

Jose L. Pruneda-Paz, Ghislain Breton, Alessia Para, and Steve A. Kay
Science 13 March 2009: 1481-1485.
A transcription factor (CHE) binds the promoter of the clock gene CCA1, adding to the molecular clock circuitry in plants. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Paternal Control of Embryonic Patterning in Arabidopsis thaliana

Martin Bayer, Tal Nawy, Carmela Giglione, Mary Galli, Thierry Meinnel, and Wolfgang Lukowitz
Science 13 March 2009: 1485-1488.
Transcripts of a cytoplasmic gene from sperm are translated after fertilization and control asymmetric zygotic division. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Preferential Generation of Follicular B Helper T Cells from Foxp3⁺ T Cells in Gut Peyer's Patches

Masayuki Tsuji, Noriko Komatsu, Shimpei Kawamoto, Keiichiro Suzuki, Osami Kanagawa, Tasuku Honjo, Shohei Hori, and Sidonia Fagarasan
Science 13 March 2009: 1488-1492.
Suppressor T cells selectively differentiate into helper T cells in the mouse gut and thereby promote immune homeostasis. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Selective Erasure of a Fear Memory

Jin-Hee Han, Steven A. Kushner, Adelaide P. Yiu, Hwa-Lin (Liz) Hsiang, Thorsten Buch, Ari Waisman, Bruno Bontempi, Rachael L. Neve, Paul W. Frankland, and Sheena A. Josselyn
Science 13 March 2009: 1492-1496.
Fear memory in mice is erased by experimental killing of a subpopulation of lateral amygdala neurons. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

Human Substantia Nigra Neurons Encode Unexpected Financial Rewards

Kareem A. Zaghloul, Justin A. Blanco, Christoph T. Weidemann, Kathryn McGill, Jurg L. Jaggi, Gordon H. Baltuch, and Michael J. Kahana
Science 13 March 2009: 1496-1499.
Dopamine neurons in the human mid-brain are activated by unexpected rewards and differentiate positive and negative feedback. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

RSY-1 Is a Local Inhibitor of Presynaptic Assembly in C. elegans

Maulik R. Patel and Kang Shen
Science 13 March 2009: 1500-1503.
The protein RSY-1 inhibits synapse formation by antagonizing assembly molecules during presynaptic development. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

The Role of Fingerprints in the Coding of Tactile Information Probed with a Biomimetic Sensor

J. Scheibert, S. Leurent, A. Prevost, and G. Debrégeas
Science 13 March 2009: 1503-1506.
Published online 29 January 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1166467] (in Science Express Reports)
Fingertip ridges improve the tactile perception of fine features. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Technical Comments

Comment on "Detection, Stimulation, and Inhibition of Neuronal Signals with High-Density Nanowire Transistor Arrays"

Peter Fromherz and Moritz Voelker
Science 13 March 2009: 1429.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Response to Comment on "Detection, Stimulation, and Inhibition of Neuronal Signals with High-Density Nanowire Transistor Arrays"

Brian P. Timko, Fernando Patolsky, and Charles M. Lieber
Science 13 March 2009: 1429.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|