This Week in Science

Editor summaries of this week's papers.
Science 3 July 2009: 8.
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Editorial:
An Opportunity We Cannot Waste

Thomas R. Pickering
Science 3 July 2009: 11.
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Editors' Choice

Highlights of the recent literature.
Science 3 July 2009: 12.
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Science Podcast

Science 3 July 2009: 105.
The show includes evidence of water at the Mars Phoenix landing site, how Serengeti birds maintain forests, the origins of nervous systems, and more. Summary »|   Full Text »|   Transcript »|  

New Products

Science 3 July 2009: 105.
A weekly roundup of information on newly offered instrumentation, apparatus, and laboratory materials of potential interest to researchers. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

News of the Week

Carbon Trading
House Vote Seen as Big Step Toward Cooling the Greenhouse

Richard A. Kerr
Science 3 July 2009: 16-17.
Its praises have been sung as an energy security bill and a jobs bill. But the American Clean Energy and Security Act passed last Friday by the U.S. House of Representatives is in fact milestone greenhouse legislation. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Pandemic Influenza
Ferrets Shed Light on New Virus's Severity and Spread

Martin Enserink
Science 3 July 2009: 17.
Two groups have infected ferrets with the new pandemic A(H1N1) influenza strain, and their papers, published online by Science this week, confirm that the new virus is a bit more pathogenic than seasonal influenza but nowhere near as dangerous as the 1918 pandemic virus or H5N1 avian influenza. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

SBIR Program
Researchers Fight Against Bigger Slice to Small Business

Jeffrey Mervis
Science 3 July 2009: 18.
A coalition of U.S. scientific societies and university organizations is urging Congress not to expand a $2.3 billion research program for small businesses. To succeed, however, the coalition must overcome one of the most influential interest groups in Washington and mend fences with legislators still smarting from a recent tweak to the program. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Budget Cuts
Proposal to Slash Salaries Riles California Researchers

Greg Miller
Science 3 July 2009: 19.
Proposed salary cuts and/or furloughs for all faculty and staff members are causing consternation at the University of California, one of the nation's largest public universities, with approximately 170,000 employees. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceNOW.org
From Science's Online Daily News Site

Science 3 July 2009: 19.
Highlights from Science's online daily news site, ScienceNOW, this week include a device that lets researchers record brain activity while homing pigeons fly, more evidence of liquid water on Saturn's moon Enceladus, faster evolution in the tropics, and the oldest musical instruments ever found. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

NSF Antarctic Logistics
A Hot Competition for a Cold Contract

Jeffrey Mervis
Science 3 July 2009: 20.
The usually low-key competition for the nearly $2 billion contract to provide logistical support for the National Science Foundation's $300-million-a-year Antarctic research program is heating up this year, with bidders running ads in cars and stations in the Washington, D.C., Metro system. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

2010 Budget
House Panel Cuts DOE Education Program

Jeffrey Mervis
Science 3 July 2009: 20.
A House spending panel has rejected a comprehensive $115 million science education initiative from the Department of Energy (DOE) to train a new cadre of scientists pursuing basic and applied research on clean energy. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Pharmaceuticals
Betting on Biotech to Transform Guangdong, China's Export Hub

Richard Stone
Science 3 July 2009: 21.
Local officials are betting that biotech will help wean Guangdong Province off its heavy dependence on cheap exports. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceInsider
From the Science Policy Blog

Science 3 July 2009: 21.
ScienceInsider this week reported on the passage of annual spending bills for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's call for cities and states to start planning a massive vaccination campaign against swine flu, among other stories. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

China
Archaeologists Seek New Clues to the Riddle of Emperor Qin's Terra-Cotta Army

Richard Stone
Science 3 July 2009: 22-23.
Archaeologists hope to penetrate lingering puzzles about the Qin Dynasty in a new excavation at Emperor Qin Shihuang's tombs, where life-size terra-cotta soldiers and horses were discovered 35 years ago. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Paleoanthropology
Still Seeking Peking Man

Richard Stone
Science 3 July 2009: 22-23.
Last week, work commenced on a new excavation here in the cave-riddled hills of Zhoukoudian, 50 kilometers southwest of Beijing, where early last century scientists discovered Peking Man: a trove of Homo erectus fossils as well as rudimentary tools and the bones of woolly rhinos and other Ice Age fauna. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Random Samples

Science 3 July 2009: 15.
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News Focus

Origins
On the Origin of The Nervous System

Greg Miller
Science 3 July 2009: 24-26.
What did the first neurons and nervous systems look like, and what advantages did they confer on the animals that possessed them? In the seventh essay in Science's series in honor of the Year of Darwin, Greg Miller discusses some tantalizing clues that scientists have recently gained about the evolutionary origins of nervous systems. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Podcast Interview »|  

Newsmaker Interview
Behavioral Geneticist Celebrates Twins, Scorns PC Science

Constance Holden
Science 3 July 2009: 27.
Twins researcher Thomas Bouchard spoke with Science at the Behavior Genetics Association meeting last month; his comments have been edited for clarity and brevity. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Ethics
Private Money, Public Disclosure

Jocelyn Kaiser
Science 3 July 2009: 28-30.
A Senate investigation is forcing federally funded medical institutions to reveal exactly how much money their researchers receive from industry. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Ethics
Senate Probe of Research Psychiatrists

Jocelyn Kaiser
Science 3 July 2009: 30.
Science has compiled a table of cases made public by Senator Charles Grassley (R–IA) involving NIH-funded researchers—all psychiatrists, many of whom allegedly received consulting income from companies whose drugs they were studying. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Taxonomy
China Searches for an 11th-Hour Lifesaver for a Dying Discipline

Li Jiao
Science 3 July 2009: 31.
With hundreds of thousands of collected specimens unidentified and many more undiscovered, China hopes to prop up its taxonomists before vital skills slip away. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Available in Chinese »|  

Letters

 Standing the Test of Time Variations

Charles Forsberg and Mujid Kazimi
Science 3 July 2009: 32.
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 Heliophysics Missions Show Promise

Daniel N. Baker and Thomas H. Zurbuchen
Science 3 July 2009: 32-33.
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 How the Gray Wolf Got Its Color

Linda Y. Rutledge, Paul J. Wilson, Christopher J. Kyle, Tyler J. Wheeldon, Brent R. Patterson, and Bradley N. White
Science 3 July 2009: 33-34.
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 Response—How the Gray Wolf Got Its Color

Gregory S. Barsh, Tovi M. Anderson, Bridgett M. Vonholdt, Sophie I. Candille, Marco Musiani, Daniel R. Stahler, Jennifer A. Leonard, Badri Padhukasahasram, Ettore Randi, Carlos D. Bustamante, Elaine A. Ostrander, Hua Tang, and Robert K. Wayne
Science 3 July 2009: 34.
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Books et al.

Evolution
The Ecological Theater

Anne E. Magurran
Science 3 July 2009: 35.
The contributors explore such issues as the nature of species, how species are counted, limits on diversity, mechanisms of speciation and adaptation, and speciation rates. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Evolution
Green Life Through Time

Jonathan P. Wilson
Science 3 July 2009: 36-37.
An expansion and update of Taylor and Taylor's classic 1993 book, this lavishly illustrated volume offers a comprehensive survey of fossil plants and fungi. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Exhibitions: Art
An Unsung Refrain of Science

Harriet Coles
Science 3 July 2009: 37.
Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books Received

Science 3 July 2009: 37.
A listing of books received at Science during the week ended 26 June 2009. Summary »|  

Policy Forum

Genetics
The Illusive Gold Standard in Genetic Ancestry Testing

Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, Deborah A. Bolnick, Troy Duster, Pilar Ossorio, and Kimberly TallBear
Science 3 July 2009: 38-39.
New regulations on disclosure, authority, and responsibility would shape how genetic ancestry tests are used. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Perspectives

Neuroscience
Remembering Outside the Box

Lisa M. Saksida
Science 3 July 2009: 40-41.
The mammalian brain may be organized in terms of multipurpose representations rather than psychologically defined modules. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Ecology
Insect Conservation

Josef Settele and Elisabeth Kühn
Science 3 July 2009: 41-42.
Understanding of ecosystem interactions and management has led to a major advance in the conservation of specialized insects. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Applied Physics
Coherent Holes in a Semiconductor Quantum Dot

Michael H. Kolodrubetz and Jason R. Petta
Science 3 July 2009: 42-43.
Quantum states of positive charge carriers may be more stable to information loss than those of electron-based systems. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Geochemistry
How Did Earth Accrete?

Alex N. Halliday and Bernard J. Wood
Science 3 July 2009: 44-45.
Isotope studies are providing clues to how Earth assembled and how its core formed. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Transcription
Sweet Silencing

Jeffrey A. Simon
Science 3 July 2009: 45-46.
A sugar molecule plays an unexpected role in controlling gene silencing by modifying repressor proteins. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Oceans
Predicting El Niño's Impacts

Greg J. Holland
Science 3 July 2009: 47.
Insights into El Niño's spatial structure may help to predict its effect on Atlantic tropical cyclones. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Review

How to Think, Say, or Do Precisely the Worst Thing for Any Occasion

Daniel M. Wegner
Science 3 July 2009: 48-50.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Brevia

Serengeti Birds Maintain Forests by Inhibiting Seed Predators

Gregory J. Sharam, A. R. E. Sinclair, and Roy Turkington
Science 3 July 2009: 51.
Fruit-eating birds inhibit seed predation by beetles, a mechanism that is destabilized when disturbance opens the forest canopy. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

Research Article

Dissociable Components of Rule-Guided Behavior Depend on Distinct Medial and Prefrontal Regions

Mark J. Buckley, Farshad A. Mansouri, Hassan Hoda, Majid Mahboubi, Philip G. F. Browning, Sze C. Kwok, Adam Phillips, and Keiji Tanaka
Science 3 July 2009: 52-58.
A card-sorting task shows that three distinct regions of the monkey prefrontal cortex perform distinct cognitive functions. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Reports

H₂O at the Phoenix Landing Site

P. H. Smith, L. K. Tamppari, R. E. Arvidson, D. Bass, D. Blaney, W. V. Boynton, A. Carswell, D. C. Catling, B. C. Clark, T. Duck, E. DeJong, D. Fisher, W. Goetz, H. P. Gunnlaugsson, M. H. Hecht, V. Hipkin, J. Hoffman, S. F. Hviid, H. U. Keller, S. P. Kounaves, C. F. Lange, M. T. Lemmon, M. B. Madsen, W. J. Markiewicz, J. Marshall, C. P. McKay, M. T. Mellon, D. W. Ming, R. V. Morris, W. T. Pike, N. Renno, U. Staufer, C. Stoker, P. Taylor, J. A. Whiteway, and A. P. Zent
Science 3 July 2009: 58-61.
A water ice layer was found 5 to 15 centimeters beneath the soil of the north polar region of Mars. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

Evidence for Calcium Carbonate at the Mars Phoenix Landing Site

W. V. Boynton, D. W. Ming, S. P. Kounaves, S. M. M. Young, R. E. Arvidson, M. H. Hecht, J. Hoffman, P. B. Niles, D. K. Hamara, R. C. Quinn, P. H. Smith, B. Sutter, D. C. Catling, and R. V. Morris
Science 3 July 2009: 61-64.
The action of liquid water may have helped to form the calcium carbonate found in the soils around the Phoenix landing site. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Detection of Perchlorate and the Soluble Chemistry of Martian Soil at the Phoenix Lander Site

M. H. Hecht, S. P. Kounaves, R. C. Quinn, S. J. West, S. M. M. Young, D. W. Ming, D. C. Catling, B. C. Clark, W. V. Boynton, J. Hoffman, L. P. DeFlores, K. Gospodinova, J. Kapit, and P. H. Smith
Science 3 July 2009: 64-67.
Most of the chlorine at the Phoenix landing site is in the form of perchlorate, a salt that is highly soluble in water. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Mars Water-Ice Clouds and Precipitation

J. A. Whiteway, L. Komguem, C. Dickinson, C. Cook, M. Illnicki, J. Seabrook, V. Popovici, T. J. Duck, R. Davy, P. A. Taylor, J. Pathak, D. Fisher, A. I. Carswell, M. Daly, V. Hipkin, A. P. Zent, M. H. Hecht, S. E. Wood, L. K. Tamppari, N. Renno, J. E. Moores, M. T. Lemmon, F. Daerden, and P. H. Smith
Science 3 July 2009: 68-70.
Laser remote sensing from Mars’ surface revealed water-ice clouds that formed during the day and precipitated at night. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

A Coherent Single-Hole Spin in a Semiconductor

Daniel Brunner, Brian D. Gerardot, Paul A. Dalgarno, Gunter Wüst, Khaled Karrai, Nick G. Stoltz, Pierre M. Petroff, and Richard J. Warburton
Science 3 July 2009: 70-72.
Manipulating holes instead of electrons results in the enhancement of the coherence properties of quantum dots. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Self-Assembling Sequence-Adaptive Peptide Nucleic Acids

Yasuyuki Ura, John M. Beierle, Luke J. Leman, Leslie E. Orgel, and M. Reza Ghadiri
Science 3 July 2009: 73-77.
Published online 11 June 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1174577] (in Science Express Reports)
A synthetic DNA analog can dynamically adapt its sequence in response to changing templates. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Impact of Shifting Patterns of Pacific Ocean Warming on North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones

Hye-Mi Kim, Peter J. Webster,, and Judith A. Curry
Science 3 July 2009: 77-80.
Warming of the central Pacific sea surface causes different patterns of atmospheric circulation than do El Niño events. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Successful Conservation of a Threatened Maculinea Butterfly

J. A. Thomas, D. J. Simcox, and R. T. Clarke
Science 3 July 2009: 80-83.
Published online 18 June 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1175726] (in Science Express Reports)
Prediction of population dynamics in relation to habitat requirements has led to a conservation success in the UK. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Meningococcal Type IV Pili Recruit the Polarity Complex to Cross the Brain Endothelium

Mathieu Coureuil, Guillain Mikaty, Florence Miller, Hervé Lécuyer, Christine Bernard, Sandrine Bourdoulous, Guillaume Duménil, René-Marc Mège, Babette B. Weksler, Ignacio A. Romero, Pierre-Olivier Couraud, and Xavier Nassif
Science 3 July 2009: 83-87.
Published online 11 June 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1173196] (in Science Express Reports)
Adhesion of bacteria to cells lining blood vessels in the brain induces them to part and allows pathogen invasion. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Role of Layer 6 of V2 Visual Cortex in Object-Recognition Memory

Manuel F. López-Aranda, Juan F. López-Téllez, Irene Navarro-Lobato, Mariam Masmudi-Martín, Antonia Gutiérrez, and Zafar U. Khan
Science 3 July 2009: 87-89.
Experiments reveal the localization of short- and long-term visual memory encoding in the rat visual cortex. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Jmjd6 Catalyses Lysyl-Hydroxylation of U2AF65, a Protein Associated with RNA Splicing

Celia J. Webby, Alexander Wolf, Natalia Gromak, Mathias Dreger, Holger Kramer, Benedikt Kessler, Michael L. Nielsen, Corinna Schmitz, Danica S. Butler, John R. Yates, III, Claire M. Delahunty, Phillip Hahn, Andreas Lengeling, Matthias Mann, Nicholas J. Proudfoot, Christopher J. Schofield, and Angelika Böttger
Science 3 July 2009: 90-93.
An oxygenase with an important role in vertebrate development hydroxylates a messenger RNA splicing factor. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Essential Role of the Glycosyltransferase Sxc/Ogt in Polycomb Repression

Maria Cristina Gambetta, Katarzyna Oktaba, and Jürg Müller
Science 3 July 2009: 93-96.
Published online 28 May 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1169727] (in Science Express Reports)
The Polycomb-group protein super sex combs acts to glycosylate a second Polycomb repressor protein. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Ligand-Gated Chloride Channels Are Receptors for Biogenic Amines in C. elegans

Niels Ringstad, Namiko Abe, and H. Robert Horvitz
Science 3 July 2009: 96-100.
An expanded family of receptor channels that bind neurotransmitters in worms might help to explain behavioral effects in humans. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

LXR Regulates Cholesterol Uptake Through Idol-Dependent Ubiquitination of the LDL Receptor

Noam Zelcer, Cynthia Hong, Rima Boyadjian, and Peter Tontonoz
Science 3 July 2009: 100-104.
Published online 11 June 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1168974] (in Science Express Reports)
Cholesterol metabolism is regulated by a signaling pathway that targets the LDL receptor for degradation. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|