Industrial Chemistry

 Chemistry Writ Large

Jake Yeston and Robert Coontz
Science 7 August 2009: 691.
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News

News
A New Wave of Chemical Regulations Just Ahead?

Robert F. Service
Science 7 August 2009: 692-693.
The United States's aging flagship law for controlling toxic compounds is ripe for overhaul, and chemical companies—or some of them—want to play a major role in shaping what comes next. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

News
Putting Chemicals on a Path To Better Risk Assessment

Erik Stokstad
Science 7 August 2009: 694-695.
Industry and regulators are embracing new technologies to move beyond slow, expensive, and perplexing animal tests. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Podcast Interview »|  

Science Careers
Young Industrial Chemists Find The Learning Curve Never Ends

Rachel Petkewich
Science 7 August 2009: 696-697.
Academia teaches technical skills, but scientists in the private sector say landing a job and thriving there is an education in itself. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Perspectives

Frontiers in Reactor Engineering

Milorad P. Dudukovic
Science 7 August 2009: 698-701.
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Looking Forward in Pharmaceutical Process Chemistry

Ian W. Davies and Christopher J. Welch
Science 7 August 2009: 701-704.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Frontiers in Olefin Polymerization: Reinventing the World’s Most Common Synthetic Polymers

Phillip D. Hustad
Science 7 August 2009: 704-707.
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The Biofuels Landscape Through the Lens of Industrial Chemistry

Paul A. Willems
Science 7 August 2009: 707-708.
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This Week in Science

Editor summaries of this week's papers.
Science 7 August 2009: 651.
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Editorial:
Future Energy Institutes

Paul G. Falkowski and Robert M. Goodman
Science 7 August 2009: 655.
Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Editors' Choice

Highlights of the recent literature.
Science 7 August 2009: 656.
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Science Podcast

Science 7 August 2009: 768.
The show includes designer DNA shapes, new technologies for toxicity testing, the origins of eukaryotes, and more. Summary »|   Full Text »|   Transcript »|  

New Products

Science 7 August 2009: 768.
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

Public Health
Type 2 Poliovirus Back From The Dead in Nigeria

Leslie Roberts
Science 7 August 2009: 660-661.
Springing back to life from a weakened form of the pathogen used in a vaccine, poliovirus type 2, which had been eradicated in 1999, is causing a runaway outbreak in Nigeria, where types 1 and 3 are also raging. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Biosecurity
Faulty Risk Analysis Puts Biofacility Plan in Jeopardy

Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
Science 7 August 2009: 661.
A damning report from the Government Accountability Office accuses the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of relying on a flawed risk analysis to select Manhattan, Kansas, as the site for its planned $450 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Swine Flu Outbreak
Worries About Africa as Pandemic Marches On

Martin Enserink
Science 7 August 2009: 662.
With its poor health infrastructure and lack of surveillance, experts fear that Africa—especially south of the Sahara—might be harder hit by the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus than any other continent. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Parasitology
Key Malaria Parasite Likely Evolved From Chimp Version

Jon Cohen
Science 7 August 2009: 663.
An international research team has uncovered compelling evidence that the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, evolved from a relative called P. reichenowi that infects chimpanzees. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceNOW.org
From Science's Online Daily News Site

Science 7 August 2009: 663.
Highlights from Science's online daily news site, ScienceNOW, this week include a gorilla virus in our midst, confirmation of dinosaur protein fragments, and a way to undo the damage caused by glaucoma and grow new teeth. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Science and Commerce
Systematics Researchers Want to Fend Off Patents

Elizabeth Pennisi
Science 7 August 2009: 664.
The phylogenetics community is worried about a patent application that claims the invention of techniques that evolutionary biologists have been using for years to discern how organisms were related to one another through evolutionary time, based on similarities in genetic sequence. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Intellectual Property
Drug Metabolite Patents Prompt Legal Battle

Eliot Marshall
Science 7 August 2009: 665.
U.S. medical groups are lining up this week against a biotech company in a rare federal court battle over whether a specific drug test can be patented. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceInsider
From the Science Policy Blog

Science 7 August 2009: 665.
ScienceInsider this week reported on the U.S. plan to vaccinate its citizens this fall against the H1N1 influenza virus, a mistake in manuscript handling that led to an embarrassing use of borrowed text in a recent paper on the use of human embryonic stem cells, and a constrained funding request for the National Institutes of Health, among other stories. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Random Samples

Science 7 August 2009: 659.
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News Focus

Origins
On the Origin of Eukaryotes

Carl Zimmer
Science 7 August 2009: 666-668.
If the eukaryote cell hadn't evolved, we wouldn't be here to discuss the question of how it originated. In the eighth essay in Science's series in honor of the Year of Darwin, Carl Zimmer describes one of the most important transitions in the history of life: the origin of cells with a nucleus, which gave rise to every multicellular form of life. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Podcast Interview »|  

Newsmaker Interview
Space Telescope's Chief Scientist Recalls How Hubble Was Saved

Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
Science 7 August 2009: 669.
As he prepares to retire, David Leckrone reflects on the rescue effort that kept the observatory in orbit and on the prospects for humans in space. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Neuropathology
A Late Hit for Pro Football Players

Greg Miller
Science 7 August 2009: 670-672.
Emerging research suggests that hard knocks on the field may cause delayed brain damage in retired athletes. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Theoretical Physics
Can Gravity and Quantum Particles Be Reconciled After All?

Adrian Cho
Science 7 August 2009: 673.
One group of intrepid theorists thinks the answer to that question may be "yes," and if they're right, one argument in favor of string theory unravels. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Letters

 Droplet Data Not New

Neil J. Bacon and Jon Nelson
Science 7 August 2009: 674.
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 Cholera Vaccine Will Reduce Antibiotic Use

Iruka N. Okeke
Science 7 August 2009: 674.
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 How to Improve U.S. Education

F. James Rutherford
Science 7 August 2009: 674-675.
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 China Fights Against Statistical Corruption

Junguo Liu and Hong Yang
Science 7 August 2009: 675-676.
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 Organics: Evidence of Health Benefits Lacking

Kate Clancy, Michael Hamm, Allen S. Levine, and Jennifer Wilkins
Science 7 August 2009: 676.
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 Corrections and Clarifications

Science 7 August 2009: 676.
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Books et al.

Archaeology
Imagining Our Ancient Future

Christopher E. Forth
Science 7 August 2009: 677-678.
Gere explores how Arthur Evans's often-fanciful interpretations of Minoan civilization (as pacifist, matriarchal, and sexually free), religion, and architecture influenced 20th-century European writers, artists, and intellectuals. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Public Understanding
Selling Science

Jerry Coyne
Science 7 August 2009: 678-679.
In addition to discussing threats posed by scientific illiteracy, Mooney and Kirshenbaum argue that American ignorance of science stems from the vociferous atheism of some prominent science popularizers and scientists' insufficient interest in and preparation for outreach activities. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Theater: Evolution
Bridging an Ocean

Claire Thomas
Science 7 August 2009: 679.
Baxter constructed his play from correspondence between Darwin and the devoutly Christian American botanist Asa Gray. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books Received

Science 7 August 2009: 679.
A listing of books received at Science during the week ended 31 July 2009. Summary »|  

Policy Forum

Environmental Science
Digital Soil Map of the World

Pedro A. Sanchez, Sonya Ahamed, Florence Carré, Alfred E. Hartemink, Jonathan Hempel, Jeroen Huising, Philippe Lagacherie, Alex B. McBratney, Neil J. McKenzie, Maria de Lourdes Mendonça-Santos, Budiman Minasny, Luca Montanarella, Peter Okoth, Cheryl A. Palm, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Keith D. Shepherd, Tor-Gunnar Vågen, Bernard Vanlauwe, Markus G. Walsh, Leigh A. Winowiecki, and Gan-Lin Zhang
Science 7 August 2009: 680-681.
Increased demand and advanced techniques could lead to more refined mapping and management of soils. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Perspectives

Ecology
Barcoding of Plants and Fungi

Mark W. Chase and Michael F. Fay
Science 7 August 2009: 682-683.
Published online 30 July 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1176906] (in Science Express Perspectives)
DNA barcoding enables rapid and accurate identification of species in many groups of organisms, but cannot always distinguish between closely related species of land plants or fungi. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Astronomy
Cosmic-Ray Acceleration in Supernova Remnants

John C. Raymond
Science 7 August 2009: 683-684.
Combined x-ray and optical observations of a supernova remnant reveal details of the origin and mechanism of cosmic-ray acceleration. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Cell Biology
Lethal Traffic Jam

Eefjan Breukink
Science 7 August 2009: 684-685.
Antibiotics activate a pathway that disables protein secretion in bacteria. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Chemistry
Designer Curvature

Yan Liu and Hao Yan
Science 7 August 2009: 685-686.
Complex nanostructures can be created by systematically tuning the bending and twisting of synthetic DNA assemblies. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Chemistry
Epoxying Isoprene Chemistry

Tadeusz E. Kleindienst
Science 7 August 2009: 687-688.
Laboratory experiments show how the gas-phase and aerosol chemistry of isoprene may be connected. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Genetics
A-maize-ing Diversity

Trudy F. C. Mackay
Science 7 August 2009: 688-689.
Analysis of a new maize resource reveals that a large number of genetic loci with small effects may underlie the wide variation seen in traits such as flowering time. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Physics
Quantum Football

Franco Nori
Science 7 August 2009: 689-690.
A superconducting circuit passes a quantum state between several energy levels like a football is passed between players. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Brevia

Kepler’s Optical Phase Curve of the Exoplanet HAT-P-7b

W. J. Borucki, D. Koch, J. Jenkins, D. Sasselov, R. Gilliland, N. Batalha, D. W. Latham, D. Caldwell, G. Basri, T. Brown, J. Christensen-Dalsgaard, W. D. Cochran, E. DeVore, E. Dunham, A. K. Dupree, T. Gautier, J. Geary, A. Gould, S. Howell, H. Kjeldsen, J. Lissauer, G. Marcy, S. Meibom, D. Morrison, and J. Tarter
Science 7 August 2009: 709.
The Kepler mission is performing at the level required to detect Earth-size planets orbiting solar-type stars. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Research Articles

The Last Glacial Maximum

Peter U. Clark, Arthur S. Dyke, Jeremy D. Shakun, Anders E. Carlson, Jorie Clark, Barbara Wohlfarth, Jerry X. Mitrovica, Steven W. Hostetler, and A. Marshall McCabe
Science 7 August 2009: 710-714.
Regional patterns are presented of the timing of ice-sheet and mountain-glacier maxima near the end of the last ice age. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

The Genetic Architecture of Maize Flowering Time

Edward S. Buckler, James B. Holland, Peter J. Bradbury, Charlotte B. Acharya, Patrick J. Brown, Chris Browne, Elhan Ersoz, Sherry Flint-Garcia, Arturo Garcia, Jeffrey C. Glaubitz, Major M. Goodman, Carlos Harjes, Kate Guill, Dallas E. Kroon, Sara Larsson, Nicholas K. Lepak, Huihui Li, Sharon E. Mitchell, Gael Pressoir, Jason A. Peiffer, Marco Oropeza Rosas, Torbert R. Rocheford, M. Cinta Romay, Susan Romero, Stella Salvo, Hector Sanchez Villeda, H. Sofia da Silva, Qi Sun, Feng Tian, Narasimham Upadyayula, Doreen Ware, Heather Yates, Jianming Yu, Zhiwu Zhang, Stephen Kresovich, and Michael D. McMullen
Science 7 August 2009: 714-718.
Assaying nearly one million plants reveals that maize flowering time is not controlled by a large effect at any single locus. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Reports

Measuring the Cosmic-Ray Acceleration Efficiency of a Supernova Remnant

E. A. Helder, J. Vink, C. G. Bassa, A. Bamba, J. A. M. Bleeker, S. Funk, P. Ghavamian, K. J. van der Heyden, F. Verbunt, and R. Yamazaki
Science 7 August 2009: 719-722.
Published online 25 June 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1173383] (in Science Express Reports)
The pressure induced by cosmic rays produced by the explosion of a star exceeds the thermal pressure behind the shock wave. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Emulation of a Quantum Spin with a Superconducting Phase Qudit

Matthew Neeley, Markus Ansmann, Radoslaw C. Bialczak, Max Hofheinz, Erik Lucero, Aaron D. O'Connell, Daniel Sank, Haohua Wang, James Wenner, Andrew N. Cleland, Michael R. Geller, and John M. Martinis
Science 7 August 2009: 722-725.
A multilevel superconducting device is used to emulate the manipulation of quantum spin systems. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Folding DNA into Twisted and Curved Nanoscale Shapes

Hendrik Dietz, Shawn M. Douglas, and William M. Shih
Science 7 August 2009: 725-730.
Site-directed insertions and deletions of base pairs direct twist and curvature in crystal-like DNA arrays. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

Unexpected Epoxide Formation in the Gas-Phase Photooxidation of Isoprene

Fabien Paulot, John D. Crounse, Henrik G. Kjaergaard, Andreas Kürten, Jason M. St. Clair, John H. Seinfeld, and Paul O. Wennberg
Science 7 August 2009: 730-733.
The oxidation of isoprenes in the absence of nitric oxide produces epoxides that can facilitate formation of organic aerosols. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Phylogenetic Conservatism of Extinctions in Marine Bivalves

Kaustuv Roy, Gene Hunt, and David Jablonski
Science 7 August 2009: 733-737.
Extinction rates of fossil bivalves tended to be higher in certain lineages and were influenced by prior events. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Genetic Properties of the Maize Nested Association Mapping Population

Michael D. McMullen, Stephen Kresovich, Hector Sanchez Villeda, Peter Bradbury, Huihui Li, Qi Sun, Sherry Flint-Garcia, Jeffry Thornsberry, Charlotte Acharya, Christopher Bottoms, Patrick Brown, Chris Browne, Magen Eller, Kate Guill, Carlos Harjes, Dallas Kroon, Nick Lepak, Sharon E. Mitchell, Brooke Peterson, Gael Pressoir, Susan Romero, Marco Oropeza Rosas, Stella Salvo, Heather Yates, Mark Hanson, Elizabeth Jones, Stephen Smith, Jeffrey C. Glaubitz, Major Goodman, Doreen Ware, James B. Holland, and Edward S. Buckler
Science 7 August 2009: 737-740.
Outcrossing vigor in maize is most likely due to retained variability in regions around the centromeres. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Multiscale Mechanics of Fibrin Polymer: Gel Stretching with Protein Unfolding and Loss of Water

André E. X. Brown, Rustem I. Litvinov, Dennis E. Discher, Prashant K. Purohit, and John W. Weisel
Science 7 August 2009: 741-744.
Protein unfolding in stretched fibrin blood clots creates porous gels that can withstand high strains. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

The C-Ala Domain Brings Together Editing and Aminoacylation Functions on One tRNA

Min Guo, Yeeting E. Chong, Kirk Beebe, Ryan Shapiro, Xiang-Lei Yang, and Paul Schimmel
Science 7 August 2009: 744-747.
Many alanyl–transfer RNA synthetases contain a domain that promotes aminoacylation and editing of transfer RNA. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Generalized Models Reveal Stabilizing Factors in Food Webs

Thilo Gross, Lars Rudolf, Simon A. Levin, and Ulf Dieckmann
Science 7 August 2009: 747-750.
Analysis of several billion replicates of food webs reveals universal topological rules affecting their stability. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

C3PO, an Endoribonuclease That Promotes RNAi by Facilitating RISC Activation

Ying Liu, Xuecheng Ye, Feng Jiang, Chunyang Liang, Dongmei Chen, Junmin Peng, Lisa N. Kinch, Nick V. Grishin, and Qinghua Liu
Science 7 August 2009: 750-753.
Reconstitution of RNA interference reveals that Slicer activity is enhanced by the protein C3PO. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Effects of Antibiotics and a Proto-Oncogene Homolog on Destruction of Protein Translocator SecY

Johna van Stelten, Filo Silva, Dominique Belin, and Thomas J. Silhavy
Science 7 August 2009: 753-756.
Antibiotics promote the destruction of a vital protein translocation complex in bacteria. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Synaptic Integration in Tuft Dendrites of Layer 5 Pyramidal Neurons: A New Unifying Principle

Matthew E. Larkum, Thomas Nevian, Maya Sandler, Alon Polsky, and Jackie Schiller
Science 7 August 2009: 756-760.
Thin tuft and basal dendrites of pyramidal neurons use N-methyl-D-aspartate spikes to sum up synaptic inputs in semi-independent compartments. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Spinal Endocannabinoids and CB₁ Receptors Mediate C-Fiber–Induced Heterosynaptic Pain Sensitization

Alejandro J. Pernía-Andrade, Ako Kato, Robert Witschi, Rita Nyilas, István Katona, Tamás F. Freund, Masahiko Watanabe, Jörg Filitz, Wolfgang Koppert, Jürgen Schüttler, Guangchen Ji, Volker Neugebauer, Giovanni Marsicano, Beat Lutz, Horacio Vanegas, and Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
Science 7 August 2009: 760-764.
Noxious stimulation releases endocannabinoids in the spinal cord that may promote, rather than inhibit, the perception of pain. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

An Alternative DNA Structure Is Necessary for Pilin Antigenic Variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Laty A. Cahoon and H. Steven Seifert
Science 7 August 2009: 764-767.
A guanine quartet DNA structure regulates antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrheae. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|