This Week in Science

Editor summaries of this week's papers.
Science 4 December 2009: 1315.
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Editorial:
The Climate in Copenhagen

David King
Science 4 December 2009: 1319.
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Editors' Choice

Highlights of the recent literature.
Science 4 December 2009: 1321.
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Science Podcast

Science 4 December 2009: 1428.
The show includes a microRNA target for treating hepatitis C, the combined effects of nitrogen and CO2 on plant diversity, the future of evolution, and more. Summary »|   Full Text »|   Transcript »|  

New Products

Science 4 December 2009: 1428.
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

Agricultural Research
International Centers and Donors Warily Eye Sweeping Changes

Dennis Normile
Science 4 December 2009: 1328.
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research is facing what could be the biggest shakeup in its 38-year history as its delegates are about to vote to convert CGIAR from a voluntary association into a legal entity with power over a trust fund so it can enforce systemwide priorities. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Science and Society
Stolen E-mails Turn Up Heat on Climate Change Rhetoric

Eli Kintisch
Science 4 December 2009: 1329.
The theft and unauthorized release last month of 1000 private e-mail messages from the servers of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom has raised thorny questions about the proper behavior of researchers who feel under siege for their science. How willing should they be to share their raw data with their staunchest critics? Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Mantle Dynamics
Sea-Floor Study Gives Plumes From the Deep Mantle a Boost

Richard A. Kerr
Science 4 December 2009: 1330.
On page 1388 of this week's issue of Science, eight researchers offer the most detailed seismic imaging yet as evidence for a so-called mantle plume beneath the world's most iconic hot spot, the island of Hawaii. The quality of the data and the apparent Hawaiian plume's resemblance to theorists' expectations have won some cautious support for the work. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Science Policy
European Union Selects Unknown For Top Science Post

Martin Enserink
Science 4 December 2009: 1331.
Two women have been tapped to head the European Union's efforts on science and climate over the next 5 years, one virtually unknown to scientists and science policymakers and the other almost an international celebrity. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceInsider
From the Science Policy Blog

Science 4 December 2009: 1331.
ScienceInsider reported this week on President Barack Obama's anticipated announcement of a U.S. commitment to a 17% cut in greenhouse gas emissions relative to 2005 by 2020 and the new chair of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, Amy Gutmann, among other stories. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Stem Education
Web Site Matches U.S. Scientists With Teachers Looking for Help

Jeffrey Mervis
Science 4 December 2009: 1332.
A new, interactive Web site designed to match scientists and classroom teachers from across the United States in projects aimed at improving learning, nationallabday.org, is one element in a White House initiative to encourage private-private partnerships in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

India
Stem Cell Center to Rise in Biology Hub

N. N. Sachitanand
Science 4 December 2009: 1333.
Construction began in Bangalore last month on the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, a $50 million center to be built alongside an existing biology powerhouse and a planned $12 million technology center that will seek to commercialize the biocluster's findings. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceNOW.org
From Science's Online Daily News Site

Science 4 December 2009: 1333.
ScienceNOW reported this week that corals act like sunscreen, the Milky Way grew by swallowing other galaxies, Americans are wasting more food, and Titan's lakes go south for the winter, among other stories. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Random Samples

Science 4 December 2009: 1327.
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News Focus

Origins
On the Origin of Tomorrow

Carl Zimmer
Science 4 December 2009: 1334-1336.
What is the future of evolution? In the final essay in Science's series in honor of the Year of Darwin, Carl Zimmer explores the subject of human-driven evolution. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Podcast Interview »|  

Neurodegeneration
Could They All Be Prion Diseases?

Greg Miller
Science 4 December 2009: 1337-1339.
Recent studies have renewed interest in the idea that many neurodegenerative diseases may involve prionlike mechanisms. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Neurodegeneration
Acting Like a Prion Isn't Always Bad

Greg Miller
Science 4 December 2009: 1338.
If misfolded proteins are so dangerous, why hasn't evolution selected against them? One possibility is that it hasn't had to: Many of the diseases caused by protein misfolding strike late in life, after the reproductive years are over. It's also possible that this type of protein folding isn't always bad. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Fishery Management
Can Science Keep Alaska's Bering Sea Pollock Fishery Healthy?

Virginia Morell
Science 4 December 2009: 1340-1341.
The pollock fishery in the chill waters of the eastern Bering Sea is said to be the best managed in the world. But a surprising decline in numbers has scientists worried. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Particle Physics
Seeking a Shortcut to the High-Energy Frontier

Adrian Cho
Science 4 December 2009: 1342-1343.
An accelerator that smashes exotic particles called muons promises more bang from a smaller accelerator—if physicists can actually build it. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Letters

 Biofuels: Social Benefits

Lucy Rist, Janice Ser Huay Lee, and Lian Pin Koh
Science 4 December 2009: 1344.
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 Biofuels: By-Products

Thomas M. Biksey and Felicia Wu
Science 4 December 2009: 1344-1345.
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 Biofuels: Algae

J. Emmett Duffy, Elizabeth A. Canuel, Walter Adey, and John P. Swaddle
Science 4 December 2009: 1345.
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 Biofuels: Forests and Carbon

Pekka E. Kauppi and Laura Saikku
Science 4 December 2009: 1345.
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 Biofuels: Beware Crop Residues

Rattan Lal and David Pimentel
Science 4 December 2009: 1345-1346.
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 Biofuels: Steer Clear of Degraded Land

Joachim H. Spangenberg and Josef Settele
Science 4 December 2009: 1346.
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 Response—Biofuels

David Tilman, Robert Socolow, Jonathan A. Foley, Jason Hill, Eric Larson, Lee Lynd, Stephen Pacala, John Reilly, Tim Searchinger, Chris Somerville, and Robert Williams
Science 4 December 2009: 1346.
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 Corrections and Clarifications

Science 4 December 2009: 1346.
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Books et al.

History of Science
Researchers Writing for the Public

Melinda Baldwin
Science 4 December 2009: 1347-1348.
Bowler argues that despite the professionalization of their disciplines, through the middle of the 20th century British scientists remained very active in writing about their work for general readers. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Film
Science Goes Hollywood

Cat Bohannon, Anthony DeCostanzo, Tim Requarth, Abba Dawesar, Annegret Falkner, Stuart Firestein, Cynthia Jung, Anna North, Rachel Riederer, Kim Tingley, and Greg Wayne
Science 4 December 2009: 1348-1349.
Our reviewers spread out over New York to survey the 46 short and 4 feature films that were shown at this year's Imagine Science Film Festival. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books Received

Science 4 December 2009: 1348.
A listing of books received at Science during the week ended 27 November 2009. Summary »|  

Essays on Science and Society

GE Prize Essay
The Molecular Basis of Size Differences

Michael A. Crickmore
Science 4 December 2009: 1360-1361.
Regulation of morphogen signaling controls tissue size. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

 GE Prize Essay
2009 Grand Prize Winner

Science 4 December 2009: 1361.
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Policy Forum

Environment
The End of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

Daniel Nepstad, Britaldo S. Soares-Filho, Frank Merry, André Lima, Paulo Moutinho, John Carter, Maria Bowman, Andrea Cattaneo, Hermann Rodrigues, Stephan Schwartzman, David G. McGrath, Claudia M. Stickler, Ruben Lubowski, Pedro Piris-Cabezas, Sergio Rivero, Ane Alencar, Oriana Almeida, and Osvaldo Stella
Science 4 December 2009: 1350-1351.
Government commitments and market transitions lay the foundation for an effort to save the forest and reduce carbon emission. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Perspectives

Biochemistry
Nascent Proteins Caught in the Act

Martin Kampmann and Günter Blobel
Science 4 December 2009: 1352-1353.
Cryo–electron microscopy structures visualize two types of nascent polypeptide chains that affect either protein translocation across membranes or regulation of bacterial gene expression. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Ecology
Biodiversity Under Global Change

Scott L. Collins
Science 4 December 2009: 1353-1354.
A long-term experiment into plant community responses to elevated carbon dioxide and nitrogen yields surprising results. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Chemistry
Nailing Down Nickel for Electrocatalysis

Michael Hambourger and Thomas A. Moore
Science 4 December 2009: 1355-1356.
A nickel compound bound to carbon nanotubes catalyzes a key reaction for hydrogen fuel cells and electrolyzers, the interconversion of protons and hydrogen in water. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Plant Science
How Plant Cells Go to Sleep for a Long, Long Time

Michael R. Sussman and George N. Phillips, Jr.
Science 4 December 2009: 1356-1357.
Crystal structures reveal the conformational change elicited when the plant hormone abscisic acid binds to its receptor. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Physics
Quantum Nonlocality: How Does Nature Do It?

Nicolas Gisin
Science 4 December 2009: 1357-1358.
Measurements of correlations between spatially separated systems provide insights into the conceptual foundations of quantum physics. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Retrospective
Paul C. Zamecnik (1912–2009)

Kurt J. Isselbacher
Science 4 December 2009: 1359.
A biochemist's determination and brilliance unlocked the mystery of protein synthesis and created a new field of drug development. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Review

Epidemic Dynamics at the Human-Animal Interface

James O. Lloyd-Smith, Dylan George, Kim M. Pepin, Virginia E. Pitzer, Juliet R. C. Pulliam, Andrew P. Dobson, Peter J. Hudson, and Bryan T. Grenfell
Science 4 December 2009: 1362-1367.
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Brevia

Harnessing Carbon Payments to Protect Biodiversity

Oscar Venter, William F. Laurance, Takuya Iwamura, Kerrie A. Wilson, Richard A. Fuller, and Hugh P. Possingham
Science 4 December 2009: 1368.
A model shows that REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation) can be extended to biodiversity conservation. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Research Articles

Structure of Monomeric Yeast and Mammalian Sec61 Complexes Interacting with the Translating Ribosome

Thomas Becker, Shashi Bhushan, Alexander Jarasch, Jean-Paul Armache, Soledad Funes, Fabrice Jossinet, James Gumbart, Thorsten Mielke, Otto Berninghausen, Klaus Schulten, Eric Westhof, Reid Gilmore, Elisabet C. Mandon, and Roland Beckmann
Science 4 December 2009: 1369-1373.
Published online 29 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1178535] (in Science Express Research Articles)
A single copy of a protein-conducting channel molecule provides a conduit for polypeptide translocation across membranes. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Structural Mechanism of Abscisic Acid Binding and Signaling by Dimeric PYR1

Noriyuki Nishimura, Kenichi Hitomi, Andrew S. Arvai, Robert P. Rambo, Chiharu Hitomi, Sean R. Cutler, Julian I. Schroeder, and Elizabeth D. Getzoff
Science 4 December 2009: 1373-1379.
Published online 22 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1181829] (in Science Express Research Articles)
The plant hormone responsible for drought tolerance signals by inducing conformational changes in its dimeric protein receptor. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Reports

A Population of Compact Elliptical Galaxies Detected with the Virtual Observatory

Igor Chilingarian, Véronique Cayatte, Yves Revaz, Serguei Dodonov, Daniel Durand, Florence Durret, Alberto Micol, and Eric Slezak
Science 4 December 2009: 1379-1382.
Published online 1 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1175930] (in Science Express Reports)
A sample of elliptical systems provides evidence that disruption of galaxies plays an important role in their evolution. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

On the Elusive Twelfth Vibrational State of Beryllium Dimer

Konrad Patkowski, Vladimír Spirko, and Krzysztof Szalewicz
Science 4 December 2009: 1382-1384.
Theoretical calculations support a previous spectroscopic assignment of the highest vibrational level of the beryllium dimer. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

From Hydrogenases to Noble Metal–Free Catalytic Nanomaterials for H₂ Production and Uptake

Alan Le Goff, Vincent Artero, Bruno Jousselme, Phong Dinh Tran, Nicolas Guillet, Romain Métayé, Aziz Fihri, Serge Palacin, and Marc Fontecave
Science 4 December 2009: 1384-1387.
A nickel electrocatalyst supported on carbon nanotubes shows promising activity for proton-hydrogen interconversion in water. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Mantle Shear-Wave Velocity Structure Beneath the Hawaiian Hot Spot

Cecily J. Wolfe, Sean C. Solomon, Gabi Laske, John A. Collins, Robert S. Detrick, John A. Orcutt, David Bercovici, and Erik H. Hauri
Science 4 December 2009: 1388-1390.
Extensive seismological data support a mantle plume origin for the Hawaiian volcanic hot spot. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Tracking the Variable North Atlantic Sink for Atmospheric CO₂

Andrew J. Watson, Ute Schuster, Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Nicholas R. Bates, Antoine Corbière, Melchor González-Dávila, Tobias Friedrich, Judith Hauck, Christoph Heinze, Truls Johannessen, Arne Körtzinger, Nicolas Metzl, Jon Olafsson, Are Olsen, Andreas Oschlies, X. Antonio Padin, Benjamin Pfeil, J. Magdalena Santana-Casiano, Tobias Steinhoff, Maciej Telszewski, Aida F. Rios, Douglas W. R. Wallace, and Rik Wanninkhof
Science 4 December 2009: 1391-1393.
Data from instrumented commercial ships reveal substantial interannual variations of carbon dioxide flux between the ocean and the air. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Coupling of CO₂ and Ice Sheet Stability Over Major Climate Transitions of the Last 20 Million Years

Aradhna K. Tripati, Christopher D. Roberts, and Robert A. Eagle
Science 4 December 2009: 1394-1397.
Published online 8 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1178296] (in Science Express Reports)
Changes in global sea level and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were similar during the past 20 million years. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Indirect Emissions from Biofuels: How Important?

Jerry M. Melillo, John M. Reilly, David W. Kicklighter, Angelo C. Gurgel, Timothy W. Cronin, Sergey Paltsev, Benjamin S. Felzer, Xiaodong Wang, Andrei P. Sokolov, and C. Adam Schlosser
Science 4 December 2009: 1397-1399.
Published online 22 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1180251] (in Science Express Reports)
Land-use changes associated with biofuel production are predicted to increase greenhouse gas emissions. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Elevated CO₂ Reduces Losses of Plant Diversity Caused by Nitrogen Deposition

Peter B. Reich
Science 4 December 2009: 1399-1402.
In a 10-year field experiment, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide halved nitrogen-induced reductions in grassland plant species richness. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

The Insect Neuropeptide PTTH Activates Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Torso to Initiate Metamorphosis

Kim F. Rewitz, Naoki Yamanaka, Lawrence I. Gilbert, and Michael B. O’Connor
Science 4 December 2009: 1403-1405.
The receptor of the Drosophila brain hormone that initiates metamorphosis is identified. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Planarian Hh Signaling Regulates Regeneration Polarity and Links Hh Pathway Evolution to Cilia

Jochen C. Rink, Kyle A. Gurley, Sarah A. Elliott, and Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado
Science 4 December 2009: 1406-1410.
Published online 22 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1178712] (in Science Express Reports)
Analysis of the Hedgehog signaling pathway in planaria suggests an ancestral association of this signaling pathway and cilia function. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Promoting Interest and Performance in High School Science Classes

Chris S. Hulleman and Judith M. Harackiewicz
Science 4 December 2009: 1410-1412.
Spotlighting curriculum relevance improves high school outcomes. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Structural Insight into Nascent Polypeptide Chain–Mediated Translational Stalling

Birgit Seidelt, C. Axel Innis, Daniel N. Wilson, Marco Gartmann, Jean-Paul Armache, Elizabeth Villa, Leonardo G. Trabuco, Thomas Becker, Thorsten Mielke, Klaus Schulten, Thomas A. Steitz, and Roland Beckmann
Science 4 December 2009: 1412-1415.
Published online 29 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1177662] (in Science Express Reports)
Individual polypeptide nascent chains can adopt distinct conformations within the ribosome exit tunnel. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

A Crystal Structure of the Bifunctional Antibiotic Simocyclinone D8, Bound to DNA Gyrase

Marcus J. Edwards, Ruth H. Flatman, Lesley A. Mitchenall, Clare E.M. Stevenson, Tung B.K. Le, Thomas A. Clarke, Adam R. McKay, Hans-Peter Fiedler, Mark J. Buttner, David M. Lawson, and Anthony Maxwell
Science 4 December 2009: 1415-1418.
The molecular mechanism is revealed by which an antibiotic prevents DNA binding by a bacterial DNA gyrase. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

GABAergic Hub Neurons Orchestrate Synchrony in Developing Hippocampal Networks

P. Bonifazi, M. Goldin, M. A. Picardo, I. Jorquera, A. Cattani, G. Bianconi, A. Represa, Y. Ben-Ari, and R. Cossart
Science 4 December 2009: 1419-1424.
A model for the topology of brain networks incorporates a morpho-functional description of neuronal hubs. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Deletion of Atoh1 Disrupts Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in the Developing Cerebellum and Prevents Medulloblastoma

Adriano Flora, Tiemo J. Klisch, Gabriele Schuster, and Huda Y. Zoghbi
Science 4 December 2009: 1424-1427.
A transcription factor regulates signaling in the developing mouse cerebellum and also influences cancer formation. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|