Correlating a specific triggering event, such as an asteroid impact or massive volcanism, to mass extinction events is clouded by the difficulty in precisely timing their occurrence in the geologic … [Read more]
The efficiency of modern internal combustion engines depends on the relative reactivity of the hydrocarbons that comprise the fuel. In particular, branched hydrocarbons are less likely than their linear counterparts … [Read more]
SS Cygni is a well-studied binary star system in the northern constellation Cygnus, consisting of a white dwarf that accretes matter from its companion star. Miller-Jones et al. (p. 950; … [Read more]
The ability to hold a glass being filled with water without dropping it depends on our ability to touch objects and to know the correct pressure to exert. Thus, for … [Read more]
Recently, gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) has been implicated as the primary neurotransmitter between itch-sensitive nerve fibers and downstream neurons in the spinal cord. However, Mishra and Hoon (p. 968) challenge this … [Read more]
Isolated congenital asplenia (ICA) is a rare disorder where patients are born without a spleen and are at increased risk of bacterial infection but have no other developmental abnormalities. Through … [Read more]
One of the major questions of chaperone-assisted protein-folding pathways is how substrates that fail to fold avoid futile folding cycles. Xu et al. (p. 978; see the Perspective by Kleizen … [Read more]
Mosquitoes have a complex immune system capable of effective antiparasite responses; however, malaria transmission is still highly efficient. Molina-Cruz et al. (p. 984, published online 9 May; see the Perspective … [Read more]
Many cellular processes are regulated by mechanical signals. Single-molecule force spectroscopy has been used to probe molecular unfolding or unbinding; however, measuring the single-molecule forces required to activate signaling remains … [Read more]
Several populations of the German cockroach have become averse to the glucose used as bait in toxic traps, which has severely reduced the traps' effectiveness. Wada-Katsumata et al. (p. 972; … [Read more]
One vaccine strategy being pursued against HIV is to generate protection that is dependent on cell-mediated, rather than humoral, immune responses. A cytomegalovirus (CMV)–vectored vaccine that expresses simian immunodeficiency virus … [Read more]
Ice cores drilled in the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are some of the most important sources of information about the paleoclimate of high latitudes. Comparable records from the … [Read more]
The practical strength of a material (rather than its theoretical strength) is influenced by the presence of defects between crystalline domains and the inclusion of impurities. In some cases, synergistic … [Read more]
Corrosion is normally a problem, but it can be useful, for example, when you wish to create hollow metal nanoparticles, whereby the reduction of one metal species in solution drives … [Read more]
Before a cell divides, it must replicate its genome so that both daughter cells receive a copy of the parental DNA. Replication must be tightly regulated to ensure that the … [Read more]
Sulfamethoxazole is a widely used sulfa-drug often used at high doses in the treatment of Pneumocytis pneumonia (PCP) in immunocompromised individuals. Haruki et al. (p. 987) show that sulfamethoxazole and … [Read more]