The processing and manipulation of quantum information holds great promise in terms of outperforming classical computers and secure communication. However, quantum information is delicate, and even reading the information is … [Read more]
Silkworms have been cultivated for thousands of years and their silk has been used to make fabrics for clothing, bed sheets, shirts, dresses, and for other applications like sutures. Spider … [Read more]
Collisions between molecules and metal surfaces underlie many of the catalytic pathways that transform natural feedstocks into fuels and commodity chemical compounds. One such reaction, in which nickel strips hydrogen … [Read more]
Genetically identical cells in the same environment can show variation in gene expression that may cause phenotypic variation at the single-cell level. But how noisy are most genes? Taniguchi et … [Read more]
Lung tissue does not regenerate, so, when it is damaged by disease and/or surgically removed, lung transplantation is often the only treatment option. Because donor tissue is in short supply, … [Read more]
The conduction electrons in graphene, single sheets of graphite, can have very high mobilities. Under the influence of an applied magnetic field, a series of energy steps, or Landau levels, … [Read more]
The exploration of many materials at the nanoscale has revealed properties that only emerge when working at these small dimensions. For device manufacture, materials need to be deposited or assembled … [Read more]
As the Arctic warms and its sea ice continues to melt, more of the ocean surface will be exposed, creating the potential for greater uptake of carbon dioxide from the … [Read more]
The internal architecture of many embryonic organs is established by repetitive branching of epithelia. Epithelial clefts and outgrowths generate this internal branching of glands and other organs. Onodera et al. … [Read more]
Alkanes are major components of fossil fuels, and synthesis of alkanes remains a challenge in the conversion of renewable raw materials to fuels. Even though diverse organisms synthesize alkanes, synthesis … [Read more]
The multichambered heart of birds and mammals develops through addition of second heart field (SHF)–derived precursor cells to a primary heart tube. Stolfi et al. (p. 565) show that, in … [Read more]
A recent controversial hypothesis about the cellular origins of human cancer, the so-called “cancer stem cell hypothesis,” has fueled interest in identifying the specific cell types that give rise to … [Read more]
Astrocytes (or glial cells), previously assumed to be passive players in brain physiology, may play a functional role in a number of complex behaviors. The central chemosensory control of breathing … [Read more]
One of the most attractive characteristics of cold atomic gases in optical lattices is their ability to simulate condensed-matter systems. The results of these quantum simulations are usually averaged over … [Read more]