Peer Reviewed

Having your cake and eating it too, ‘Silver bullet’ strategies due a rethink, Rock-solid support for ‘Snowball Earth’ theory, The benefits of sleeping around, Tiny mirrors chill out, New sonic hedgehog receptor, Maize fungal genome deciphered, ‘Export’ protein structure unveiled, Policing every egg you lay

A research group headed by Takashi Tsuji of the Tokyo University of Science's Tissue Engineering Research Center identified mechanisms behind outbreaks of adult T-cell leukemia.

The research team from a joint research program of Tokyo University of Science (TUS)and the Japan Science and Technology Agency have succeeded in producing hydrogen from water through the use of gallium nitride (GaN) crystals for the first time.

Many meaningful milestones in the human history were in the form of existentialist struggles marked by violence and wars. Civilizations are built with the blood of warriors and the sweat of the laborers. History shows us that before stability is attained, countless innocent lives are lost and personal and public properties are destroyed.

The focus of this paper is on two activities that are related to the management of international river basins. The first of these is a scientific report, which is now more than five years old and focuses on the management of the waters of this region of the Middle East. The second is the Rosenberg International Forum on water policy

It took three years for the US to seriously consider alternate plans when their main plank fell apart. In planning an alternate approach now, can the US be sure that it has a workable plan or will it wait for another three years to decide if there is yet another way out of the likely mess?

Magnetic cooling demonstrated in a gas, A step towards quantum networks, Seeing the benefits of nanoceria, A potential male contraceptive, Towards a complete human ‘epigenome’, Small RNAs drive evolution, Genetic risk for schizophrenia and brain function, Knocking out false positives in interaction proteomics

Should willing individuals be allowed to sell their kidneys? Yes, according to a Viewpoint article in Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology, which argues that failure to regulate kidney sales could be unethical. Abdallah S Daar asserts that the traditional moral arguments against payment for organs are difficult to sustain under close scrutiny.

The compilation of a list of mammals of Borneo has come a very long way. This on-line checklist owed to many previous European travelers, traders, colonial officers, museum collectors, curators and biologists describing those species that are known to us today.

This paper presents accounts of the major developments in the Indian commodity, exchange rate and financial derivatives markets, and outlines the regulatory provisions that have been introduced to minimise misuse of derivatives.

Nuclear forensics, Global cooling preceded life on Earth, DNA degradation link to rheumatoid arthritis, Lampreys, the supreme survival specialists, The conductivity of mantle minerals, Largest avian skull runs rings around agility theory

A new technology that mimics the suspension of white blood cells in blood in the body is reported online this week in Cell Research. The novel joystick-controlled laser traps that the authors use provide valuable new information on how white blood cells engulf bacteria – a crucial part of the body’s defense against infection.

More important than the elections is establishing an electoral culture, and this cannot be fulfilled through spectators. It has to be achieved through actual participation, not necessarily in the highest public domain; it could start at the level of local or municipal councils

Summaries of other newsworthy papers from Nature include Inducing connections between brain sites alters motor function - Nature, The bottom line for silk - Nature Materials, Bittersweet news for neural stem cell grafts - Nature Medicine, TAPping into mammalian interaction proteomics - Nature Methods

This innovation offers versatility and is applicable on virtually all types of materials regardless of it nature or origin such as semi-metals like silicon, silicates, glasses, ceramics as well as non-metals like plastics, woods and shells.

The culture conditions under which human embryonic stem cells can be converted into cells that produce all five hormones made by the pancreas, including insulin, are reported online in Nature Biotechnology this week.

Science issues could play a key role in the US mid-term elections, says a news feature in this week’s Nature. Reporters have teamed up to scrutinize races across the country and report how two topics in particular – stem cells and energy – are being used on the campaign trail.

‘Linguistics’ spawns new antimicrobial drugs, Stop picking on the big guys, Moon's south pole unlikely to have thick ice deposits, Bang on in the Andromeda galaxy, Cancer stem cells resist radiotherapy, Primitive fish surprisingly advanced, Neurodegeneration, Two pores colliding, Getting to the roots of the fungal family tree.......

The Arab Gulf has begun to build ties with a diverse group, including the European Union, Turkey, and particularly Asia. By linking the economic interests of these countries and regions to the security of the Gulf, the Arab Gulf is able to build stronger partnership, in addition to establishing a role for itself in the international arena.

This study found that group-owned newspapers aim to maximize profit by cutting the number of reporters, reducing the amount of non-advertising space in the newspaper, and cutting advertising space.

As more people look to weight loss surgery to address their expanding waist lines, new research suggests that the best way to drop a few dress sizes is to opt for the mini - as in mini-gastric bypass surgery.

North Korea's nuclear test should be seen from a broader perspective: the lack of deterrent mechanisms is encouraging developing countries to pursue their own nuclear programs in order to improve their strategic positions.

Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature Journals include New sex determination gene identified - Nature Genetics, Towards better anti-epileptic drugs - Nature Neuroscience, We have no blue bananas - Nature Neuroscience

Research published in the open-access journal BMC Urology shows that early recanalization ― the most frequent cause of vasectomy failure ― is more common than previously thought. It also confirms that certain vasectomy techniques are associated with lower risk of recanalization, and that wider use of these could reduce vasectomy failure rates.

Bilateral FTAs can jeopardize multilateral efforts at trade liberalization, as they are about establishing national spheres of influence and shielding them from competition.

Vaccinating the Ethiopian wolf, Titan's ocean lost forever?, Oxygen puzzle solved?, Modelling the early Universe, Controlling the insulin-degrading enzyme may relieve Alzheimer’s disease, Towards a quantum network and finally… Salamanders see red

Suggestions that Europe is unable to offer concrete solutions to the region's problems indicate a misunderstanding of the actual nature of the challenge. Europe cannot replace the US in the Gulf but it can certainly provide alternatives and incentives where the current US approach falls desperately short.

This paper analyses the role of journalism in Japan and uses a high profile group bullying murder case as a case study to illustrate the state of journalism in Japan

According to 2004 statistics, local films in Japan took in an estimated 35 % of the total revenue. By contrast the same year, Canadian feature films earned 4.3 % in Canada. This figure shows the big difference between Canada and Japan.

Los Baños, Philippines – The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) continues to repair extensive damage caused last Thursday (September 28) by the worst typhoon in more than a decade to hit the world-famous agricultural research center.