Peer Reviewed

Researchers show how spins freeze in a molecular magnet

Two different chemical compounds can be used to draw perpendicular molecular lines on the surface of silicon substrates

In Nature China this week - Scientists in China have developed a recombinant vaccine for SARS, Consultation rates of flu-like illness can be used as a predictor for the seasonality of influenza virus activity in Hong Kong and other tropical regions and more.

Singapore – Researchers and policymakers will meet on February 13-15, 2008 at the Grand Mirage Resort in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia to review the impacts of climate change in Southeast Asia and China and discuss what is being—and could be — done to respond.

A peer reviewer for The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) broke confidentiality rules and leaked a damaging report about the blockbuster diabetes drug Avandia to the drug’s manufacturer weeks ahead of publication, Nature has learned. Also ... Taking stock of the Big Apple’s air and water may soon be more difficult for researchers.

Summaries of newsworthy papers including: New cells’ effect on learning, Sugar rush to protect the heart, DNA blueprint for crystallization, Hurricanes: The temperature contribution, Piezoelectric pressure point, Controlling a double-edged sword, and Insight into a doublet of giant earthquakes

Summaries of newsworthy papers in Nature and Nature research journals including: When microbes ruled the Earth, Making waves in the ionosphere, Amyloid inhibitors are aggregates too, An amicable separation, Mother knows best, Sleep onset and duration uncoupled

“On the heels of avian influenza, the medical community has realized that, if you want to deal with emerging diseases, 75% of which come from animals, you have to deal with the animal side of the equation.”

New capacity and fresh insights are among the goals of the Teasdale-Corti global health program that aims to expand the influence of research over a wide range of health issues.

Molecular-scale rearrangements influence how receptors transmit their message, adding another layer of complexity to the regulation of cell signaling

X-rays, neutrons and theoretical modeling are used to explore the physics of quasi-crystals

Japanese researchers unravel how cells move to form the brain

Rice research community seeks to reach 18 million households with improved rice varieties, increase yields by 50% within 10 years

Summaries of newsworthy papers include The Mississippi’s carbon footprint, Repeat Offenders – are scientists publishing more duplicate papers?, The power of Jupiter’s jets, DARPA at 50, Growth of Hawaiian volcanoes, Towards realizing the benefits of spin and Insight into a tropical ecosystem

Plants have evolved disguise proteins to cheat pathogenic bacteria.

Asia has been experiencing “an extraordinarily rapid transformation,” observes Stephen McGurk. As IDRC’s New Delhi-based Regional Director for South Asia and China, McGurk has seen in the cityscape around him reflections of both positive and negative aspects of this transformative growth.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Animals: Turn up the heat on sex determination, Volcanoes under ice, From little seeds do laser beams grow, The dark side of X-ray imaging, A stem cell-based therapy to treat muscular dystrophy, Genetic variants associated with susceptibility to lupus

The exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation originating from sunlight can cause harmful effects on human health, such as erythema (sunburn), melanoma (skin cancer), and premature skin aging. This research provides two alternatives in producing structured lipids that has sun-screening effect and has 2 patents pending.

A potentially fatal species of malaria is being commonly misdiagnosed as a more benign form of the disease, thereby putting lives at risk, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust and the University Malaysia Sarawak.

Urban areas of Indonesia generate about 55,000 tons of solid waste every day. Only about 50 to 60 percent of the waste is collected, and landfill sites are mostly open dumps. The IDRC-backed initiatives are looking at new ways of managing solid waste in slums, through innovative collection, separation, and disposal mechanisms.

A research team with members from Japan and the US has discovered a means of inducing persistent immunity to tumors in mice. In the long term, the work could lead to a vaccine against certain tumors in people.

A new mouse model of human leukemia may provide fresh insights on the genesis of the disease

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Containing uranium, Tethering HIV, Regenerating hair in waves, Listeria dodges host’s immune response, Identifying skin cancer starter cells, Encoding biopolymers with instructions, RNA and tumour suppression and Sing-a-long-a-neuron

Pollen trapped in lake sediments on the Tibetan Plateau provides an indicator of the past climate. Other highlights from Nature China include Trace fossils: Revealing an ancient gardener, Zinc nanowire: Easy wiring, Visual perception: Left or right, Boron nanotubes: Rolling metals into semiconductors and Quantum computing: Making qudits

Spectacular rice terraces, some of which are thought to be more than 1,000 years old, are the landscape signature of Ifugao Province in the northern Philippines. The new issue of Rice Today combines anthropology and photography to explore the cultural and scientific significance of rice farming in this fascinating place.

The last of a series of seven surveys of residents’ opinions towards Hong Kong Disneyland conducted by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) found that residents’ opinions towards the Disney theme park were still mixed, shifting more to the negative.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Receptor signalling in pairs, To mend a failing heart, Seven novel loci for plasma lipid levels, Genetics of height and bone disease, Sleep provides a window into memory, Seeing how viruses encounter immune cells and Transmitting HIV through T cell nanotubes

High-energy protons with polarized spin can now be produced in particle colliders, thanks to devices called Siberian snakes

Statistical analyses demonstrate variability in association between genes and osteoarthritis links to ethnicity. Genes can affect disease differently depending on one’s ethnicity, concludes a team of international researchers reporting in the July 2007 issue of Human Molecular Genetics[1].

Lasing from ‘artificial atoms’ is demonstrated for the first time. Researchers from RIKEN’s Frontier Research System in Wako, in collaboration with the NEC Nano Electronics Research Laboratory in Tsukuba, have realized the first laser made from ‘artificial atoms’ based on a superconducting electronic device.