Peer Reviewed

A combination of experimental and theoretical approaches may help explain the molecular mechanics underlying each muscle contraction

Researchers isolate and devise a way to produce progenitors of cells essential for ovarian follicle maturation

A novel cyclization reaction is used to make molecules that switch between two different forms by redistributing their electrons

Though the President is attempting to brave the storm, his position is much weakened as he takes hurried measures to redress the prevailing situation. He has refused to give a date for lifting the state of emergency and said it might continue even beyond the elections because of the situation on the terrorism front.

TWAS has announced the winners of the TWAS Prizes for 2007. Each winner will receive a US$10,000 cheque and be invited to lecture about his or her research at the Academy’s Silver Jubilee anniversary celebration scheduled to take place in Mexico City from 11 to 13 November 2008.

The political impact of climate change in Australia and the United States is the focus of a collection of News Features in Nature this week.

As states encroach on Internet governance around the world, IDRC is supporting a major new initiative that will investigate the impacts of Internet censorship in Asia.

A method of reprogramming rhesus macaque adult fibroblasts into embryonic stem cells using somatic cell nuclear transfer is presented in Nature this week.

IDRC was one of the earliest development agencies to embrace information and communication technologies (ICTs) as powerful tools for reducing poverty, for combating HIV/AIDS, and for fostering good governance.

In Nature China this week, scientists in China have isolated a protein from peanut seeds that has antifungal, antibacterial and anticancer activities while scientists in Hong Kong have demonstrated the possibility of a three-dimensional cloaking device for sound.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Testing time, A new virulence mechanism for MRSA, Genetic mutation in familial aortic aneurysm, Regulating immune suppression, Stalling chemotherapy damage, Controlling protein stability in parasites

Since 2004, China has amended its treatment of foreign investments to attract higher-quality foreign investment and upgrade processing exports in order to transform itself from a world sweatshop to a global manufacturing center. The policies appear to have the intended effects.

Manila – A new international research initiative, linking the private and public sectors for the first time and launched today at the 2007 Asian Seed Congress, aims to boost the research and development of hybrid rice for the tropics.

Researchers have revealed how two closely related proteins trigger opposing effects in developing roots

Japanese researchers have identified a subset of cells they believe may induce the formation of a network of follicular dendritic cells (FDC) in the spleen and lymph nodes.

The new programme quietly introduced by the British government last week affects people from all countries outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Atmospheric science: Detecting ozone intrusions, Planetary science: Saturn’s radio clock, Development: How the body builds an asymmetric aorta, Quantum physics: The perfect couple and finally…Be not afraid

ASEAN is considering an East Asian Free Trade Agreement. Can ASEAN remain in the driver's seat of regional integration and be an effective hub? The FTA proliferation also has important consequences and effects for East Asia and the world trading system.

ALEPPO, Syria: A low-cost technology developed by scientists at ICARDA to treat high level of magnesium in soil by using calcium has demonstrated the potential to double the crop yield in magnesium-rich soils in Central Asia.

In Nature China this week - People at risk of cardiovascular disease can improve the condition of their blood vessels and carotid arteries by consuming soy products and scientists have validated an improved technique for detecting the early stages of kidney disease in Chinese patients

Summaries of newsworthy papers include In vivo folding lights up, RNA interference insecticides, Genetic variants associated with rheumatoid arthritis and Genes for Transplants

The properties of electrons on the surface of an unusual metal will supply clues—and puzzles—to theorists

Immunologists reveal the switch between two components in the signal pathways for two types of immune response

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Fires affect carbon balance in boreal forest, Breaking the silence, Stars spiral into life, Dance for your supper, Time taken to first base, The workhorse picks up speed and Caribbean reefs struggling to recover from ecological sucker punches

Nondrug rewards could be a viable alternative to addictive drugs according to a study published in Neuropsychopharmacology. This finding could have important implications for those seeking treatment for drug addiction.

Treating wheat seeds with lasers can help them grow into plants that are resistant to ultraviolet radiation and drought.

The article analyzes two cases of domestic violence involving Filipino women in Australia, Rosalina Canonizado and Annabel Strzelecki. Interviews of their close relations and newspaper representations reveal sexual and racial "othering" of the women in the discourse of "mail-order bride."

The study examines the content of websites featuring prospective brides from the Philippines and Thailand. It explains how and why the representation of Thai and Filipino women on intermarriage websites involves power and violence thus creating unequal Third World-First World power relations that are embedded in international migration circuits.

Yongxuan from Guangzhou in southern China told the meeting that pollution-control regulations appeared to be doing little to clean up her country’s severely degraded rivers, while Gerald from Accra pointed out that much of the Ghanaian capital’s wastewater is dumped directly into the ocean.

When corrupt business alliances collectively wield more economic clout than some sovereign states, what can be done?