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Greater functional connectivity between two brain regions previously implicated in the experience of pain predicts which back-pain patients will still be in pain a year after reporting problems, according to an article published in Nature Neuroscience this week.

Analysis of the teeth of a 2-million-year-old hominin known as Australopithecus sediba, a relative of modern humans, reveals that they ate leaves, fruits and bark. The results, reported in Nature this week, suggest that these early hominins lived in a woodland environment.

The latest edition of Nanotech News showcases new technologies and events for nanotechnology researchers. Please note: in July 2012 Nanotech News will become the new "Nanotechnology Platform Program" under the support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology (MEXT).

Two new drug candidates for treating radiation poisoning are uncovered in a study this week. Hartmut Geiger and colleagues use a genetic screen to identify new regulators of radiation sensitivity in mice and discover that a pathway that controls blood clotting and inflammation unexpectedly provides protection against radiation damage.

A Perspective article in this week’s Nature discusses concerns that were raised about making the data from two H5N1-related papers available and emphasizes the importance of ongoing research to advance our understanding of infectious diseases.

A growing proportion of the public in Western democracies deny anthropogenic climate change, and experts assume that climate deniers need to be ‘converted’ to get them acting in support of mitigation policy. A study in Nature Climate Change this week questions such common assumptions.

A large-scale resource for investigating microbial communities throughout the human body and an analysis of these data is reported in two studies in this week’s Nature. Microbial communities that live on and in the human body, collectively known as the ‘microbiome’, are thought to have a critical role in human health and disease.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Canada has underscored its 35 years of strong and sustained partnership in the 9th ASEAN-Canada Dialogue held on June 7 to 8 in Bangkok, Thailand.

This month’s article is “A Road Toward Sustainable Recovery”, looking at the proposal to establish a large-scale biobank in North East Japan.

In a number of recent Hollywood hit films, robots do all kinds of spectacular things, from battling it out in boxing rings to saving the world from alien invaders. Seagate Technology is helping university students in Thailand bring those futuristic visions a little closer to reality.

Clues to how a rare group of patients can resist infection by HIV are reported in a paper this week in Nature Immunology. So-called ‘elite controllers’ are able to retain normal immune function and undetectable levels of HIV infection despite regular exposure to the virus.

A comprehensive analysis of endangered species threat records and of international trade patterns shows how consumers in developed countries drive biodiversity threats in developing countries. The study reveals that, excluding invasive species, 30% of global species threats are due to international trade.

A rapid rise in radiocarbon around AD 775 measured in tree rings is attributed to an increase of cosmic-ray intensity. The specific cause of this cosmic-ray event remains to be determined, but this study suggests that neither a solar flare nor a local supernova is likely to have been responsible.

The genome sequence of the tomato, a major crop plant and a model system for fruit development, is published in this week’s Nature. Analysis of the sequence provides insights into the evolution of genes that control fruit characteristics, such as colour and fleshiness.

A study of the evolution of bird skulls from their primitive reptilian ancestors reveals that the skulls of adult birds are very similar to those of young dinosaurs. Retention of juvenile features in the adult may have had an important role in the evolution of bird skulls, according to the report in Nature this week.

The latest news and events from the world of nanotechnology. Including the 2013 IEEE International Nanoelectronics Conference, 2013 IEEE 26th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems and details of the 12th Asia Pacific Physics Conference

The University of Strathclyde has been selected as the exclusive European partner university for South Korea’s global research and commercialisation programme.

Nature News has gained access to an independent report that offer a comprehensive assessment of radiation doses received by workers following last year's meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Independent experts contacted by Nature say that the risk presented by the doses described in each report are low.

Discovery of a sensory organ in the jaws of rorqual whales might provide clues about how these large creatures feed. According to a report in this week’s Nature, the organ seems to be involved in coordinating a number of processes — from prey detection to jaw movements — that facilitates lunge feeding.

Groundwater depletion and water storage in reservoirs have led to a significant rise in global-mean sea level between 1961 and 2003, indicates a study published this week in Nature Geoscience. These estimated contributions, which result from changes in human terrestrial water storage, could help explain the magnitude of observed sea-level rise.

The 10th International Nanotech Symposium & Nano-convergence Expo in Korea.

By Francisco Marmolejo Recently, I wrote a column discussing the challenges and opportunities associated with the creation of new higher-education institutions, in which I made reference to the specific case of Albukhary International University in Malaysia. This second article describes interesting experiences of a similar kind in India.

The oxidation–reduction cycle of the highly conserved protein, peroxiredoxin, constitutes a universal non-transcription-based circadian clock. This marker, conserved throughout all three phylogenetic domains suggests that this type of cellular timekeeping may have co-evolved across organisms since about 2.5 billion years ago.

Planned Parenthood is important for women’s health and welfare, but recently it has become a heated topic in Congress. The services it provides and its historical role in women’s rights should be remembered, the Editors write in this month’s Scientific American Science Agenda column.

Volcanoes on the sea floor can grow and collapse in rapid pulses, reports a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. Due to their inaccessible nature, little is known about the evolution of submarine volcanoes. This study provides insights into the frequency and rate at which such volcanoes can erupt and grow.

Jakarta, 10 May 2012— Countries in Asia and the Pacific are at a crossroads and must now strike a balance between rising prosperity and rising emissions. Their success or failure will have repercussions worldwide, predicts a new report released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Pulses of warm ocean water that could reach far beneath the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf together with a smooth, steep bed beneath the ice sheet may affect the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, suggest two papers published this week in Nature and Nature Geoscience.

Summary of Science and Innovation news from the British Embassy, Tokyo. This month’s article is “The Power Under the Ocean”, looking at the potential of methane hydrate as a source of energy.

An abrupt cooling event in Europe about 2,800 years ago was linked to a sustained reduction in solar radiation, reports a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. The finding indicates that solar forcing may influence European climate over long, as well as short, timescales.

Observations of a star being sucked into a supermassive black hole are reported in Nature this week. The data allow the mass and type of the ill-fated star and the timing of this event to be determined. Suvi Gezari and colleagues recount the discovery of a flare of radiation from a star being torn apart and consumed by a supermassive black hole.