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This press release is copyright Nature.
This press release contains:
• Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Nature: Stem cells model sudden cardiac death
Geoscience: Reduced climate cooling from snow and ice
Geoscience: Sea ice impedes mercury breakdown
• Mention of papers to be published at the same time with the same embargo
• Geographical listing of authors
PDFs of all the papers mentioned on this release can be found in the relevant journal’s section of http://press.nature.com. Press contacts for the Nature journals are listed at the end of this release.
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PLEASE CITE THE SPECIFIC NATURE JOURNAL AND WEBSITE AS THE SOURCE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS. IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO THE APPROPRIATE JOURNAL’S WEBSITE.
[1] Nature: Stem cells model sudden cardiac death
DOI: 10.1038/nature09747
A new stem cell model of the life-threatening heart condition long QT syndrome could aid the development of new therapies and personalized medicines, a Nature paper suggests.
Long QT syndrome is a rare, congenital condition characterized by cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Lior Gepstein and colleagues took fibroblast cells from a patient with the syndrome, and used them to generate induced pluripotent stem cells. These were then coaxed to become cardiac muscle cells, which displayed abnormal patterns of electrical activity characteristic of the syndrome.
The team then treated the cells with a variety of drugs to see if they eased or aggravated electrophysiological functioning, demonstrating the power of this approach for drug development and for patient-specific safety screening.
Author contact:
Lior Gepstein (Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel)
Tel: +972 482 95303; E-mail: [email protected]
[2] Geoscience: Reduced climate cooling from snow and ice
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1062
The decline in snow and ice surface cover in the Northern Hemisphere between 1979 and 2008 has led to a reduction in the cooling associated with these bright surface covers reflecting sunlight back to space,
according to a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. The contributions from snow on land and sea ice to this decline in cooling were roughly equal.
Mark Flanner and colleagues used remote sensing and field observations to assess the influence of snow and ice in the Northern Hemisphere on the balance at the top of the atmosphere between incoming radiation from the Sun and outgoing radiation from the Earth back into space. The resulting warming feedback from the decline in highly reflecting regions covered by snow and ice is substantially larger than comparable assessments from climate models.
Author contact:
Mark Flanner (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA)
Tel: +1 734 615 3605; E-mail: [email protected]
[3] Geoscience: Sea ice impedes mercury breakdown
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1049
The presence of sea ice impedes the breakdown of toxic mercury compounds in the ocean, according to a study published online in Nature Geoscience. These findings suggest that the continued loss of Arctic sea ice this century will accelerate the breakdown of toxic mercury compounds in surface waters.
David Point and colleagues analysed the chemical composition of mercury in seabird eggs, to ascertain the composition of mercury in sea water. They show that the breakdown of mercury compounds by sunlight is reduced in regions with extensive sea-ice cover. Atmospheric deposition of mercury has increased threefold since pre-industrial times, and is particularly pronounced in the Arctic.
Author contact:
DavidPoint (University of Toulouse, France)
Tel: + 33 5 61 33 26 53; E-mail: [email protected]
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Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature)
[4] Structure of human O-GlcNAc transferase and its complex with a peptide substrate
DOI: 10.1038/nature09638
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[5] Regulation of transcription by unnatural amino acids
DOI:10.1038/nbt.1741
[6] Efficient mucosal vaccination mediated by the neonatal Fc receptor
DOI:10.1038/nbt.1742
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[7] Nucleation of nuclear bodies by RNA
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2157
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[8] Radical-mediated enzymatic carbon chain fragmentation-recombination
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.512
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[9] Strained endotaxial nanostructures with high thermoelectric figure of merit
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.955
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[10] Mutations of the SLX4 gene in Fanconi anemia
DOI: 10.1038/ng.750
[11] SLX4, a coordinator of structure-specific endonucleases, is mutated in a new Fanconi anemia subtype
DOI: 10.1038/ng.751
[12] Disruption of mouse Slx4, a regulator of structure-specific nucleases, phenocopies Fanconi anemia
DOI: 10.1038/ng.752
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[13] Influence of human and natural forcing on European seasonal temperatures
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1057
[14] Retreat of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the last glacial termination
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1061
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[15] IRF5 promotes inflammatory macrophage polarization and TH 1-TH 17 responses
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1990
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[16] Transient photoinduced ‘hidden’ phase in a manganite
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2929
[17] Creation and control of a two-dimensional electron liquid at the bare SrTiO3 surface
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2943
[18] Experimental analysis of charge redistribution due to chemical bonding by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2941
[19] Ultralow-voltage field-ionization discharge on whiskered silicon nanowires for gas-sensing applications
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2944
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[20] Identification of miR-34a as a potent inhibitor of prostate cancer progenitor cells and metastasis by directly repressing CD44
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2284
[21] The Ngal reporter mouse detects the response of the kidney to injury in real time
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2290
[22] Time-lapse imaging of disease progression in deep brain areas using fluorescence microendoscopy
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2292
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[23] A transgenic mouse for in vivo detection of endogenous labeled mRNA
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1551
[24] Optogenetic manipulation of neural activity in freely moving Caenorhabditis elegans
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1554
[25] Real-time multimodal optical control of neurons and muscles in freely-behaving Caenorhabditis elegans
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1555
[26] RNAi Screening for Fat Regulatory Genes with SRS Microscopy
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1556
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[27] Green light stimulates terahertz emission from mesocrystal microspheres
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.264
[28] Large field-induced strains in a lead-free piezoelectric material
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.265
[29] Synthetic RNA–protein complex shaped like an equilateral triangle
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.268
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[30] A wireless multi-channel neural amplifier for freely moving animals
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2730
[31] Ephaptic coupling of cortical neurons
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2727
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphoton)
[32] Highly specific label-free molecular imaging with spectrally tailored excitation-stimulated Raman scattering (STE-SRS) microscopy
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.294
[33] Time-reversed ultrasonically encoded optical focusing into scattering media
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.306
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[34] Ferromagnetic quantum critical point induced by dimer-breaking in SrCo2 (Ge1-x Px )2
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1868
[35] Observation of a ubiquitous three-dimensional superconducting gap function in optimally doped Ba0.6 K0.4 Fe2 As2
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1879
[36] Impact of single links in competitive percolation
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1860
[37] Piezoresistive heat engine and refrigerator
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1871
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[38] Crystal structure of autotaxin and insight into GPCR activation by lipid mediators
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1998
[39] Structural basis for substrate discrimination and integrin binding by autotaxin
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1980
[40] Structural basis for the assembly of the SMRT/NCoR core transcriptional repression machinery
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1983
[41] A processed noncoding RNA regulates an altruistic bacterial antiviral system
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1981
[42] Structure of UvrA nucleotide excision repair protein in complex with modified DNA
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1973
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The following paper was published electronically on Nature Neuroscience’s website on 5 January and is therefore no longer under embargo. The rest of the above articles on this release remain under embargo until 16 January at 1800 London time / 1300 US Eastern time
[43] AGRP neurons are sufficient to orchestrate feeding behavior rapidly and without training
DOI: 10.1038/nn2739
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GEOGRAPHICAL LISTING OF AUTHORS
The following list of places refers to the whereabouts of authors on the papers numbered in this release. The listing may be for an author's main affiliation, or for a place where they are working temporarily. Please see the PDF of the paper for full details.
AUSTRALIA
Menai: 14
Sydney: 14
AUSTRIA
Vienna: 18
BELGIUM
Leuven: 39
CANADA:
Saskatchewan: 3
CHINA
Beijing: 35
Hong Kong: 27
Nanjing: 27
Shanghai: 8
FRANCE
Marseille: 12
Paris: 23
Pau: 3
Toulouse: 3
GERMANY
Berlin: 21
Düsseldorf: 10
Frankfurt: 25
Giessen: 13
Goettingen: 36
Hamburg: 16
Ilmenau: 18
Munich: 11
Stuttgart: 18
Ulm: 18
Wurzburg: 11
HUNGARY
Debrecen: 40
ISRAEL
Haifa: 1
Ramat-Gan: 23
JAPAN
Chiba: 16
Kyoto: 29
Miyagi: 38
Nagoya: 16
Osaka: 38
Saitama: 16, 38
Sendai: 16
Tokyo: 16, 29, 38
Tsukuba: 16
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam: 11, 39
Eindhoven: 37
Leiden: 11
Rotterdam: 11
NEW ZEALAND
Dunedin: 41
Wellington: 14
POLAND
Krakow: 30
Warsaw: 42
PORTUGAL
Oeiras: 30
SOUTH KOREA
Seoul: 18, 31
SPAIN
Bilbao: 18
Madrid: 13
San Sebastian: 18
SWITZERLAND
Bern: 13
Lausanne: 31, 35
Villigen: 35
TAIWAN
HsinChu: 28
THAILAND
Bangkok: 17
Ratchasima: 17
UNITED KINGDOM
Cambridge: 12, 40, 41
Dundee: 11
Edinburgh: 13
Leicester: 40
London: 15, 31
Oxford: 15, 16, 39
Slough: 41
St Andrews: 17
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Alaska
Homer: 3
California
Berkeley: 5, 17, 28
Davis: 19
Menlo Park: 17
Pasadena: 30, 31
Santa Cruz: 30
Stanford: 5, 14, 17, 22
Colorado
Boulder: 2
Georgia
Atlanta: 25
Illinois
Argonne: 9, 16, 34
Chicago: 7
Evanston: 9
Urbana: 28
Indiana
Indianapolis: 10
West Lafayette: 35
Kentucky
Lexington: 39
Maine
Bar Harbor: 6
Maryland
College Park: 6
Massachusetts
Amherst: 14
Boston: 4, 26
Cambridge: 4, 24, 26, 30, 32
Chestnut Hill: 35
Worcester: 24
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 2, 9
East Lansing: 32
Missouri
Chesterfield: 39
St Louis: 33
New Hampshire
Hannover: 2
New Jersey
Princeton: 34
New York
Bronx: 23
Clinton: 14
Hamilton: 14
New York: 10, 21
Stony Brook: 23
YorktownHeights:
Ohio
Cincinnati: 21
Oregon
Corvallis: 2
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 24
University Park: 14
South Carolina
Charlestown: 3
Tennessee
Knoxville: 35
Oak Ridge: 35
Texas
Austin: 20
Houston: 20, 26
Smithville: 20
Virginia
Ashburn: 43
Wisconsin
Madison: 8
PRESS CONTACTS…
For media inquiries relating to embargo policy for all the Nature Research Journals:
Rachel Twinn (Nature London)
Tel: +44 20 7843 4658; E-mail: [email protected]
Neda Afsarmanesh (Nature New York)
Tel: +1 212 726 9231; E-mail: [email protected]
Ruth Francis (Head of Press, Nature, London)
Tel: +44 20 7843 4562; E-mail: [email protected]
For media inquiries relating to editorial content/policy for the Nature
Research Journals, please contact the journals individually:
Nature Biotechnology (New York)
Michael Francisco
Tel: +1 212 726 9288; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Cell Biology (London)
Sowmya Swaminathan
Tel: +44 20 7843 4656; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Chemical Biology (Boston)
Carrie Meggs
Tel: +1 617 475 9241, E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Chemistry (London)
Stuart Cantrill
Tel: +44 20 7014 4018; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Genetics (New York)
Myles Axton
Tel: +1 212 726 9324; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Geoscience (London)
Heike Langenberg
Tel: +44 20 7843 4042; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Immunology (New York)
Laurie Dempsey
Tel: +1 212 726 9372; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Materials (London)
Vincent Dusastre
Tel: +44 20 7843 4531; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Medicine (New York)
Juan Carlos Lopez
Tel: +1 212 726 9325; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Methods (New York)
Hugh Ash
Tel: +1 212 726 9627; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Nanotechnology (London)
Peter Rodgers
Tel: +44 20 7014 4019; Email: [email protected]
Nature Neuroscience (New York)
Kalyani Narasimhan
Tel: +1 212 726 9319; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Photonics (Tokyo)
Oliver Graydon
Tel: +81 3 3267 8776; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Physics (London)
Alison Wright
Tel: +44 20 7843 4555; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (New York)
Sabbi Lall
Tel:+1 212 726 9326; E-mail: [email protected]
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