NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 08 May 2011
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
This press release contains:
Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Neuroscience: Generalizing fear
Geoscience: Unexpectedly high earthquake risk east of the Andes
Nature: Marsupial ménage in the Palaeocene
Geoscience: Impact-generated nitrogen on Titan?
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] Neuroscience: Generalizing fear
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2802
The association between a neutral sound and an unpleasant outcome may make it more difficult to distinguish among similar sounds, according to a paper published online this week in Nature Neuroscience. This finding suggests one possible reason why individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder often react reflexively to innocuous stimuli that are similar to those that they have associated with unpleasant outcomes in the past.
Rony Paz and colleagues had participants listen to a specific frequency tone paired with an odor. When the odor was pleasant, the participants were very good at differentiating that tone from other similar ones. However, Paz and colleagues found that when a tone is paired with an unpleasant odor, people become much worse at discriminating the tone from other similar ones. This effect was still observed when the tones were paired with other sounds, instead of odors, and persisted the day after training.
Author contact:
Rony Paz (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel)
Tel: +972 8 9346236; E-mail: [email protected]
[2] Geoscience: Unexpectedly high earthquake risk east of the Andes
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1143
More than two million people living in the southern Subandean mountain ranges are exposed to significantly higher seismic risk than previously thought, suggests a study online this week in Nature Geoscience. Contrary to a recent hazard assessment — estimating a maximum expected earthquake magnitude of 7.5 — the paper suggests a quake of magnitude 8.7 to 8.9 is possible in the region.
Benjamin Brooks and colleagues used GPS data to map movement of the Earth’s surface in the Subandean margin, along the eastern flank of the Andes Mountains. They report a sharp decrease in surface velocity from west to east. From these data, the researchers conclude that the shallow section in the east of the region is currently locked in place over a length of about 100 km, allowing stress to build up as the tectonic plates in the region slowly move against each other. Rupture of the entire locked section by one earthquake could result in shaking of magnitudes up to 8.9, they estimate.
Author contact:
Benjamin Brooks (University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA)
Tel: +1 808 956 7864; E-mail: [email protected].
[3] Nature: Marsupial ménage in the Palaeocene
DOI: 10.1038/nature09987
The discovery of the remains of 35 individuals from a species of primitive marsupial from the early Palaeocene of Bolivia is reported online in Nature this week. The findings challenge the perceptions of certain traits thought to be primitive for marsupials.
Didelphid marsupials (opossums) are noted for their solitary behaviour and this trait is thought to be ancestral for marsupials in general. Sandrine Ladevèze and colleagues report the discovery in Bolivia of the skeletal remains of an unusually large assemblage of animals from about 64 million years ago. Thirty-five individuals from the species Pucadelphys andinus — a mouse-sized animal akin to an opossum — are represented, including males and females, adults and young.
The remains are well preserved but intermingled and as they were discovered within a small area (within one square metre), they were probably buried in a single catastrophic event. The skeletons show evidence of gregarious behaviour and strong sexual dimorphism, which suggests male–male competition for mates and polygyny. This bumper finding means there are now more specimens of the extinct P. andinus than of some marsupials living today.
Author contact:
Sandrine Ladevèze (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium)
Tel: +32 26274487; E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Geoscience: Impact-generated nitrogen on Titan?
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1147
The massive nitrogen atmosphere on Saturn’s moon Titan could have been generated by planetary impacts during the period of Late Heavy Bombardment four billion years ago, according to a study online this week in Nature Geoscience. The results could explain the unusual formation of a thick atmosphere on a relatively cool planetary body.
Yasuhito Sekine investigated the plausibility of nitrogen formation on Titan through impact-induced conversion of ammonia ice to nitrogen, using laser gun experiments. They found that Titan could have acquired enough nitrogen in this way to sustain the current atmosphere. The researchers conclude that if this mechanism is indeed responsible for the formation Titan’s nitrogen atmosphere, the moon’s nitrogen was derived from a source distinct from that for Earth.
In an accompanying News and Views, Catherine Neish says: “Proposals such as the one introduced by Sekine and colleagues provide testable hypotheses that will focus future research.”
Author contact:
Yasuhito Sekine (University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan)
Tel: +81 4 7136 3954; E-mail: [email protected]
Catherine Neish (Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA) N&V Author
Tel: +1 443 778 5874; 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)
[5] Genome-wide mapping of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in embryonic stem cells
DOI: 10.1038/nature10102
[6] Glutamate induces de novo growth of functional spines in developing cortex
DOI: 10.1038/nature09986
[7] Non-apoptotic role of BID in inflammation and innate immunity
DOI: 10.1038/nature09982
[8] A graphene-based broadband optical modulator
DOI: 10.1038/nature10067
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[9] Comprehensive assessment of array-based platforms and calling algorithms for detection of copy number variants
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1852
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[10] Single molecule analysis reveals three phases of DNA degradation by an exonuclease
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.561
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[11] Construction of bispirooxindoles containing three quaternary stereocentres in a cascade using a single multifunctional organocatalyst
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1039
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[12] KIF7 mutations cause fetal hydrolethalus and acrocallosal syndromes
DOI: 10.1038/ng.826
[13] Complex interactions between genes controlling trafficking in primary cilia
DOI: 10.1038/ng.832
[14] Mutations in CEP57 cause mosaic variegated aneuploidy syndrome
DOI: 10.1038/ng.822
[15] Genome partitioning of genetic variation for complex traits using common SNPs
DOI: 10.1038/ng.823
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[16] Hydrothermal vents as a kinetically stable source of iron-sulphide-bearing nanoparticles to the ocean
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1148
[17] Triggered creep as a possible mechanism for delayed dynamic triggering of tremor and earthquakes
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1141
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[18] Genetic analysis of basophil function in vivo
DOI: 10.1038/ni.2036
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[19] Control and characterization of individual grains and grain boundaries in graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3010
[20] Highly active oxide photocathode for photoelectrochemical water reduction
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3017
NATURE MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[21] Alternatively spliced NKp30 isoforms affect the prognosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2366
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[22] Sequence-based Identification of 3D Structural Modules in RNA with RMDetect
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1603
[23] Combining quantitative proteomics data processing workflows for greater sensitivity
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1604
[24] Fast three-dimensional super-resolution imaging of live cells
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1605
[25] In vivo protein trapping produces a functional expression codex of the vertebrate proteome
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1606
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[26] Quantum measurement and orientation tracking of fluorescent nanodiamonds inside living cells
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.64
[27] In situ formation of highly conducting covalent Au–C contacts for single-molecule junctions
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.66
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[28] Transitions in neural oscillations reflect prediction errors generated in audiovisual speech
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2810
[29] Near-optimal visual search: behavior and neural basis
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2814
[30] A normalization model of multisensory integration
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2815
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphoton)
[31] Controlling birefringence in dielectrics
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2011.53
NATURE PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[32] Spatially resolving edge states of chiral graphene nanoribbons
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1991
[33] Noise spectroscopy through dynamical decoupling with a superconducting flux qubit
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1994
[34] Experimental high-dimensional two-photon entanglement and violations of generalized Bell inequalities
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1996
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[35] Nemo kinase phosphorylates beta-catenin to promote ommatidial rotation and connects core PCP factors to E-cadherin–beta-catenin
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2049
[36] Alternative splicing of SYK regulates mitosis and cell survival
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2040
[37] Structure of C3PO and mechanism of human RISC Activation
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2032
[38] Multimeric assembly and biochemical characterization of the Trax/Translin endonuclease complex
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2069
[39] A cell-based screen identifies ATR inhibitors with synthetic lethal properties for cancer-associated mutations
DOI:10.1038/nsmb.2076
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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.
ARGENTINA
Mendoza: 2
AUSTRALIA
Brisbane: 15
Melbourne: 26
Victoria: 15
BELGIUM
Brussels: 3
Ghent: 21, 23
BOLIVIA
Cochabamba: 3
La Paz: 2
BRAZIL
Rio de Janeiro: 32
CANADA:
Burnaby: 35
Montreal: 7, 15
Sherbrooke: 36
Toronto: 9, 14
Waterloo: 33
CHINA
Beijing: 37
Lanzhou: 32
CZECH REPUBLIC
Brno: 31
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 15
FRANCE
Angers: 12
Argenteuil: 12
Bordeaux: 21
Boulonge: 21
Dijon: 12, 14
Evry: 12
Lyon: 21
Marseille: 21
Paris: 3, 12, 16, 21, 28
Strasbourg: 22
Villejuif: 21
GERMANY
Cologne: 25
Stuttgart: 26
INDIA
New Delhi: 15
ISRAEL
Rehovot: 1
JAPAN
Hongo Bunkyo: 4
Ibaraki: 33
Kashiwanoha: 4
Tsudanuma: 4
Wako: 33
Yamadaoka: 4
KOREA
Seoul: 9
MEXICO
Guadalajara: 14
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam: 12
Nijmegen: 12
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 31
SAUDI ARABIA
Dhahran: 33
SWEDEN
Lund: 14
Stockholm: 35
Uppsala: 9
SWITZERLAND
Lausanne: 14, 20
TURKEY
Ankara: 12
Samsun: 12
UNITED KINGDOM
Cambridge: 9
Dundee: 14
Edinburgh: 14, 15, 34
Exeter: 14
Glasgow: 14, 34
London: 12
Manchester: 14
Newcastle: 14
Nottingham: 14
Oxford: 38
St Andrews: 31
Sutton: 114
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Arizona
Tempe: 2
California
Berkeley: 8, 32
La Jolla: 5, 7, 11
Menlo Park: 17
Pasadena: 29
San Francisco: 18
Santa Clara: 29
Stanford: 32
Colorado
Boulder: 12
Connecticut
New Haven: 13
Delaware
Lewes: 16
Newark: 16
Georgia
Atlanta: 17
Hawaii
Honolulu: 2
Illinois
Argonne: 19, 20
Chicago: 13, 15, 35
Urbana: 10
Indiana
West Lafayette: 19
Maryland
Baltimore: 15
Bethesda: 15
Massachusetts
Boston: 5, 6, 9, 15
Cambridge: 5, 24, 33
Lexington: 33
Minnesota
Minneapolis: 15, 25
Rochester: 15
Missouri
St Louis: 15, 30
New Hampshire
Durham: 12
New Jersey
Princeton: 13
New York
Bronx: 35
New York: 3, 5, 13, 27, 35, 38
Rochester: 14, 29, 30
Stony Brook: 14
Upton: 19
Ohio
Columbus: 2
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 25
Pittsburgh: 15
Tennessee
Memphis: 2, 7
Texas
Dallas: 37
Houston: 15, 19, 29, 32
San Marcos: 19
Woodlands: 2
Washington
Seattle: 15
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 Climate Change (London)
Olive Heffernan
Tel: +44 20 7014 4009; 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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