Solar shift cools Europe and more of the latest news from Nature and Nature Research Journals.

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.

This press release contains:

---Summaries of newsworthy papers:

Methods: Understanding BOLD signals

Geoscience: Solar shift cools Europe

Genetics: Sequencing of a liver fluke associated cancer

---Geographical listing of authors

[1] Methods: Understanding BOLD signals

DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2013

A strategy that helps identify the types of cells contributing to signals recorded in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is reported this week in Nature Methods.

MRI machines detect the functional activation of the brain by measuring changes in the blood flow. Blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) fMRI based on contrast has become a widespread tool to noninvasively investigate brain function in healthy and disease-affected animal models and humans. However, the extent to which a change in BOLD signal reflects local cellular activation remains unknown, raising uncertainties in the interpretation of fMRI studies. One can follow the activity of individual cells in the brain of animal models by microscopy using fluorescent sensors, but to date this has not been directly combined with fMRI.

Fritjof Helmchen and colleagues recorded fluorescence-based activity signals of individual cells simultaneously with fMRI in rats. By monitoring the activity of neurons and glial cells in the brain and their relationship to the BOLD signals, the authors discover that the activation of glial cells also contributes to this signal under certain circumstances.

This study highlights the complexity of fMRI BOLD signals and provides new leads that can help with the interpretation of fMRI studies.

Author contact:

Fritjof Helmchen (University of Zurich, Switzerland)
Tel: +41 44 635 3340; E-mail: [email protected]

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[2] Geoscience: Solar shift cools Europe

DOI 10.1038/ngeo1460

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.

Shifts in solar activity influence climate on a decadal timescale, but evidence for a link on longer timescales has been lacking. Celia Martin-Puertas and colleagues analysed lake sediments from Germany to determine annual variations in windiness and solar activity between 3,300 and 2,000 years ago. They observed a sharp reduction in solar radiation and a related shift in windiness around 2,800 years ago. Using climate models, they suggest that the reduction in solar activity altered atmospheric circulation, leading to intensified windiness and a cooling in Europe.

Author contact:

Celia Martin-Puertas (Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Germany)
Tel: +49 331 288 1381; E-mail: [email protected]

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[3] Genetics: Sequencing of a liver fluke associated cancer

DOI: 10.1038/ng.2273

Whole exome sequencing of a liver-fluke associated cholangiocarcinoma, a fatal bile duct cancer, is reported in a study this week in Nature Genetics. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) accounts for 10-25% of primary liver cancers worldwide, and is found with high prevalence in southeast Asia in association with Opisthorchis viverrini infection.

Bin Tean Teh and colleagues report whole-exome sequencing of eight tumors and matched normal tissue from O. viverrini-related CCA cases. They follow by screening 15 genes in an additional 46 cases to examine mutation prevalence. They identify somatic mutations in several genes known to be associated with cancer, as well as 10 genes newly implicated in the mutational landscape of CCA. This suggests a role for histone modifiers, G protein signaling, and genome stability in the development of this cancer.

Author contact:

Bin Tean Teh (National Cancer Centre, Singapore)
Tel: +65 62250182; E-mail: [email protected]

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[4] Sustained translational repression by eIF2a-P mediates prion neurodegeneration

DOI: 10.1038/nature11058

[5] The complex of tmRNA–SmpB and EF-G on translocating ribosomes

DOI: 10.1038/nature11006

[6] SIRT7 links H3K18 deacetylation to maintenance of oncogenic transformation

DOI: 10.1038/nature11043

[7] An oxygen-regulated switch in the protein synthesis machinery

DOI: 10.1038/nature11055

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NATURE CELL BIOLOGY

[8] CENP-T proteins are conserved centromere receptors of the Ndc80 complex

DOI: 10.1038/ncb2493

[9] Cnn1 inhibits the interactions between the KMN complexes of the yeast kinetochore

DOI: 10.1038/ncb2495

[10] TRADD contributes to tumour suppression by regulating ULF-dependent p19Arf ubiquitylation

DOI: 10.1038/ncb2496

[11] Sorting nexin 17 prevents lysosomal degradation of b1 integrins by binding to the b1-integrin tail

DOI: 10.1038/ncb2501

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NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY

[12] Fluorescent castasterone reveals BRI1 signaling from the plasma membrane

DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.958

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NATURE CHEMISTRY

[13] Ultrafast dynamics in the power stroke of a molecular rotary motor

DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1343

[14] A soluble copper–bipyridine water-oxidation electrocatalyst

DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1350

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NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE

[15] Biodiversity co-benefits of policies to reduce forest-carbon emissions

DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1462

[16] Rising CO2 and increased light exposure synergistically reduce marine primary productivity

DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1507

[17] Equivalence of greenhouse-gas emissions for peak temperature limits

DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1496

[18] Extinction debt of high-mountain plants under twenty-first-century climate change

DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1514

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NATURE GENETICS

[19] Genome-wide association analyses identify 13 new susceptibility loci for generalized vitiligo

DOI: 10.1038/ng.2272

[20] Integrated analysis of somatic mutations and focal copy-number changes identifies key genes and pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma

DOI: 10.1038/ng.2256

[21] Hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome is caused by a 40-kb upstream duplication that leads to increased and ectopic expression of the BMP antagonist GREM1

DOI: 10.1038/ng.2263

[22] Detectable clonal mosaicism from birth to old age and its relationship to cancer

DOI: 10.1038/ng.2271

[23] Detectable clonal mosaicism and its relationship to aging and cancer

DOI: 10.1038/ng.2270

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NATURE GEOSCIENCE

[24] Aftershocks halted by static stress shadows

DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1465

[25] Tsunamigenic potential of the shallow subduction plate boundary inferred from slow seismic slip

DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1466

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NATURE IMMUNOLOGY

[26] Divergent transcriptional programming of class-specific B cell memory by T-bet and RORalpha

DOI: 10.1038/ni.2294

[27] Tespa1 is involved in late thymocyte development through the regulation of TCR-mediated signaling

DOI: 10.1038/ni.2301

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NATURE MATERIALS

[28] Trends in activity for the water electrolyser reactions on 3d M(Ni,Co,Fe,Mn) hydr(oxy)oxide catalysts

DOI: 10.1038/nmat3313

[29] Scanning tunnelling microscopy imaging of symmetry-breaking structural distortion in the bismuth-based cuprate superconductors

DOI: 10.1038/nmat3315

[30] Room-temperature metastability of multilayer graphene oxide films

DOI: 10.1038/nmat3316

[31] Possible valence-bond condensation in the frustrated cluster magnet LiZn2Mo3O8

DOI: 10.1038/nmat3329

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Nature MEDICINE

[32] Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha2 by nicotine instigates formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms in mice in vivo

DOI: 10.1038/nm.2711

[33] Hepatic Hdac3 promotes gluconeogenesis by repressing lipid synthesis and sequestration

DOI: 10.1038/nm.2744

[34] Retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 1 regulates a thermogenic program in white adipose tissue

DOI: 10.1038/nm.2757

[35] Monoclonal TCR-redirected tumor cell killing

DOI: 10.1038/nm.2764

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NATURE METHODS

[36] FMT-XCT: in vivo animal studies with hybrid fluorescence molecular tomography–X-ray computed tomography

DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2014

[37] Automated whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology of neurons in vivo

DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1993

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NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY

[38] Hybrid graphene–quantum dot phototransistors with ultrahigh gain

DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.60

[39] Biodegradable nanocomposites of amyloid fibrils and graphene with shape-memory and enzyme-sensing properties

DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.62

[40] Bright infrared quantum-dot light-emitting diodes through inter-dot spacing control

DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.63

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Nature NEUROSCIENCE

[41] Large-scale cortical correlation structure of spontaneous oscillatory activity

DOI: 10.1038/nn.3101

[42] Preso1 dynamically regulates group I metabotropic glutamate receptors

DOI: 10.1038/nn.3103

[43] Contribution of visual and circadian neural circuits to memory for prolonged mating induced by rivals

DOI: 10.1038/nn.3104

[44] Gating and control of the primary visual cortex by the pulvinar

DOI: 10.1038/nn.3106

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Nature PHYSICS

[45] Free randomness can be amplified

DOI: 10.1038/nphys2300

[46] On the reality of the quantum state

DOI: 10.1038/nphys2309

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Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

[47] Real-time assembly landscape of bacterial 30S translation initiation complex

DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2285

[48] Dynamic and static components power unfolding in topologically closed rings of a AAA+ proteolytic machine

DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2288

[49] A glutamate switch controls voltage-sensitive phosphatase function

DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2289

[50] Structural basis for cisplatin DNA damage tolerance by human polymerase eta during cancer chemotherapy

DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2295

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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

Melbourne: 23

AUSTRIA

Vienna: 8, 18, 34

BELGIUM

Ghent: 3, 12

CANADA:

Montreal: 7
Ottawa: 7
Toronto: 10, 23
Vancouver: 22
Waterloo: 45

CHINA

Beijing: 23
Chengdu: 42
Guangzhou: 3
Hangzhou: 27, 49
Lianyungag: 16
Shanghai: 23, 27
Shandong: 32
Taiyuan: 23
Xiaman: 16

CZECH REPUBLIC

Olomouc: 12
Praha: 12

DENMARK

Aarhus: 18
Copenhagen: 22, 23

FINLAND

Helsinki: 22

FRANCE

Amiens: 18
Bordeaux: 19, 20
Boulonge: 20
Clichy: 20
Creteil: 20
Evry: 20
Gardanne: 40
Grenoble: 18, 30
Le Bourget du Lac: 24
Lyon: 23
Paris: 20, 23, 31

GERMANY

Berlin: 2, 5
Erlangen: 19
Freising: 18
Garching: 18
Goettingen: 47
Hamburg: 41
Hannover: 23
Heidelberg: 23
Kiel: 2, 16
Martinsried: 11
Moehrendorf: 16
Munich: 11, 18
Neuherberg: 36
Postdam: 2
Tuebingen: 41

GREECE

Athens: 23

ITALY

Camerino: 47
Milan: 9, 18, 23
Rome: 19

JAPAN

Hiroshima: 10
Kyoto: 24
Nagoya: 29
Tokyo: 6, 25
Yokohama: 6
Yokosuka: 25

NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam: 2, 19
Bilthoven: 23
Groningen: 13
Utrecht: 23

POLAND

Lodz: 23
Poznan: 5
Warsaw: 23

RUSSIA

Moscow: 5

SINGAPORE

Singapore: 3, 15, 23

SLOVENIA

Ljubljana: 18

SPAIN

Barcelona: 12, 22, 23, 38
Madrid: 19, 23
Pamplona: 23
Salamanca: 9

SWEDEN

Lund: 2
Stockholm: 23
Umea: 23
Uppsala: 2

SWITZERLAND

Basel: 21
Bern: 1
Birmensdorf: 18
Lausanne: 18
Zurich: 1, 39, 45

TAIWAN

Taipei: 10

THAILAND

Khon Kaen: 3

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Al Ain: 2

UNITED KINGDOM

Cardiff: 35
Cambridge: 4, 15, 23
Devon: 17
Dundee: 9
Egham: 46
Harrow: 21
Hinxton: 3
Leicester: 4
London: 17, 19, 23, 46
Nottingham: 4
Oxford: 17, 21
Oxon: 35
Sheffield: 19
Wallingford: 17

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

California
Berkeley: 49
Carlsbad: 33
Irvine: 23
La Jolla: 26
Los Angeles: 16, 22, 23
Menlo Park: 24
Palo Alto: 6
San Francisco: 23, 42, 43, 49
Stanford: 6, 24
Colorado
Aurora: 19
Connecticut
New Haven: 23, 33
Florida
Gainesville: 19
Jupiter: 26
Georgia
Atlanta: 22, 30, 37
Hawaii
Honolulu: 22, 23
Illinois
Chicago: 22, 23, 33
Lemont: 28
Indiana
West Lafayette: 9
Iowa
Iowa City: 22
Maine
Augusta: 23
Maryland
Baltimore: 22, 23, 31, 33, 42
Bethesda: 22, 23, 42
Frederick: 22
Rockville: 22, 23
Silver Spring: 23
Massachusetts
Boston: 5, 6, 22, 23, 34
Cambridge: 22, 29, 37, 48
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 22
Detroit: 23
Grand Rapids: 3
Minnesota
Minneapolis: 22, 23
Rochester: 11, 22, 23, 42
Missouri
St Louis: 22, 41
New Jersey
Princeton: 6
New York
Ithaca: 40
New York: 19, 22, 23, 26, 50
Upton: 29
Ohio
Bowling Green: 40
Cincinnati: 23
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City: 32
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 33, 35
Pittsburgh: 22, 23
University Park: 29
Tennessee
Nashville: 22, 23, 44
Texas
Galveston: 50
Houston: 6, 22, 23
Richardson: 30
Utah
Salt Lake City: 6
Vermont
Burlington: 23
Washington
Seattle: 14, 22, 23

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Published: 06 May 2012

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