Cell

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Astronomy: Hot Jupiters in a spin; Stem cells: Generation of liver cells from fibroblasts; Comment: WHO needs change; Ageing: How dietary restriction extends nematode lifespan Microbiology: New group of ‘hidden’ fungi discovered; Physics: How to control complex network systems; And finally… Sulphur so good

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?

In Nature China this month - Microbiology: Duck amuck; Public health: Rural virus turns a ruckus; Invertebrate palaeontology: Spider queen; Medical genetics: Follow your heart; Superconductors: The right description

A protein-devouring enzyme complex uses two different mechanisms to determine which targets to destroy

A key regulator of nervous system development works by blocking a signaling protein with multiple roles in stem cell maturation

‘Good citizens’ in the human gut bacterial community produce protective compounds that help prevent onset of food poisoning

Summaries of newsworthy papers on Learning and memory; Energy conversion with polymers; Quantum memory with a single atom; A Rosi-coloured view of food intake and on Obesity-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Chemical Biology: Old drugs as new antibiotics; Neuroscience: Mate selection: it’s a matter of taste; Immunology: Neuroinflammatory driver; Medicine: Entry cofactors for HCV; And finally…Nature: A queen in the making

An article in Science Signaling by researchers at the RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology (RCAI) has clarified for the first time the mechanism governing differentiation of B cells into antibody-producing plasma cells.

Therapies that target specialized cells residing within the lymph nodes may help to rally tumor-killing immune responses

In Nature China this month - Gene therapy: Little RNA keeps cancer away; Cancer biology: Sugar bar; Preventive medicine: Breathing easy; Geology: Cold Cretaceous; Palaeontology: A treasure trove of diversity; Optoelectronic materials: A shoelace laser; Molecular neuroscience: How to say no.

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Biology: Gut flora and heart disease; Ecology: Biodiversity improves water quality; Materials science: High-frequency graphene transistors on diamond-like carbon; Cancer: Understanding lung cancer progression; And finally… How to switch off ‘the X factor’

Groundbreaking research from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) shows how mouse stem cells spontaneously form into optic cups, the precursors of eyes. A report on this research, published this week in Nature, sheds light on the embryonic development of complex tissues.

Experimental work proves the theory that a circadian body clock requires a delay to function properly

Ensembles of neurons in the brain’s hippocampus inform about future as well as past experiences

Ultrasmall silicon wires could detect subtle changes in estrogen receptor-binding DNA sequences that are implicated in breast cancer

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Comment: Journey to the mantle of the Earth; Evolutionary biology: Questioning eusocial arguments; Quantum physics: A new resource for precision measurement; Neuroscience: Serotonergic sexual discrimination; Genomics: Multiple myeloma genome sequenced; And finally… The smell of pain

In the event of a natural disaster occurring, the following experts are willing to be contacted by the media for comments. The experts listed cover earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods, droughts as well as general issues around natural disasters such as disaster resilience, rebuilding, early warning systems and the role of climate change.

Now, a few days after the Great Tohoku Earthquake that occurred off the North East Coast of Honshu Island, Japan, the damage estimates are emerging. The effectiveness of the warning systems in place and the lessons to learn from the disaster can begin to be seen.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are highly regarded for their ability to give rise to the full range of cellular lineages found in the adult body, but left to their own devices ESCs tend to differentiate into neural lineages. Researchers from RIKEN have revealed how the nuclear protein Zfp521 is key to the default neural fate.

Summaries of newsworthy papers- Methods: A wearable PET scanner; Medicine: Understanding resistance to therapy in cancer; Geoscience: Progressive continental breakup in Ethiopia; Genetics: Exome sequencing acute monocytic leukemia

First reports indicate that the early warning systems worked and the years of training citizens to respond appropriately yielded results. Yet the losses of life in Sendai, the city most affected by the local tsunami, indicate that more can be done.

Researchers at the RIKEN Plant Science Center (PSC) and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) have identified a novel transcription factor controlling how plants dedifferentiate cells in response to wounding.

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Comment: Vaccinate for the next H2N2 pandemic now; Palaeoclimate: El Niño variability in the Pliocene warm period; Neuroscience: Making sense of function and connection; Physics: The strongly coupled beat of a quantum drum; And finally… How the penis lost its spines

Some molecules have a single, highly specific function in physiology, while others have a much broader remit. Kinases in the IKK family are of the latter sort, playing a variety of roles. A new report from RIKEN shows that this factor regulates shuttling of endosomes in the tips of growing mechanosensory bristles.

A great many cellular processes are switched on or off by the modification of a given enzyme or other protein by addition of a phosphate molecule, known as phosphorylation. In a new study, researchers at RIKEN have shown that phosphorylation of the protein HP1α boosts its ability to bind to heterochromatin resulting in stabilization of chromosomes

The structure of a greenhouse gas-producing bacterial enzyme may yield insights into the evolution of our earliest oxygen-breathing ancestors

In Nature China this week - Immunology: Allergy control; Medical biology: To my heart's keeper; Organic chemistry: Come together; Plant genomics: Soy story; Metals: Strong and stretchy; Solid-state physics: Small vibrations, big applications.

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Chemical Biology: Biofuels by bugs; Geoscience: Weakness in the San Andreas Fault

Insights into a specific secretion mechanism in the brain could lead to a better understanding of anxiety in unfamiliar or stressful environments