Nature Communications

The University of Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) announced on 6th March 2012 that an international research team led by Professor Takao Someya has succeeded in manufacturing the world’s first flexible organic transistor on a polymeric film.

A team of scientists from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has made a novel discovery regarding the molecular structure of a protein that plays a crucial regulatory role in the “autophagy” cellular process. This breakthrough has paved the way for researchers to target “autophagy” for potential treatment of cancer and other diseases.

Professor Daisuke Kitamura of Tokyo University of Science and his research group have developed a new culture system in which B cells undergo massive expansion and generate germinal centre B cells, which can then differentiate into cells responsible for immunological memory.

Improving light absorption in solar panels and a signalling molecule linked to obesity, among other news.

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On irradiation protection and linking the end of an ice age with atmospheric oxygen among other research

A summary of papers to go live on 4/10/2011, topics include: molecule-metal contacts, plasma membrane and nuclear transfer

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Association of a bacterium with haemorrhagic stroke, microbial production of a diesel biofuel and more.

Operation of the first ever airborne matter wave sensor in both 1-g and 0-g gravitational conditions

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Proton-proton collisions at the LHC; Engineering liquid quadrupoles; Propagation of B cells in culture

Summaries of newsworthy articles: Guiding light for glasses-free 3D display; Laser-induced condensation of water in air

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Harvesting wet energy; Stem cells from Parkinson’s disease patients; Rearranging the bird tree of life

Summaries of newsworthy papers: A great nanoscale resolution; Punishment as a defence mechanism; Engineering on-chip quantum devices; Semiconductor prodigies outperform their parents; King penguin chicks prove cool customers

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Predicting the success of fertilisation in mouse eggs **PRESS BRIEFING**; Enhancing rechargeable batteries; Tracking influenza A immunity; Potential new therapeutic targets for Schistosomiasis; Birds have dinosaur digits 1, 2 and 3

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Silver hake fish follow the Gulf Stream; Grainy superconductivity; Selecting the best sounding mate

Summaries of newsworthy papers: A new combo for chemo; Absorbing low-cost CO2 capture; Building an insect colony; Polo-like kinase 1 inhibitors safe in the mouse; Ranking information in a complex network

Summaries of newsworthy papers: 16 years of regeneration for the newt lens; A new cellular role for TorsinA

Summary of newsworthy paper: Optical switch for quantum computing

Gene expression data offer surprising evidence that embryos of different vertebrate species are most similar at intermediate stages of development

A new comparative transcriptomic analysis of four vertebrate species conducted by Naoki Irie in RIKEN's Laboratory for Evolutionary Morphology strongly suggests that the 'hourglass model' is the more accurate description of how the vertebrate phylotype manifests.

By successfully changing the spin of a molecule, researchers have been able to perform an on/off operation for a molecular magnet. Such reversible switching paves the way for single molecule memory.

A new molecular simulation technique developed by researchers at RIKEN and Kyoto University has confirmed for the first time the function of the transporter protein AcrB in E. coli multidrug resistance.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include: Large Rashba spin splitting of a metallic surfacestate band on a semiconductor surface; Intestinal stem cells lacking the Math1 tumour suppressor are refractory to Notch inhibitors

Hydrothermal vent animals avoid the heat

Nature Communications will publish high-quality peer-reviewed research across the biological, chemical and physical sciences, and will be the first online-only Nature-branded journal