Nature contents: 01 May 2014

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Volume 509 Number 7498      nature •Visit Nature homepage •Subscribe to Nature •View Table of Contents The science that matters. Every week.               Starting a CRISPR/CAS9 project for genome editing? Come to OriGene for a wide selection of tools: • All-in-one pCAS-Guide vectors, • gRNA and donor vector cloning services • Genome-wide gene knockout kit Learn about CRISPR technology from a Youtube video    Go to http://www.origene.com/CRISPR-CAS9/ to learn more.       Jump to the content that matters to you View Table of Contents ▶ ▼ News & Comment   ▼ Biological Sciences   ▼ Health Sciences   ▼ Physical Sciences   ▼ Earth & Environmental Sciences   ▼ Careers & Jobs       This week's highlights     Specials - Outlook: Antibiotics     Antibiotic-resistant infections are increasing worldwide. For instance, nearly half a million people get infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis every year, one-third of whom die. Part of the problem arises from casual overuse of life-saving medicines, rendering them worthless. As this Outlook reveals, it will take agricultural and healthcare reforms to defeat the encroaching bacterial epidemic. ▼ more       Biological Sciences More Biological sciences ▼   Presynaptic inhibition of spinal sensory feedback ensures smooth movement   Humans and other animals execute limb movements with a seemingly effortless precision that relies on sensory feedback and its refinement by inhibitory microcircuits. A new study identifies presynaptic inhibition in the spinal cord, a regulatory filter mediated by Gad2-expressing GABAergic interneurons that form connections with the terminals of sensory afferents, as part of a hard-wired gain control system crucial for the smooth execution of movement.       Physical Sciences More Physical sciences ▼   Fast spin of the young extrasolar planet β Pictoris b   This week's Nature sees a first for the study of extrasolar planets, with the measurement of the spin rotation rate of the gas-giant planet β Pictoris b. High-resolution observations of the light coming from the planet show that it is spinning faster than any planet in our Solar System - with an estimated day length of only about eight hours. The new measurement continues a general trend, observed in our Solar System, of increasing spin velocity with planet mass.       Earth & Environmental Sciences More Earth & Environmental sciences ▼   Widespread decline of Congo rainforest greenness in the past decade   The Congo rainforests are the second largest on Earth, after the Amazon, but little is known about their response to recent climate change. Liming Zhou et al. use remote sensing data to show that the drying trend of the past decade is associated with a large-scale decline in Congo forest greenness. This is a gradual process however, in contrast to the abrupt drought episodes that have occurred in the Amazon. This gradual browning could be causing shifts in community composition towards more drought-tolerant species.           Podcast     In this week's podcast: The deadly impact of two volcanic eruptions in recent human history, farmers turn into researchers to get better yields, and using stem cells to regenerate monkey hearts.         News & Comment Read daily news coverage▶ ▲top               THIS WEEK           Editorials                   No magic fix for carbon ▶     Carbon capture and storage projects promise to make a dent in global emissions — but only as part of a broader programme of technology deployment and economic incentives.             False positives ▶     A correlation between error rate and success undermines promise of stem-cell trials.             Agency for change ▶     Japan’s proposed reforms to science monitoring are welcome but long overdue.             World View                   The moral problem with commercial seal hunting ▶     The Canadian seal hunt leads to animal suffering, and a European Union ban on the import of its products should stand, says Andy Butterworth.             Seven Days                   Seven days: 25 April –1 May 2014 ▶     The week in science: FDA proposes regulating e-cigarettes; new UK ice-breaker research ship; and aid agencies warn of famine in South Sudan.             NEWS IN FOCUS           Doubts over heart stem-cell therapy ▶     Study queries early-phase trials of heart-disease treatment.             US biodefence facilities ramp up ▶     Government effort to produce vaccines on demand raises questions about cost and strategy.             Basic science finds corporate refuge ▶     As many older companies move away from fundamental research, young technology firms are picking up the slack.             Two plants to put ‘clean coal’ to test ▶     Large-scale carbon-capture projects set to go live this year.             Feature                   Infectious diseases: Smallpox watch ▶     Frozen mummies and envelopes of scabs could contain remnants of one of history's most prolific killers.             COMMENT           Agriculture: Engage farmers in research ▶     A new wave of small-scale agricultural innovation will boost yields and protect the planet, contend Tom MacMillan and Tim G. Benton.             Policy: Regulate embryos made for research ▶     As technical barriers fall, the United States should adapt existing measures to govern the generation of human embryos for research, says Insoo Hyun.             Books and Arts                   Science biography: A voyage round Newton ▶     Mordechai Feingold savours a study on how the fitful release of the scientist's papers shaped his reputation.             Books in brief ▶             Space policy: A clearer final frontier ▶     David Southwood finds that a study on safeguarding space is shorter on cooperation than conflict.             Correspondence                   Publishing: Rise in retractions is a signal of integrity Daniele Fanelli | Open access: Practical costs of data sharing Geoffrey J. Goodhill | Politics: Scottish separation could harm science Hugh Pennington, Susan A. Shaw, Andrew Miller | Conservation: Former Iron Curtain safeguards wildlife Bernhard Jank, Johannes Rath | History: Two brains and a forgotten theory Kevin S. Weiner             Corrections                   Corrections ▶             Correction ▶                 Biological Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Structural biology: Action at a distance in a light receptor ▶     Anna W. Baker, Katrina T. Forest             Biodiversity: Supply and demand ▶     Arne O. Mooers             Astrocyte-encoded positional cues maintain sensorimotor circuit integrity ▶     Anna V. Molofsky, Kevin W. Kelley, Hui-Hsin Tsai et al.     Populations of astrocytes in the spinal cord are shown to express region-specific genes, with ventral astrocyte-encoded Sema3a necessary for proper motor neuron circuit organization and typical sensory afferent projection patterns; these findings suggest that astrocytes provide a positional cue for maintaining proper circuit formation and refinement.             Trace-gas metabolic versatility of the facultative methanotroph Methylocella silvestris  ▶     Andrew T. Crombie, J. Colin Murrell     Distinct groups of microorganisms have been thought to grow on methane and on short-chain alkanes; now, the methanotroph Methylocella silvestris is shown to express two distinct soluble di-iron centre monooxygenases that allow it to use either methane or propane as a carbon and energy source.             The unfolded protein response governs integrity of the haematopoietic stem-cell pool during stress ▶     Peter van Galen, Antonija Kreso, Nathan Mbong et al.     Molecular, pharmacological and functional data show that haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are predisposed to ER-stress-mediated apoptosis compared to closely related progenitors; a framework for understanding how stress signalling is coordinated within the hematopoietic hierarchy and integrated with stemness is provided, and may have implications for the improvement of clinical transplantation of HSCs.             Human embryonic-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes regenerate non-human primate hearts ▶     James J. H. Chong, Xiulan Yang, Creighton W. Don et al.     Regeneration of the heart muscle after myocardial infarction with cardiomyocytes derived from human embryonic stem cells is demonstrated in non-human primates, with the grafts showing evidence of electromechanical coupling, although they were also associated with non-fatal arrhythmias.             Niche filling slows the diversification of Himalayan songbirds ▶     Trevor D. Price, Daniel M. Hooper, Caitlyn D. Buchanan et al.     In Himalayan songbirds, the speciation rate is ultimately set by ecological competition, rather than by the rate of acquisition of reproductive isolation.             Human oocytes reprogram adult somatic nuclei of a type 1 diabetic to diploid pluripotent stem cells ▶     Mitsutoshi Yamada, Bjarki Johannesson, Ido Sagi et al.     Here human embryonic stem cell lines are derived by somatic cell nuclear transfer from cells of a newborn and from skin cells of an adult, a female with type 1 diabetes; the stem cells produced are pluripotent and can be differentiated into insulin-producing beta cells.             BRCA1 controls homologous recombination at Tus/Ter-stalled mammalian replication forks ▶     Nicholas A. Willis, Gurushankar Chandramouly, Bin Huang et al.     Direct evidence for the role of BRCA1 in controlling homologous recombination at stalled replication forks has been obtained in mammalian cells using the bacterial Tus/Ter system.             Ubiquitin is phosphorylated by PINK1 to activate parkin ▶     Fumika Koyano, Kei Okatsu, Hidetaka Kosako et al.     Ubiquitin, known for its role in post-translational modification of other proteins, undergoes post-translational modification itself; after a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, the kinase enzyme PINK1 phosphorylates ubiquitin at Ser 65, and the phosphorylated ubiquitin then interacts with ubiquitin ligase (E3) enzyme parkin, which is also phosphorylated by PINK1, and this process is sufficient for full activation of parkin enzymatic activity.             Articles and Letters                   Presynaptic inhibition of spinal sensory feedback ensures smooth movement ▶     Andrew J. P. Fink, Katherine R. Croce, Z. Josh Huang et al.     A population of spinal interneurons that form axoaxonic connections with the terminals of proprioceptive afferents are shown to mediate presynaptic inhibition; their ablation elicits harmonic oscillations during goal-directed forelimb movements, which can be modelled as the consequence of an increase in sensory feedback gain.             Haematopoietic stem cells require a highly regulated protein synthesis rate ▶     Robert A. J. Signer, Jeffrey A. Magee, Adrian Salic et al.     Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have a lower rate of protein synthesis in vivo than most other haematopoietic cells, and both increases and decreases in the rate of protein synthesis impair HSC function, demonstrating that HSC maintenanceand hence, cellular homeostasisrequires the rate of protein synthesis to be highly regulated.             Developmental pathway for potent V1V2-directed HIV-neutralizing antibodies ▶     Nicole A. Doria-Rose, Chaim A. Schramm, Jason Gorman et al.     A longitudinal study of an individual patient developing neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 (targeting the V1V2 region of gp120) reveals how such neutralizing antibodies develop and evolve over time, providing important insights relevant to vaccine development.             Identification of genomic alterations in oesophageal squamous cell cancer ▶     Yongmei Song, Lin Li, Yunwei Ou et al.     Using whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing, this study identifies eight significantly mutated genes in oesophageal squamous cell cancer, including two genes, ADAM29 and FAM135B, not previously associated with this cancer type.             Cystathionine -lyase deficiency mediates neurodegeneration in Huntingtons disease ▶     Bindu D. Paul, Juan I. Sbodio, Risheng Xu et al.     Cystathionine -lyase, which is responsible for the production of cysteine, is decreased in the striatum and cortex of mouse models of Huntingtons disease and in patients with Huntingtons disease, and cysteine supplementation in diet and drinking water partly rescues the phenotype and the diminished longevity of the mouse model.             Nuclear reprogramming by interphase cytoplasm of two-cell mouse embryos ▶     Eunju Kang, Guangming Wu, Hong Ma et al.     Reprogramming after somatic cell nuclear transfer had been thought to be dependent on the recipient cytoplasm being arrested at the metaphase stage, but here interphase two-cell mouse embryos are shown to support successful reprogramming and generation of embryonic stem cells or cloned mice.             Quantitative proteomics identifies NCOA4 as the cargo receptor mediating ferritinophagy ▶     Joseph D. Mancias, Xiaoxu Wang, Steven P. Gygi et al.     Through a quantitative proteomics analysis, a cohort of proteins is identified that associate with autophagosomes, among them a new cargo receptor called NCOA4 that, in response to iron deprivation, targets ferritin to autophagosomes and thereby releases iron.             Structural basis for ubiquitin-mediated antiviral signal activation by RIG-I ▶     Alys Peisley, Bin Wu, Hui Xu et al.     RIG-I protein recognizes viral duplex RNA with a 5-triphosphate group, activating innate immune responses; a crystal structure of its tetrameric CARD signalling domain reveals that non-covalently linked ubiquitin chains stabilize the tetramer in a lock-washer structure that serves as a signalling platform for the recruitment and activation of MAVS.             Structure of the human P2Y12 receptor in complex with an antithrombotic drug ▶     Kaihua Zhang, Jin Zhang, Zhan-Guo Gao et al.     The X-ray crystal structure of the human P2Y12 receptor, which regulates platelet activation and thrombus formation, is solved in complex with an antithrombotic drug, providing insights for the development of new drugs.             Agonist-bound structure of the human P2Y12 receptor ▶     Jin Zhang, Kaihua Zhang, Zhan-Guo Gao et al.     An X-ray structure of human P2Y12 receptor, a clinical drug target for platelet aggregation inhibitors, is presented in complex with an agonist, providing insight into the -group of class A G-protein-coupled receptors.             News & Views                   Ecology: Drought in the Congo Basin ▶     Jeffrey Q. Chambers, Dar A. Roberts             Neuroscience: Feedback throttled down for smooth moves ▶     Stephen H. Scott, Frdric Crevecoeur             50 & 100 Years Ago ▶             Structural biology: Action at a distance in a light receptor ▶     Anna W. Baker, Katrina T. Forest             Biodiversity: Supply and demand ▶     Arne O. Mooers             Research Highlights                   Gene therapy: Ear implant helps to repair nerves | Plant biology: Leafy master of disguise | Palaeontology: Flying reptiles were land lovers | Ecology: Chernobyl birds adapt to radiation | Microbiology: Immune system boosts microbe | Genomics: Genome of the tsetse fly decoded | US research censure stirs up Twitter         NEWS & COMMENT           Infectious diseases: Smallpox watch | Science biography: A voyage round Newton | Politics: Scottish separation could harm science | Conservation: Former Iron Curtain safeguards wildlife | History: Two brains and a forgotten theory | False positives | Doubts over heart stem-cell therapy | US biodefence facilities ramp up | Policy: Regulate embryos made for research             More Biological Sciences ▶                 Nature Outlook Schizophrenia   Putting the pieces together.   Access the Outlook free online for six months.   Produced with support from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc.          Health Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Structural biology: Action at a distance in a light receptor ▶     Anna W. Baker, Katrina T. Forest             Human embryonic-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes regenerate non-human primate hearts ▶     James J. H. Chong, Xiulan Yang, Creighton W. Don et al.     Regeneration of the heart muscle after myocardial infarction with cardiomyocytes derived from human embryonic stem cells is demonstrated in non-human primates, with the grafts showing evidence of electromechanical coupling, although they were also associated with non-fatal arrhythmias.             BRCA1 controls homologous recombination at Tus/Ter-stalled mammalian replication forks ▶     Nicholas A. Willis, Gurushankar Chandramouly, Bin Huang et al.     Direct evidence for the role of BRCA1 in controlling homologous recombination at stalled replication forks has been obtained in mammalian cells using the bacterial Tus/Ter system.             Ubiquitin is phosphorylated by PINK1 to activate parkin ▶     Fumika Koyano, Kei Okatsu, Hidetaka Kosako et al.     Ubiquitin, known for its role in post-translational modification of other proteins, undergoes post-translational modification itself; after a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, the kinase enzyme PINK1 phosphorylates ubiquitin at Ser 65, and the phosphorylated ubiquitin then interacts with ubiquitin ligase (E3) enzyme parkin, which is also phosphorylated by PINK1, and this process is sufficient for full activation of parkin enzymatic activity.             Articles and Letters                   Developmental pathway for potent V1V2-directed HIV-neutralizing antibodies ▶     Nicole A. Doria-Rose, Chaim A. Schramm, Jason Gorman et al.     A longitudinal study of an individual patient developing neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 (targeting the V1V2 region of gp120) reveals how such neutralizing antibodies develop and evolve over time, providing important insights relevant to vaccine development.             Identification of genomic alterations in oesophageal squamous cell cancer ▶     Yongmei Song, Lin Li, Yunwei Ou et al.     Using whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing, this study identifies eight significantly mutated genes in oesophageal squamous cell cancer, including two genes, ADAM29 and FAM135B, not previously associated with this cancer type.             Cystathionine -lyase deficiency mediates neurodegeneration in Huntingtons disease ▶     Bindu D. Paul, Juan I. Sbodio, Risheng Xu et al.     Cystathionine -lyase, which is responsible for the production of cysteine, is decreased in the striatum and cortex of mouse models of Huntingtons disease and in patients with Huntingtons disease, and cysteine supplementation in diet and drinking water partly rescues the phenotype and the diminished longevity of the mouse model.             News & Views                   Structural biology: Action at a distance in a light receptor ▶     Anna W. Baker, Katrina T. Forest             Research Highlights                   Gene therapy: Ear implant helps to repair nerves | Genomics: Genome of the tsetse fly decoded         NEWS & COMMENT           Politics: Scottish separation could harm science | Doubts over heart stem-cell therapy             More Health Sciences ▶               Physical Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Circular polarization in the optical afterglow of GRB 121024A ▶     K. Wiersema, S. Covino, K. Toma et al.     Circularly polarized light is unexpectedly detected in the afterglow of γ-ray burst GRB 121024A measured 0.15 days after the burst, and is shown to be intrinsic to the afterglow and unlikely to be produced by dust scattering or plasma propagation effects.             Articles and Letters                   Fast spin of the young extrasolar planet Pictorisb ▶     Ignas A. G. Snellen, Bernhard R. Brandl, Remco J. de Kok et al.     Near-infrared spectroscopic observations of the young extrasolar planet Pictorisb indicate that it spins significantly faster than any planet in the Solar System, in line with the extrapolation of the known trend in spin velocity with planet mass.             Molecular photons interfaced with alkali atoms ▶     Petr Siyushev, Guilherme Stein, Jrg Wrachtrup et al.     Single organic dye molecules have high-flux, narrow-bandwidth single-photon emission and can be spectrally matched to the transitions of atoms acting as a quantum memory, making them promising for use in quantum information and communication schemes.             Spontaneous transfer of chirality in an atropisomerically enriched two-axis system ▶     Kimberly T. Barrett, Anthony J. Metrano, Paul R. Rablen et al.     An enantioselective reaction involving a molecule with two axes of stereochemical consequence produces four stereoisomers, and rather than racemizing as the system approaches equilibrium, one of the diastereomeric pairs drifts spontaneously to a higher enantiomeric ratio.             News & Views                   Applied physics: Bright electron twisters ▶     Jun Yuan             Astronomy: A new spin on exoplanets ▶     Travis Barman             Research Highlights                   Materials: Electronics mould to body tissue         NEWS & COMMENT           Science biography: A voyage round Newton | Space policy: A clearer final frontier | Correction | No magic fix for carbon | Basic science finds corporate refuge | Two plants to put ‘clean coal’ to test             More Physical Sciences ▶               Earth & Environmental Sciences ▲top             RESEARCH           Latest Online                   Trace-gas metabolic versatility of the facultative methanotroph Methylocella silvestris  ▶     Andrew T. Crombie, J. Colin Murrell     Distinct groups of microorganisms have been thought to grow on methane and on short-chain alkanes; now, the methanotroph Methylocella silvestris is shown to express two distinct soluble di-iron centre monooxygenases that allow it to use either methane or propane as a carbon and energy source.             Articles and Letters                   North Atlantic forcing of tropical Indian Ocean climate ▶     Mahyar Mohtadi, Matthias Prange, Delia W. Oppo et al.     New sea surface temperature and oxygen isotope records, combined with climate modelling experiments, show that slowdowns of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during Heinrich stadials and the Younger Dryas stadial affected the tropical Indian Ocean hydroclimate through changes to the Hadley circulation.             Electrical conductivity during incipient melting in the oceanic low-velocity zone ▶     David Sifr, Emmanuel Gards, Malcolm Massuyeau et al.     Determination of the electrical conductivity of carbon-dioxide- and water-rich melts, which are typically produced at the onset of mantle melting, shows that incipient melts can trigger the high electrical conductivities found in oceanic regions of the asthenosphere.             Widespread decline of Congo rainforest greenness in the past decade ▶     Liming Zhou, Yuhong Tian, Ranga B. Myneni et al.     The long-term drying trend in central African rainforests might help to explain satellite-detected large-scale vegetation browning in the Congolese forests.             News & Views                   Ecology: Drought in the Congo Basin ▶     Jeffrey Q. Chambers, Dar A. Roberts             Geophysics: Making the Earth move ▶     Rob L. Evans             Astronomy: A new spin on exoplanets ▶     Travis Barman             Research Highlights                   Climate change: California drought linked to humans | Climate change: Monsoon wet spells get wetter         NEWS & COMMENT           No magic fix for carbon | Two plants to put ‘clean coal’ to test             More Earth & Environmental Sciences ▶               Specials - Nature Outlook: Antibiotics Free Access ▲top               Antibiotics ▶     Mike May             Antibiotic resistance: An infectious arms race ▶     Winning the fight against infectious bacteria requires staying ahead of the organisms' uncanny ability to flank our frontal assaults. By Karyn Hede.             Drug development: Time for teamwork ▶     In the face of more drug-resistant bugs and fewer new drugs, partnerships promise a resurgence of antibiotics.             Microbiology: Resistance fighters ▶     Science goes back to nature to decipher and disrupt the mechanisms by which germs evade antibiotics.             Perspective: The age of the phage ▶     It's time to use viruses that kill bacteria again, say Shigenobu Matsuzaki, Jumpei Uchiyama, Iyo Takemura-Uchiyama and Masanori Daibata.             Drug discovery: Leaving no stone unturned ▶     New antibiotic treatments could be found by combining novel and existing drugs, in drug-free nanoparticles, or at the bottom of the sea.             Perspective: Synthetic biology revives antibiotics ▶     Re-engineering natural products provides a new route to drug discovery, says Gerard Wright.             Diagnostics: Detection drives defence ▶     Devices that quickly identify bacterial infections would benefit health and slow the spread of resistance.             Public health: The politics of antibiotics ▶     Policy-makers and medical experts need to think globally if we are to prevent an antibiotic 'tragedy of the commons'.         Sponsor             Nature Genetics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Anhui Medical University are pleased to present: Genome Variation in Precision Medicine May 15-17, 2014 Radegast Lake View Hotel Beijing Click here for more information or to register for this conference today!         Careers & Jobs ▲top               Public relations: For your information ▶     Scientific public-information officers need a gift for writing and a wide interest in all areas of science.                   Choosing to stay ▶     Saying no to a move is not easy, but there could be some very good reasons to stay put, says Yoshimi Rii.             Careers related news & comment                   Agency for change | Seven days: 25 April –1 May 2014 | Politics: Scottish separation could harm science Hugh Pennington, Susan A. Shaw, Andrew Miller | Correction | Basic science finds corporate refuge Nadia Drake               naturejobs.com Science jobs of the week       Research Associate     University of Massachusett Medical School           Research fellow     University of Exeter            PhD candidate     University of Bergen            Research Fellow     Vanderbilt University Medical Center           No matter what your career stage, student, postdoc or senior scientist, you will find articles on naturejobs.com to help guide you in your science career. Keep up-to-date with the latest sector trends, vote in our reader poll and sign-up to receive the monthly Naturejobs newsletter.           • natureevents Directory featured events           natureevents directory featured events         Mind Brain Prize 2014     19.11.14 Torino, Italy         Natureevents Directory is the premier resource for scientists looking for the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia. 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