News & Views in 2008

A provocative contribution to the logic of science extends the theorems of Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing, and bears on thinking about prediction, the standard model of particles, and quantum gravity.

Messenger RNAs don't usually correspond exactly to DNA — portions of the primary transcript, known as introns, are removed by splicing. A study reveals new ways in which splicing can be regulated.

Mapping out the resonant modes of optical antennas is part of a largely unexplored terrain — but not any more, as a study that applies a luminescence technique to gold antennas demonstrates.

Observations of the birth of a superfluid have uncovered details of the microphysics of phase transitions. Whether these results can be used to model such transitions in the early Universe is an open question.

Tiny, wind-generated ripples on the sea surface can interact and produce pressure changes felt on the ocean floor. The same line of study points to a basic distinction between two types of surface wave.

Increasingly sophisticated techniques are being used to persuade ancient rocks to yield information about conditions on and in the early Earth — for instance, about the oxidation state of the mantle.

Precisely how proteins snake their way through channels in cell membranes is unclear. Complexes between the SecY channel and its motor protein, and the use of a 'molecular endoscope', provide fascinating clues.

The childhood cancer neuroblastoma can either run in families or occur sporadically. Several studies find that the gene ALK is a chief offender in this disease, because its germline mutations mediate both forms.

Do longer lives mean that growing numbers of us will spend more time in a state of high-cost dependency? Evidence from one elderly cohort suggests that excessive levels of disability are far from inevitable.

Long-term exposure to cocaine changes the organization of synaptic connections within the addiction circuitry of the brain. This process might protect against the development and persistence of addiction.

Prolonged physical interaction between helper T cells and antibody-producing B cells is crucial for efficient immune responses. Mutations in a protein that underlies this process cause human disease.

Almost all vertebrates have teeth of some sort. But where, in developmental terms, do teeth come from? Results drawn from experimental embryology provide an illuminating perspective on this contentious question.

If it is not repaired efficiently, damage to DNA double strands can have dire consequences for both the cell and the organism. Given the gravity of this situation, cells use two pathways to start the process.

The stability of the margins of the Himalayan–Tibetan mountain belt constitutes a puzzle. Repeated damming of major Tibetan rivers by glaciers, so controlling river erosion, is a possible explanation.

Generating currents that rely on the spins of electrons to make electronic devices requiring less power is both desirable and daunting. A neat way of creating such currents eases that task.

Adaptation of a fish's eyes to its visual environment can bias females to mate with different males according to their coloration. This sensory preference can contribute to the formation of new species.

The concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide decreased between 45 million and 25 million years ago, a trend accompanied by glaciation at the poles. Modelling results suggest when and where the ice closed in.

To make one differentiated cell type from another, a 'stopover' at an undifferentiated state is often required. An alternative method offering an efficient direct route could have implications for disease treatment.