News & Views in 2012

A method has been developed for predicting the stability and elasticity of certain alloys for millions of atomic configurations of the materials. This approach should help to identify materials with optimized properties. See Letter p.740

It's a touching story of cohabitation and meaningful communication. Two neighbouring fruitfly neurons talk to each other not by means of synaptic junctions but by interactions through the surrounding electrical field. See Article p.66

Researchers have coaxed cultured embryonic stem cells to develop into eggs that then give rise to normal offspring. The discovery should help to decode the molecular basis of gamete formation and might lead to treatments for infertility.

Exposure to abnormal light–dark cycles causes depression-like behaviour and learning deficits in mice. The defects seem to occur independently of disturbances to sleep and other processes regulated by the biological clock. See Letter p.594

Cold and ultracold molecules provide fertile grounds for scientific discoveries. A method of cooling polyatomic molecules has been demonstrated that will allow researchers to explore the vast potential of these entities. See Letter p.570

Behavioural traits can influence an individual animal's fitness, and trait combinations can change over its lifetime, according to a study of wild trout during a key period in their development.

A new assessment of drought trends over the past 60 years finds little evidence of an expansion of the area affected by droughts, contradicting several previous estimates. See Letter p.435

Entanglement between a photon and a stationary particle is a key resource for quantum communication. The effect has now been observed for a photon and a single electron spin in a semiconductor nanostructure. See Letters p.421 & p.426

The construction of in vitro assemblies of biological components that exhibit properties of living matter may shed light on the physical aspects of the dynamic reorganization that continuously occurs inside cells. See Letter p.431

A special type of optical amplifier based on a vapour of rubidium has been demonstrated that makes faint images brighter without adding noise. This concept could find use in biological imaging and image processing.

Some of the principles underlying how amino-acid sequences determine the three-dimensional structures of proteins have been defined. This has enabled a successful approach to designing protein folds from scratch. See Article p.222

Disorders caused by single genes, such as fragile X syndrome, share symptoms with the genetically complex autism spectrum disorders. It emerges that effective drugs for the former may lead to therapies for the latter.

A technique has been developed to image a fluorescent object hiding behind a light-scattering screen without the need for a detector behind the screen. The approach could find applications in imaging biological tissue. See Letter p.232

The discovery of stone tools dating to 71,000 years ago at a site in South Africa suggests that the humans making them had developed the capacity for complex thought, and passed this knowledge down the generations. See Letter p.590

The identification of a sea-floor microorganism that single-handedly conducts anaerobic oxidation of methane changes our picture of how the flux of this greenhouse gas from the ocean to the atmosphere is regulated. See Article p.541

By controlling the placement of 'sticky' patches on particles, assemblies can be made that mimic atomic bonding in molecules. This greatly expands the range of structures that can be assembled from small components. See Article p.51

Sun exposure indisputably increases the risk of skin cancer. Mouse studies suggest that, in red-haired individuals, genetic factors also contribute through a mechanism that acts independently of exposure to sunlight. See Letter p.449