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Wnt signalling molecules are thought to direct the development of an organism by spreading through tissues. But flies grow with almost normal appendages even when their main Wnt protein cannot move. Two scientists discuss the implications of this finding for our understanding of development. See Article p.180
A marriage between satellite observations and modelling has shown that acceleration of electrons in the magnetosphere can be explained by scattering of these particles by plasma oscillations known as chorus waves. See Letter p.411
Studies in mice and humans suggest that cellular senescence, the cessation of cell proliferation that is known to suppress cancer and promote ageing, may have evolved to regulate embryonic development.
Superconducting quantum circuits are the core technology behind the most sensitive magnetometers. An analogous device has now been implemented using a gas of ultracold atoms, with possible applications for rotation sensing.
The thermal history of thousands of rock samples convincingly confirms the idea that climate cooling accelerates the rate of erosion at Earth's surface — and implicates glaciers in particular. See Letter p.423
A series of in vitro, genomic, ecological and epidemiological studies has pinpointed gene mutations in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum that play a key part in resistance to artemisinin-based antimalarial drugs. See Article p.50
Adding the first high-quality Neanderthal sequence to genomic comparisons of archaic and modern humans sheds light on gene flow, population structure and adaptation, and suggests the existence of an unknown group. See Article p.43
Recent experience can affect memory either positively or negatively. A small population of inhibitory neurons that express the protein parvalbumin seems to have a pivotal role in this process. See Letter p.272
A three-dimensional climate model indicates that the fraction of Sun-like stars that might harbour a rocky planet within their habitable zone could be smaller than previously estimated. See Letter p.268
The idea of creating liquids containing magnetic particles that display ferromagnetism has not been realized — until now. Plate-shaped magnets in a liquid crystal have been made that exhibit this property. See Article p.237
Mechanical stresses that are intrinsic to the early shape-forming movements of embryonic tissues have now been shown to play essential and evolutionarily conserved parts in cell-fate specification.
The discovery of a protein that is targeted for degradation by the 'witch' hormones called strigolactones reveals a mechanism by which shoot architecture is controlled in rice plants. See Articles p.401 & p.406
The collective motions of dwarf galaxies in planes around the Andromeda galaxy and the Milky Way have presented a challenge to theory. Interactions between galaxy groups in the distant past may have left their imprint on these dwarfs.
Observations of a high degree of polarization in the immediate optical afterglow of a γ-ray burst indicate that these powerful cosmic explosions carry large-scale, ordered magnetic fields. See Letter p.119
An ultrafast mode of vesicle endocytosis — a crucial process occurring at neural junctions that underpins brain function — has been uncovered. Long-standing models of endocytosis will therefore need to be re-evaluated. See Article p.242
Structures of the heat-sensitive TRPV1 ion channel have been solved using single-particle electron cryo-microscopy, representing a landmark in the use of this technique for structural biology. See Articles p.107 & p.113
The status of the protein p53 determines whether inhibiting the cellular autophagy pathway promotes or inhibits pancreatic cancer in mice. This finding serves as a cautionary tale for clinical trials of autophagy inhibitors. See Letter p.296