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Volume 477 Issue 7364, 15 September 2011

On 6 April 2009, the Abruzzo region of central Italy was struck by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, causing serious damage to several medieval hill towns. More than 300 people lost their lives, around 1,500 were injured and 65,000 were made temporarily homeless. Earlier this year, six scientists and a government official were charged with manslaughter for failing to evaluate and communicate the potential risks. They are due to go on trial in L'Aquila on 20 September. In a News Feature, Stephen S. Hall tells how the local community came to feel betrayed by science. Cover: Franco Origlia/Getty.

Postdoc Journal

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Editorial

  • The Obama administration should reject the false dichotomy between environmental protection and the economy.

    Editorial
  • A simplification of the US patent system is good news for inventors, but could have gone further.

    Editorial
  • Non-communicable diseases are on the rise. Emerging nations need to take them seriously.

    Editorial
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World View

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Research Highlights

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Seven Days

  • The week in science: Arctic sea ice drops to record low; protein biochemists win Lasker Award; and NASA's Moon-mapping GRAIL mission launches.

    Seven Days
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News

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News Q&A

  • National Science Foundation director Subra Suresh reveals how his agency is coping with a grim fiscal outlook.

    • Eric Hand
    News Q&A
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News Feature

  • In 2009, an earthquake devastated the Italian city of L'Aquila and killed more than 300 people. Now, scientists are on trial for manslaughter.

    • Stephen S. Hall
    News Feature
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Comment

  • Extracting gas from shale increases the availability of this resource, but the health and environmental risks may be too high.

    • Robert W. Howarth
    • Anthony Ingraffea
    • Terry Engelder
    Comment
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Books & Arts

  • Dava Sobel mixes fact and fiction to great effect in her biography of Copernicus, finds Owen Gingerich.

    • Owen Gingerich
    Books & Arts
  • Martin Kemp explores the nature of science–art collaborations after 15 years of major initiatives around the world.

    • Martin Kemp
    Books & Arts
  • Paul D. Miller, also known as DJ Spooky, is famed for his digital sampling techniques. His 2007 foray to Antarctica inspired a multimedia symphony, Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica, and a companion volume, The Book of Ice. Ahead of a performance of Terra Nova this week at the New York Academy of Sciences, he discusses how he uses weather patterns in his compositions.

    • Jascha Hoffman
    Books & Arts
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Correspondence

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News & Views

  • Everybody knows that overconfidence can be foolhardy. But a study reveals that having an overly positive self-image might confer an evolutionary advantage if the rewards outweigh the risks. See Letter p.317

    • Matthijs van Veelen
    • Martin A. Nowak
    News & Views
  • During cell division, the DNA-associated CENP-A protein recruits the kinetochore protein complex to assemble on chromosomes. A region of just six amino-acid residues earmarks CENP-A for this purpose. See Letter p.354

    • Alison Pidoux
    • Robin Allshire
    News & Views
  • Data from the Siberian Traps volcanic region suggest that its magma source includes a significant component of recycled oceanic crust. This finding helps to explain why basalt eruptions are so environmentally devastating. See Letter p.312

    • Paul B. Wignall
    News & Views
  • Knowledge of how the Milky Way formed and evolved is deficient. Simulations show that a past encounter with another galaxy may account for the Galaxy's intricate morphology. See Letter p.301

    • Curtis Struck
    News & Views
  • Multiple sclerosis is linked to rogue immune cells that attack mature neurons. Remarkably, immature neurons secrete a protein called LIF, which not only inhibits this attack, but also promotes repair of the damaged nerves.

    • Su M. Metcalfe
    News & Views
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Article

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Letter

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Feature

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Q&A

  • An environmental scientist discusses her upcoming tenure-track position in public policy and the honour of being named an Emerging Explorer by the National Geographic Society.

    • Virginia Gewin
    Q&A
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Futures

  • Careless talk.

    • William Meikle
    Futures
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Collection

  • PROMOTIONAL FEATURE. Established in 1951 as China's second academy of sciences, the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS) has developed beyond its military heritage to become one of the country's leading centres for medical science. With research spanning a range of medical fields from basic and clinical medicine to chemistry and medical technology, for both military and civilian applications, and a string of achievements that have resonated around the globe, the AMMS' star is still very much on the rise.

    Collection
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