Volume 511 Issue 7511, 31 July 2014

Delays in approving genetically engineered salmon may be a taste of worse to come.

Welcome steps have been made in uncovering a biological basis for schizophrenia, but for many, the question of ‘why’ is unimportant, says David Adam.

The week in science: Scripps president resigns; record-breaking drive on Mars; and Poland creates a space agency.

Experts call for a stronger safety culture at secure sites after incidents involving anthrax and flu in a US laboratory.

Sensors in borehole at New Zealand seismic fault will peek under the surface of impending rupture.

Mycoplasma infestations are widespread and costing laboratories millions of dollars in lost research.

US drug regulator weighs up merits of disclosing preliminary results.

Logistics and lack of funds keep experimental drugs and vaccines from being used in Africa outbreak.

As the United States destroys its old dams, species are streaming back into the unfettered rivers.

DNA circulating in the bloodstream could guide cancer treatment — if researchers can work out how best to use it.

Tackling pollution and using different grades of water for different tasks is more efficient than making all water potable, say Tao Tao and Kunlun Xin.

A broader pool of expertise is needed to understand how human behaviour affects energy demand and the uptake of technologies, says Benjamin K. Sovacool.

Patricia Smith Churchland welcomes a critique of the mirror-neuron theory linking brain and behaviour.

Some 34 million years ago, there was a rapid growth of ice on Antarctica. A modelling study indicates that the ultimate cause of this glaciation was a decrease in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. See Letter p.574

A study in monkeys finds that treatment with the protein interferon protects against simian immunodeficiency virus, but that prolonged interferon administration exacerbates the chronic stage of the infection. See Letter p.601

Continuous tracking of the random trajectories of a superconducting quantum system as it evolves between two selected initial and final states has allowed researchers to determine the most probable path of the system. See Letter p.570

Two analyses of human eggs, sperm and early-stage embryos reveal a pronounced loss of DNA methylation — a molecular modification that affects gene transcription — after fertilization. See Letters p.606 & p.611

Two studies provide evidence that the protein complex PTEX is needed for export of malaria-parasite proteins into the cytoplasm of infected cells, and that such export is essential for parasite survival. See Letters p.587 & p.592

An integrated transcriptome, genome, methylome and proteome analysis of over 200 lung adenocarcinomas reveals high rates of somatic mutations, 18 statistically significantly mutated genes including RIT1 and MGA, splicing changes, and alterations in MAPK and PI(3)K pathway activity.

Topoisomerase II mediates meiotic crossover interference by adjusting the protein/DNA meshwork of chromosome axes.

An X-ray structure is presented for metabotropic glutamate receptor 5, a class C G-protein-coupled glutamate receptor linked to fragile X syndrome and neurological disorders; this study provides insights into the protein’s mechanism of action.

Measurements of the velocities of pairs of diametrically opposed satellite galaxies of host galaxies in the local Universe show that satellite pairs out to a distance of 150 kiloparsecs from their hosts are anti-correlated in their velocities and that galaxies in the larger-scale environment are strongly clumped along the axis joining the inner satellite pair.

Observations show that one or both of the protoplanetary disks in the young binary system HK Tauri are significantly inclined to the binary orbital plane, demonstrating that the necessary conditions exist for the misalignment-driven mechanisms thought to produce the unusual orbits of some extrasolar planets.

Reconstruction of the quantum trajectories of a superconducting circuit that evolves under the competing influences of continuous weak measurement and Rabi drive makes it possible to deduce the most probable path through quantum state space.

A climate model is used to show that the growth of the Antarctic ice sheet at about 34 Myr ago drove changes in ocean circulation, but the opening of ocean gateways had relatively little impact.

A new bombardment model of the early Earth, calibrated with existing lunar and terrestrial data, shows that the Earth’s surface would have been widely reprocessed by impacts through mixing and burial by impact-generated melt; the model may also explain the age distribution of ancient zircons and the absence of early terrestrial rocks.

Large annual variation in the stimulation of above-ground biomass by elevated carbon dioxide in a mixed C₃/C₄ temperate grassland can be predicted accurately using seasonal rainfall totals.

This paper demonstrates that a protein complex known as PTEX translocates all malaria parasite proteins destined for export into the cytosol of their host red blood cell.

Plasmodium parasites, the causative agent of malaria, infect and remodel red blood cells by exporting hundreds of proteins into the red blood cell cytosol, a topological conundrum given that the parasite resides in a compartment known as the parasitophorous vacuole; here a dihydrofolate-reductase-based destabilization domain approach is used to inactivate HSP101, part of the Plasmodium translocon of exported proteins, and to demonstrate that it is required for the secretion of all classes of exported Plasmodium proteins.

Different amounts of excitation received by different pyramidal cells of primary visual cortex are matched by proportional amounts of inhibition.

The timing of type I interferon signalling determines the disease course of SIV infection.

Base-resolution maps of DNA methylation in human gametes and early embryos offer novel insights into human methylation dynamics and the functional relationship between DNA methylation and gene expression.

Genome-scale DNA methylation maps over early human embryogenesis and embryonic stem cell derivation provide insights into shared and unique modes of regulation when compared to the mouse model, including relationships to gene expression, transposable element activity, and maternal-specific methylation.

Here, a covalent inhibitor targeting cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) demonstrates in vitro and in vivo efficacy against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia by downregulating oncogenic transcriptional programs.

Scientists who decide to pursue a legal career can enjoy fresh challenges while staying connected to the research world.

Study to probe matching US graduate programmes with employers' needs.

Award offers female chemists support for equipment, travel and publishing costs.

Negative outlook for US universities could pinch borrowing and hiring.

The greatest gift.