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Volume 540 Issue 7634, 22 December 2016

Once again, we end the year by selecting Natures Ten, ten scientists whose work this year has had an important impact in their respective fields. They are Gabriela Gonzalez, Demis Hassabis, Terry Hughes, Guus Velders, Celina Turchi, Alexandra Elbakyan, John Zhang, Kevin Esvelt, Guillem Anglada-Escud and Elena Long. Cover: Gravity waves JVG/Folio art

Editorial

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World View

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Research Highlights

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Seven Days

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News

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News Feature

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Comment

  • In these tumultuous times, Nancy Baron urges scientists to speak from the heart to build public trust in research.

    • Nancy Baron
    Comment
  • At the end of a difficult year for evidence, Ian L. Boyd, a chief scientific adviser to the UK government, draws lessons for making research more relevant.

    • Ian L. Boyd
    Comment
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Books & Arts

  • As holiday feasts begin, Laura Lawson surveys the fruitful history of urban farming.

    • Laura Lawson
    Books & Arts
  • Barbara Kiser reviews five of the week's best science picks.

    • Barbara Kiser
    Books & Arts
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Correspondence

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News & Views

  • Two studies in mice identify mechanisms by which tumour cells disseminate in very early breast cancer. Both show that these cells colonize distant tissues more efficiently than their later counterparts. See Article p.552 & Letter p.588

    • Cyrus M. Ghajar
    • Mina J. Bissell
    News & Views
  • Cage-like structures can self-assemble from suitable metal ions and organic linkers, but the size of the assemblies was limited. The surprise discovery of a new series of cages opens up fresh horizons for self-assembly. See Letter p.563

    • Florian Beuerle
    News & Views
  • Plaque deposits often occur in curved arterial regions with turbulent blood flow. Endothelial cells have been found to respond to blood flow through a previously unidentified signalling pathway that affects plaque build-up. See Letter p.579

    • Vedanta Mehta
    • Ellie Tzima
    News & Views
  • It emerges that a dogfish shark's spine becomes stiffer as the fish swims faster, enabling the animal to swim efficiently at different speeds. The finding could also provide inspiration for the design of robotic biomaterials.

    • Matthew A. Kolmann
    • Adam P. Summers
    News & Views
  • Quantum spin liquids are exotic states of matter first predicted more than 40 years ago. An inorganic material has properties consistent with these predictions, revealing details about the nature of quantum matter. See Letter p.559

    • Leon Balents
    News & Views
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Article

  • Profiling the total RNA of 220 invertebrate species leads to the discovery of almost 1,500 new species of RNA virus, revealing that the RNA virosphere is much more diverse than was previously thought.

    • Mang Shi
    • Xian-Dan Lin
    • Yong-Zhen Zhang
    Article
  • The identification of an intestinal microbiome signature that persists after successful dieting in obese mice and contributes to faster weight regain upon re-exposure to an obesity-promoting diet, and that transmits the altered weight regain phenotype to non-dieting mice.

    • Christoph A. Thaiss
    • Shlomik Itav
    • Eran Elinav
    Article
  • Two related papers show that cells disseminated from malignant lesions at early time points during tumorigenesis can contribute to metastases at distant organs and provide insights into the molecular basis of dissemination.

    • Hedayatollah Hosseini
    • Milan M. S. Obradović
    • Christoph A. Klein
    Article
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Letter

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Feature

  • Presenting science to politicians in a way they can understand can have good outcomes.

    • Chris Woolston
    Feature
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Futures

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Outlook

  • The symptoms of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), can be severe and lifelong. And the condition is becoming increasingly common worldwide.

    • Michael Eisenstein

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
  • Helminths are worms that can live in the human intestine. Joel Weinstock, a gastroenterologist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, studies how they affect inflammation and the body's immune response. He spoke to Nature about how helminths might lead to treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

    • Neil Savage

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
  • Gene exploration is providing unexpected insights into inflammatory bowel disease, and getting scientists closer to finding treatments that target the biological mechanisms.

    • Sarah DeWeerdt

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
  • Many people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) also have mental health issues. Eva Szigethy, a psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, studies how cognitive therapy can help people with gastrointestinal problems. She spoke to Nature about the relationship between mental health and IBD.

    • Neil Savage

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
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