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Volume 549 Issue 7673, 28 September 2017

Earth was formed through the collisions of countless planetesimals. These building blocks are today represented by meteorites, the elemental compositions of some of which, the carbonaceous chondrites, are thought to reflect the chemistry of the early Solar System. As such, Earth’s chemical make-up ought to be similar to these meteorites and in many respects it is. Earth is, however, strongly depleted in moderately volatile elements such as lead, zinc and indium. A potential explanation for these depletions is that these elements evaporated from molten rock during the planet-forming processes and in this week’s issue, Ashley Norris and Bernard Wood interrogate this idea further, resolving some of the inconsistencies seen in earlier proposals. By melting basaltic rock in a furnace under controlled conditions, the researchers examined the melting processes that would have occurred during the accretion of Earth and its precursor bodies. They found that the pattern of depletion of volatile elements is consistent with partial melting and vaporization of the early Earth, and suggest that this occurred on small molten precursors or during energetic collisions — such as the violent impact with Earth that formed the Moon. The cover shows one such instance of the proto-Earth and a nearby planetesimal. Heated by collisions and the decay of aluminium-26, the bodies degas volatile elements, forming thick atmospheres, which are ultimately swept to interstellar space by the solar wind, removing the volatile elements from the final composition of the planet. In related work, Remco Hin and his colleagues provide further evidence to support the idea of vaporization by the measuring the ratios of magnesium isotopes in Earth, Mars and some asteroids. Cover image: C. Ashley Norris

Editorial

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World View

  • Poor and minority communities already bear the brunt of natural catastrophes. Rebuilding efforts must not increase disparities, warns Benjamin K. Sovacool.

    • Benjamin K. Sovacool
    World View
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Seven Days

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News

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Correction

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News Feature

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Comment

  • Shrink accelerators, sharpen beams and broaden health-care coverage so more people can get this type of radiation treatment, argue Thomas R. Bortfeld and Jay S. Loeffler.

    • Thomas R. Bortfeld
    • Jay S. Loeffler
    Comment
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Books & Arts

  • Greg Lynall unpeels the science in the satire on the 350th anniversary of Jonathan Swift's birth.

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

    • Barbara Kiser
    Books & Arts
  • Judith Glynn takes in a show that probes the nexus of graphic art, behaviour and public health.

    • Judith Glynn
    Books & Arts
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Correspondence

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News & Views

  • Efforts to treat brain tumours by targeting cancer cells have had only modest clinical success. It emerges that targeting a protein secreted from neurons adjacent to the tumour might be a useful alternative approach. See Letter p.533

    • Michael D. Taylor
    • Vijay Ramaswamy
    News & Views
  • Two studies show that evaporation of molten rock was intrinsic to the formation of Earth and other rocky bodies in the Solar System, suggesting that violent collisions played a key part in the formation process. See Letters p.507 & p.511

    • Edward D. Young
    News & Views
  • It emerges that high levels of vitamin C in blood-forming stem cells influence the number and function of the cells and affect the development of leukaemia, through binding to a tumour-suppressor protein, Tet2. See Article p.476

    • Peter G. Miller
    • Benjamin L. Ebert
    News & Views
  • Conventional wisdom dictates that an electron's magnetic moment and momentum are strongly coupled only in materials made of heavy elements. An experiment demonstrates a striking counterexample. See Letter p.492

    • Zhi-Xun Shen
    • Jonathan Sobota
    News & Views
  • Mutations that drive the abnormal expansion of progenitor subpopulations of blood cells are known to cause leukaemia. A genetic analysis reveals that these clonal blood stem-cell mutations are also common in people who have solid tumours.

    • Catriona Jamieson
    News & Views
  • Infection during pregnancy increases the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, in offspring. Mouse studies now reveal a link between gut bacteria and atypical brain-circuit connections. See Article p.482 & Letter p.528

    • Craig M. Powell
    News & Views
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Article

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Letter

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Feature

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Column

  • Postdoc advocacy is key, say Antoine de Morrée, Forrest Collman, Catherine Gordon and Megan Klabunde.

    • Antoine de Morree
    • Forrest Collman
    • Megan Klabunde
    Column
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Futures

  • Something to remember.

    • Zach Chapman
    Futures
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Outlook

    • Herb Brody

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
  • Technological advances are creating an explosion in possibilities for the blood-based diagnosis of brain injuries, infections and cancers.

    • Emily Sohn

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
  • When threats emerge to the blood supply, public-health officials must make difficult decisions to reduce the risk of infections being transmitted by transfusions.

    • Cassandra Willyard

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
  • The ability to give donated blood to patients has saved countless lives. But the routine nature of such transfusions is being rethought.

    • Bianca Nogrady

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
  • Bloodstain pattern analysis is used by forensic scientists to help reconstruct violent crimes. Efforts are underway to root the often subjective practice in science.

    • Sujata Gupta

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
  • Alzheimer's disease and ageing brains could benefit from therapies based on blood's liquid component.

    • Liam Drew

    Nature Outlook:

    Outlook
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Nature Index

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