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The cover shows the William E. Gordon Telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Jason Hessels and his colleagues used the telescope in their attempt to clarify the physical nature of the only known source of repeating fast radio bursts. Lasting about a millisecond each, these bursts come from a star-forming region in a dwarf galaxy. Hessels and his co-authors observed that the bursts were nearly 100% linearly polarized and had a very high Faraday rotation measure. Such results require the presence of an environment of extreme magnetized plasma, which has previously been seen only around massive black holes. As a result, the authors suggest that the radio bursts possibly come from a neutron star in such an environment (although the team notes that, in principle, the bursts could originate from a neutron star surrounded by either a highly magnetized wind nebula or a supernova remnant). Image: Image design: Danielle Futselaar; Photo usage: Brian P. Irwin/Dennis van de Water/Shutterstock.com
Endogenous and alcohol-derived acetaldehyde causes a specific pattern of DNA damage in haemopoietic stem cells; the effects are mitigated by detoxification, specific DNA repair mechanisms and a p53 response.
The emission of singly ionized carbon is used to identify two galaxies with redshifts of nearly 7—corresponding to the Universe’s first billion years—and with velocity structures suggestive of rotation.
Polarimetric observations of the repeating fast radio burst source FRB 121102 suggest that the bursts may originate from a neutron star in the extreme magneto-ionic environment of an accreting massive black hole or supernova remnant.
The rotation rate of comet 41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresák decreased rapidly between March and May 2017, owing to gas emission from the comet aligning to produce an anomalously strong torque.
The lowest-energy exciton state in caesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals is shown to be a bright triplet state, contrary to expectations that lowest-energy excitons should always be dark.
A meta-analysis and field data show that frequent fires in savannas and broadleaf forests decrease soil carbon and nitrogen over many decades; modelling shows that nitrogen loss drives carbon loss by reducing net primary productivity.
Statistical modelling of global survey datasets of waterbirds as an indicator taxon for biodiversity changes in wetland ecosystems demonstrates that effective governance is the strongest predictor of species abundance increases and conservation benefits.
An Ancient Beringian population from Late Pleistocene Alaska and the ancestors of other Native American groups descended from a single founding population that diversified around twenty thousand years ago.
Tungstate inhibits molybdenum-cofactor-dependent microbial respiratory pathways and shows potential as a selective treatment for microbial imbalances that occur during inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
Transposon tagging to clonally trace progenitors and stem cells provides evidence for a substantially revised roadmap for unperturbed haematopoiesis, and highlights unique properties of multipotent progenitors and haematopoietic stem cells in situ.
CRISPR–Cas9 genome editing is used to correct a dominant-negative mutation in a mouse model of inherited deafness, resulting in improvements in cochlear function and hearing.
Oncogenic FGFR3–TACC3 gene fusions signal through phosphorylated PIN4 to trigger biogenesis of peroxisomes and synthesis of new proteins, enabling mitochondrial respiration and tumour growth.
The retrotransposition of L1 is controlled by functionally diverse genes at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels, and its silencing can lead to the downregulation of host gene expression.
The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the calcium channel TRPV6 in its open and closed states demonstrates a novel gating mechanism involving an alanine hinge.