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Laboratory experiments point to a mechanism by which ice forms from supercooled water with surprising alacrity. Such a mechanism may help to explain ice formation in the atmosphere under certain conditions.
The Wnt signalling pathway is a major route by which the cell conveys information from its exterior to the nucleus. A gap in the sequence of signalling proteins has now been filled.
Storing single photons in atomic memories, and releasing them at a later time, is a required step on the way to quantum repeaters and long-distance quantum cryptography networks. This step has now been taken.
The capacity of tumours to spread to other organs is one of their most dangerous attributes. A study of how cancer cells settle in new places shows that they send out envoys to prepare the ground for them.
Domestication and selective breeding have transformed wolves into the diversity of dogs we see today. The sequence of the genome of one breed adds to our understanding of mammalian biology and genome evolution.
Computer simulations predict that global warming will weaken the ocean circulation that transports heat from the tropics to higher latitudes in the North Atlantic. Such an effect has now been detected.
Many of the biochemical events that occur in a cell are performed by huge complexes of proteins and nucleic acids. A cunning approach promises to show how the components convene to make a functioning ‘machine’.
The stream of revelations from Mars continues. The latest news — the discovery of clays in ancient terrains — helps to fill in the picture of the past existence of liquid water on the planet's surface.
Just under the cell surface, proteins engage in an intricate ballet to drive a transport process called endocytosis. Much is known about the individual dancers, but now the choreography is revealed.
How do the lipids and proteins of the cell membrane interact to create a functioning barrier for the cell? A high-resolution structure of a membrane protein reveals intimate contacts with its lipid neighbours.