This Week in Science

Editor summaries of this week's papers.
Science 12 September 2008: 1413.
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Editorial:
Mediterranean Scientopolitics

Ahmed Zewail
Science 12 September 2008: 1417.
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Editors' Choice

Highlights of the recent literature.
Science 12 September 2008: 1419.
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Science Podcast

Science 12 September 2008: 1511.
Summary: The 12 September 2008 show includes damage control for the heart, imaging transient phenomena, a silver lining of atomic bomb testing, and more. Full Text »|   Transcript »|  

NEW PRODUCTS

Science 12 September 2008: 1511.
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News of the Week

SCIENCE EDUCATION: U.K. Education Reform: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Daniel Clery
Science 12 September 2008: 1428-1429.
Summary: Last week, the Royal Society issued a report that says science education reforms have been implemented so fast that it's impossible to know whether anything has worked and warns that new measures are being rushed in without appropriate testing. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PALEOANTHROPOLOGY: Brainy Babies and Risky Births for Neandertals

Ann Gibbons
Science 12 September 2008: 1429.
Summary: A new study of a rare Neandertal newborn and two infants shows that our closest relatives were born with brains as large as ours and that those brains grew rapidly during the first few years of life. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

WORKFORCE: India Hopes New Fellowships Will Attract Expat Scientists

Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
Science 12 September 2008: 1431.
Summary: Last week, India's Department of Biotechnology announced that it was teaming up with the Wellcome Trust on a 5-year, $140 million program to support up to 375 scientists in all stages of their careers. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PHILANTHROPY: Broad Gives $400 Million More to Cambridge Institute

Jocelyn Kaiser
Science 12 September 2008: 1432.
Summary: Last week, Los Angeles businessman Eli Broad announced a $400 million gift that will allow the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, already a genomics research powerhouse, to become a self-sustaining entity. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

U.S. ELECTION: McCain, Obama Present Their Wars on Cancer

Jennifer Couzin
Science 12 September 2008: 1432.
Summary: U.S. presidential candidates Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are advocating somewhat different strategies to combat cancer, but both agree on the need for better access to early detection technologies and more preventive care. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

PHYSICS: Quantum Flashlight Pierces the Darkness With a Few Percent as Many Photons

Adrian Cho
Science 12 September 2008: 1433-1443.
Summary: A theoretical analysis on page 1463 of this week's issue of Science shows how to detect objects using strangely interconnected particles of light, or photons, greatly reducing the number of photons needed. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceScope

Science 12 September 2008: 1431.
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Random Samples

Science 12 September 2008: 1425.
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Newsmakers

Science 12 September 2008: 1427.
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News Focus

PHYSICS: The Mushroom Cloud's Silver Lining

David Grimm
Science 12 September 2008: 1434-1437.
Summary: Fallout from atomic bomb testing is helping to solve crimes and address some of the most controversial questions in biology. Full Text »|   PDF »|   Podcast Interview »|  

PHYSICS: Forgers Face the Nuclear Option

David Grimm
Science 12 September 2008: 1437.
Summary: Australian winemakers concerned about their vintage wines being disputed in the wake of surging exports to Europe in the late 1990s have turned to the bomb-pulse technique (see main text) to verify the year a wine was made. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ELECTION 2008: Obama and McCain Are Swept Up in a Surprising Space Race

Andrew Lawler
Science 12 September 2008: 1438-1440.
Summary: Space policy may not be on the minds of most Americans, but it's become an important issue in the race for the White House. How did that happen, and what does it mean for President Bush's 2004 vision for exploration? Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ELECTION 2008: New Institute Shoots for the Moon

Andrew Lawler
Science 12 September 2008: 1438-1439.
Summary: The home of the new NASA Lunar Science Institute lacks air conditioning, a conference room, and a working water fountain. But lunar scientists hope to refurbish the shabby surroundings as part of a larger renovation that will set the agenda for a new generation of scientific exploration. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ORNITHOLOGY: The Houbara: Headed for Oblivion?

Richard Stone
Science 12 September 2008: 1441.
Summary: The elusive Asian houbara bustard could fall victim to falconers and poaching without strong international protection. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Letters

 Working the Crowd

Andrea Gaggioli and Giuseppe Riva
Science 12 September 2008: 1443.
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 Southern Ocean Not So Pristine

Louise K. Blight and David G. Ainley
Science 12 September 2008: 1443.
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 Diminishing Sea Ice

G. Carleton Ray, Gary L. Hufford, Igor I. Krupnik, James E. Overland;, Benjamin S. Halpern, Carrie V. Kappel, Fiorenza Micheli, Kimberly A. Selkoe, Caterina d'Agrosa, John Bruno, Kenneth S. Casey, Colin M. Ebert, Helen E. Fox, Rod Fujita, Dennis Heinemann, Hunter S. Lenihan, Elizabeth M. P. Madin, Matt Perry, Elizabeth R. Selig, Mark Spalding, Robert Steneck, Shaun Walbridge, and Reg Watson
Science 12 September 2008: 1443-1445.
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 Microscopy for Life Scientists

Nigel J. Fullwood
Science 12 September 2008: 1445.
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 Archaeology Without Borders

Saikat Kumar Basu
Science 12 September 2008: 1446.
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 Corrections and Clarifications

Science 12 September 2008: 1446.
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Books et al.

HISTORY OF SCIENCE: Illuminating the Details of Deep Time

Ralph J. O'Connor
Science 12 September 2008: 1447-1448.
Summary: The author examines a selection of influential scientific debates on geologic topics between 1820 and 1845, some of which were focused on the details of particular moments in what all agreed were the long histories of Earth and life while others addressed putative causes of the patterns. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

SCIENCE COMMUNITY: Scientists Under Siege

Deborah C. Runkle
Science 12 September 2008: 1448.
Summary: This exposé of tactics used by animal rights extremists spotlights the efforts of those who wish to abolish all experimental work with animals. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books Received

Science 12 September 2008: 1448.
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Policy Forum

ETHICS: Do We Need "Synthetic Bioethics"?

Erik Parens, Josephine Johnston, and Jacob Moses
Science 12 September 2008: 1449.
Summary: As we address ethical issues in emerging fields, ethicists, funders, and policy-makers should resist balkanization. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Perspectives

DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY: Return to the Proliferative Pool

Acaimo González-Reyes and Jordi Casanova
Science 12 September 2008: 1450-1451.
Summary: Differentiated tracheal cells in the fruit fly larva paradoxically revert to a progenitor form as development advances to the adult stage. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

EVOLUTION: Dynamics of Body Size Evolution

Kaustuv Roy
Science 12 September 2008: 1451-1452.
Summary: Is bigger better? Does climate affect size? The processes controlling body size evolution remain unclear. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

CHEMISTRY: Bringing Stability to Highly Reduced Iron-Sulfur Clusters

Eckard Münck and Emile L. Bominaar
Science 12 September 2008: 1452-1453.
Summary: A synthetic mimic of the most reduced iron-sulfur cluster in electron-transfer proteins shows a remarkable resemblance to protein-bound clusters. Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

GEOLOGY: Understanding Soil Time

Susan L. Brantley
Science 12 September 2008: 1454-1455.
Summary: Efforts to maintain soils in a sustainable manner are complicated by interactions among soil components that respond to perturbation at vastly different rates. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

GEOLOGY: An Uncertain Future for Soil Carbon

Susan E. Trumbore and Claudia I. Czimczik
Science 12 September 2008: 1455-1456.
Summary: A detailed knowledge of how carbon cycles through soils is crucial for predicting future atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Review

Cooling, Heating, Generating Power, and Recovering Waste Heat with Thermoelectric Systems

Lon E. Bell
Science 12 September 2008: 1457-1461.
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Brevia

A Mutation in Hairless Dogs Implicates FOXI3 in Ectodermal Development

Cord Drögemüller, Elinor K. Karlsson, Marjo K. Hytönen, Michele Perloski, Gaudenz Dolf, Kirsi Sainio, Hannes Lohi, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, and Tosso Leeb
Science 12 September 2008: 1462.
Mutations in a transcription factor gene involved in ectodermal development cause a lack of hair and abnormal teeth in Chinese Crested, Mexican, and Peruvian hairless dogs. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Reports

Enhanced Sensitivity of Photodetection via Quantum Illumination

Seth Lloyd
Science 12 September 2008: 1463-1465.
Quantum-mechanically entangled light, in which one photon is kept as a reference, can exponentially improve the imaging of an object, as compared with unentangled illumination. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

reCAPTCHA: Human-Based Character Recognition via Web Security Measures

Luis von Ahn, Benjamin Maurer, Colin McMillen, David Abraham, and Manuel Blum
Science 12 September 2008: 1465-1468.
Published online 14 August 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1160379] (in Science Express Reports)
A security system that relies on the superior performance of humans in comparison to computers in reading distorted text can be harnessed for digitized scanned documents. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

A Rubberlike Stretchable Active Matrix Using Elastic Conductors

Tsuyoshi Sekitani, Yoshiaki Noguchi, Kenji Hata, Takanori Fukushima, Takuzo Aida, and Takao Someya
Science 12 September 2008: 1468-1472.
Published online 7 August 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1160309] (in Science Express Reports)
A carbon nanotube-polymer film containing organic transistors and coated with silicon rubber can maintain its electrical properties while being stretched up to 70 percent. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Imaging of Transient Structures Using Nanosecond in Situ TEM

Judy S. Kim, Thomas LaGrange, Bryan W. Reed, Mitra L. Taheri, Michael R. Armstrong, Wayne E. King, Nigel D. Browning, and Geoffrey H. Campbell
Science 12 September 2008: 1472-1475.
Rapidly pulsing electrons through a transmission electron microscope allows imaging of localized cooling and phase separation along a propagating reaction front in a laminate. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

The Magnetic Memory of Titan's Ionized Atmosphere

C. Bertucci, N. Achilleos, M. K. Dougherty, R. Modolo, A. J. Coates, K. Szego, A. Masters, Y. Ma, F. M. Neubauer, P. Garnier, J.-E. Wahlund, and D. T. Young
Science 12 September 2008: 1475-1478.
Cassini observations show that Saturn's moon Titan retains an imprinted memory of Saturn's magnetic field above its ionosphere, even after passing outside the field. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Postseismic Relaxation Along the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield from Continuous Seismological Observations

F. Brenguier, M. Campillo, C. Hadziioannou, N. M. Shapiro, R. M. Nadeau, and E. Larose
Science 12 September 2008: 1478-1481.
Correlating 5 years of seismic noise among nearby receivers reveals subtle seismic velocity signals reflecting changes in the properties of the San Andreas fault at Parkfield. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Atmospheric Warming and the Amplification of Precipitation Extremes

Richard P. Allan and Brian J. Soden
Science 12 September 2008: 1481-1484.
Published online 7 August 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1160787] (in Science Express Reports)
Satellite data show that in the tropics, heavy rain events have increased in warmer months and decreased in colder months, more than predicted by climate models. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Superiority, Competition, and Opportunism in the Evolutionary Radiation of Dinosaurs

Stephen L. Brusatte, Michael J. Benton, Marcello Ruta, and Graeme T. Lloyd
Science 12 September 2008: 1485-1488.
During their early radiation, dinosaur morphology evolved at comparable rates to that of competing archosaurs, implying that opportunity, not superiority, influences their success. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Niche Partitioning Increases Resource Exploitation by Diverse Communities

Deborah L. Finke and William E. Snyder
Science 12 September 2008: 1488-1490.
In an ecosystem comprising a parasite, an aphid, and a radish, the use of different resources by each species, not species diversity per se, increases overall consumption. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Degradation of microRNAs by a Family of Exoribonucleases in Arabidopsis

Vanitharani Ramachandran and Xuemei Chen
Science 12 September 2008: 1490-1492.
A class of nucleases specific for short single-stranded RNAs is found to degrade microRNAs in Arabidopsis; their mutation results in numerous developmental defects. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Activation of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-2 Reduces Ischemic Damage to the Heart

Che-Hong Chen, Grant R. Budas, Eric N. Churchill, Marie-Hélène Disatnik, Thomas D. Hurley, and Daria Mochly-Rosen
Science 12 September 2008: 1493-1495.
A compound that activates the mitochondrial enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 reduces the extent of heart damage in a rodent model of heart attack. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

Dual Origin of Tissue-Specific Progenitor Cells in Drosophila Tracheal Remodeling

Molly Weaver and Mark A. Krasnow
Science 12 September 2008: 1496-1499.
Published online 31 July 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1158712] (in Science Express Reports)
When fruit flies metamorphose from larvae, a new trachea forms both from undifferentiated cells of the imaginal disc and differentiated cells that re-enter the cell cycle. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

FBXW7 Targets mTOR for Degradation and Cooperates with PTEN in Tumor Suppression

Jian-Hua Mao, Il-Jin Kim, Di Wu, Joan Climent, Hio Chung Kang, Reyno DelRosario, and Allan Balmain
Science 12 September 2008: 1499-1502.
A tumor suppressor is shown to control the degradation of a central protein regulator of cell proliferation. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Unsupervised Natural Experience Rapidly Alters Invariant Object Representation in Visual Cortex

Nuo Li and James J. DiCarlo
Science 12 September 2008: 1502-1507.
Neurons in the most complex area of the brain's visual cortex can respond to a particular object in any orientation by rapidly learning to associate multiple views of that object. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Conformational Switch of Syntaxin-1 Controls Synaptic Vesicle Fusion

Stefan H. Gerber, Jong-Cheol Rah, Sang-Won Min, Xinran Liu, Heidi de Wit, Irina Dulubova, Alexander C. Meyer, Josep Rizo, Marife Arancillo, Robert E. Hammer, Matthijs Verhage, Christian Rosenmund, and Thomas C. Südhof
Science 12 September 2008: 1507-1510.
Published online 14 August 2008 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1163174] (in Science Express Reports)
The synaptic vesicle protein that mediates membrane fusion during exocytosis also regulates the rate and extent of this process by controlling vesicle tethering. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Technical Comments

Comment on "A Global Map of Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems"

Michael R. Heath
Science 12 September 2008: 1446.
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Response to Comment on "A Global Map of Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems"

Kimberly A. Selkoe, Carrie V. Kappel, Benjamin S. Halpern, Fiorenza Micheli, Caterina D'Agrosa, John Bruno, Kenneth S. Casey, Colin Ebert, Helen E. Fox, Rod Fujita, Dennis Heinemann, Hunter S. Lenihan, Elizabeth M. P. Madin, Matt Perry, Elizabeth R. Selig, Mark Spalding, Robert Steneck, Shaun Walbridge, and Reg Watson
Science 12 September 2008: 1446.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|