This Week in Science

Editor summaries of this week's papers.
Science 23 October 2009: 498.
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Editorial:
Europe Rethinks Education

Pierre Léna
Science 23 October 2009: 501.
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Editors' Choice

Highlights of the recent literature.
Science 23 October 2009: 503.
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Science Podcast

Science 23 October 2009: 601.
The show includes fixing a climate accounting error, a pathogenic threat to frogs, big telescope plans, and more. Summary »|   Full Text »|   Transcript »|  

New Products

Science 23 October 2009: 601.
A weekly roundup of information on newly offered instrumentation, apparatus, and laboratory materials of potential interest to researchers. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

News of the Week

Conservation Biology
Research Wolves of Yellowstone Killed in Hunt

Virginia Morell
Science 23 October 2009: 506-507.
On 3 October, a few weeks after Montana opened its first legal wolf-hunting season in decades, a hunter killed the alpha female of Yellowstone Park's Cottonwood Pack, whose behavior, travels, life history, and genealogy had been studied in detail by scientists for years. Her death, and that of five other pack members also shot outside Yellowstone, has irrevocably changed what had been a unique long-term study, the researchers say. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Amphibian Decline
Life and Death Play Out on the Skins of Frogs

Elizabeth Pennisi
Science 23 October 2009: 507-508.
On page 582 of this week's issue of Science, researchers go a long way toward solving the mystery of how a fungal infection has been killing amphibians worldwide. They find that the fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, causes such severe electrolyte imbalances that the frog's heart stops. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

China
Scientists Line Up Against Dam That Would Alter Protected Wetlands

Li Jiao
Science 23 October 2009: 508-509.
Scientists concerned about the ecological effects of a proposed dam across the northern end of Poyang Lake, 27 kilometers from the Yangtze River, were encouraged by the State Council's recent order that critics and the dam's backers thrash out their differences in Beijing. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceNOW.org
From Science's Online Daily News Site

Science 23 October 2009: 509.
Highlights from ScienceNOW this week include the achievement of black hole conditions here on Earth, the finding that trust is only skin deep, radio waves that see through walls, and a mother's cancer that infected her fetus, among other stories. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Archaeology
Archaeologists Alarmed by Turkey's Proposed Dig Rules

Michael Balter
Science 23 October 2009: 510-511.
Archaeologists fear that proposed new rules governing foreign-led excavations in Turkey could make it very difficult for foreigners to dig in the country. The draft regulations could require that each excavation season last at least 4 months and that a Turkish co-director be appointed for each dig. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Science in Society
Hong Kong's Darwin Defenders Declare Victory in Teaching Fracas

Richard Stone
Science 23 October 2009: 510-511.
Scientists in Hong Kong are celebrating a partial victory in what is likely to be an ongoing war against proponents of teaching creationism and intelligent design in secondary schools. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

ScienceInsider
From the Science Policy Blog

Science 23 October 2009: 511.
ScienceInsider reported this week on a delay in the delivery of swine flu vaccine and the FBI's arrest of a U.S. space scientist on espionage charges, among other stories. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Random Samples

Science 23 October 2009: 505.
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News Focus

Astronomy
Race for the Heavens

Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
Science 23 October 2009: 512-515.
Two very different telescope projects are jostling to give the United States its biggest-ever eye on the sky. Can the country afford both? Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Podcast Interview »|  

Astronomy
The Colossus of Europe

Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
Science 23 October 2009: 514.
The European Extremely Large Telescope will outsize the U.S. entries in its class, the Thirty Meter Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope, by a fair margin, with a primary mirror 42 meters in diameter. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Green Energy
Another Biofuels Drawback: The Demand for Irrigation

Robert F. Service
Science 23 October 2009: 516-517.
New U.S. mandates are prompting farmers to plant more corn in areas of the country that require irrigation. The move could trigger water shortages and water-quality problems. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Green Energy
The Promise of Drought-Tolerant Corn

Robert F. Service
Science 23 October 2009: 517.
The biofuels drive is just one of several factors that are increasing the demand for corn and other crops. Seed companies are responding by creating seed varieties able to tolerate drought, which could be particularly useful in reducing water demand in areas dependent on declining groundwater reserves. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Behavioral Ecology
Sex and Social Structure

Elizabeth Pennisi
Science 23 October 2009: 518-519.
Behavioral ecologists are discovering that social roles in bees may recapitulate the reproductive life cycle of solitary females. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Letters

 Defending Freedom in Iran's Universities

Ali Gorji
Science 23 October 2009: 521.
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 Restructure Conflicting Grant Incentives

Sadredin Cyrus Moosavi
Science 23 October 2009: 521.
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 Stay Tuned for Multimedia Browsing

Matias Pasquali
Science 23 October 2009: 522.
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 The Antidote to Bias in Research

David B. Allison
Science 23 October 2009: 522-523.
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 Corrections and Clarifications

Science 23 October 2009: 522.
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 Focus on Enhancing Phytochemical Content

Jane Sooby and Xin Zhao
Science 23 October 2009: 523.
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Books et al.

Planetary Science
The Passions of Meteorite Seekers

Dante S. Lauretta
Science 23 October 2009: 524-525.
Cokinos weaves together an account of meteorites, a history of meteorite hunters, and his own travels in the footsteps of collectors and researchers. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Law
Exasperated by Copyright

Pamela Samuelson
Science 23 October 2009: 525.
Patry argues that copyright is a utilitarian government program (rather than a moral or property right) and thus should be shaped so as to effectively encourage learning and the creation of new works. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Books Received

Science 23 October 2009: 525.
A listing of books received at Science during the week ended 16 October 2009. Summary »|  

Policy Forum

Climate Change
Parallel Pursuit of Near-Term and Long-Term Climate Mitigation

Stacy C. Jackson
Science 23 October 2009: 526-527.
Two separate treaties are needed to address the unique climate roles of long-lived versus medium- and short-lived pollutants. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Climate Change
Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error

Timothy D. Searchinger, Steven P. Hamburg, Jerry Melillo, William Chameides, Petr Havlik, Daniel M. Kammen, Gene E. Likens, Ruben N. Lubowski, Michael Obersteiner, Michael Oppenheimer, G. Philip Robertson, William H. Schlesinger, and G. David Tilman
Science 23 October 2009: 527-528.
Rules for applying the Kyoto Protocol and national cap-and-trade laws contain a major, but fixable, carbon accounting flaw in assessing bioenergy. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

Perspectives

Physics
Glimpsing the Weak Magnetic Field of Light

Harald Giessen and Ralf Vogelgesang
Science 23 October 2009: 529-530.
An instrument has been fabricated that can detect the weak magnetic field of infrared light. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Virology
A New Virus for Old Diseases?

John M. Coffin and Jonathan P. Stoye
Science 23 October 2009: 530-531.
Published online 8 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1181349] (in Science Express Perspectives)
A retrovirus associated with cancer is linked to chronic fatigue syndrome. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Planetary Science
A Lunar Waterworld

Paul G. Lucey
Science 23 October 2009: 531-532.
Published online 24 September 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1181471] (in Science Express Perspectives)
Space-based spectroscopic measurements provide strong evidence for water on the surface of the Moon. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Chemistry
Carbenes in Action

Martin Albrecht
Science 23 October 2009: 532-533.
Chemists are taming a highly reactive class of molecules for use in catalysis and synthesis. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Molecular Biology
Rejoice—RNAi for Yeast

Danesh Moazed
Science 23 October 2009: 533-534.
An RNA silencing mechanism with broad regulatory capability has finally been demonstrated in one of the most widely used model organisms. Summary »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Review

Lab Experiments Are a Major Source of Knowledge in the Social Sciences

Armin Falk and James J. Heckman
Science 23 October 2009: 535-538.
Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|  

Brevia

Smallest Algae Thrive As the Arctic Ocean Freshens

William K. W. Li, Fiona A. McLaughlin, Connie Lovejoy, and Eddy C. Carmack
Science 23 October 2009: 539.
In the Arctic Ocean, phytoplankton cell sizes have decreased with warming temperatures and fresher surface waters. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Research Articles

Intraspecific Polymorphism to Interspecific Divergence: Genetics of Pigmentation in Drosophila

Patricia J. Wittkopp, Emma E. Stewart, Lisa L. Arnold, Adam H. Neidert, Belinda K. Haerum, Elizabeth M. Thompson, Saleh Akhras, Gabriel Smith-Winberry, and Laura Shefner
Science 23 October 2009: 540-544.
Color-determining genes in flies show an ancestral polymorphism that contributes to variation, both within and between species. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

RNAi in Budding Yeast

Ines A. Drinnenberg, David E. Weinberg, Kathleen T. Xie, Jeffrey P. Mower, Kenneth H. Wolfe, Gerald R. Fink, and David P. Bartel
Science 23 October 2009: 544-550.
Published online 10 September 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1176945] (in Science Express Research Articles)
Although the Saccharomyces cerevisiae lineage has lost RNA interference, the pathway can be restored by adding genes from S. castellii. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Reports

Probing the Magnetic Field of Light at Optical Frequencies

M. Burresi, D. van Oosten, T. Kampfrath, H. Schoenmaker, R. Heideman, A. Leinse, and L. Kuipers
Science 23 October 2009: 550-553.
Published online 1 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1177096] (in Science Express Reports)
A split-ring resonator coupled to a scanning probe is used to measure the weak magnetic component of light. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Characterization of a Rhodium(I) -Methane Complex in Solution

Wesley H. Bernskoetter, Cynthia K. Schauer, Karen I. Goldberg, and Maurice Brookhart
Science 23 October 2009: 553-556.
A loosely bound complex of rhodium and methane has been observed by low-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Isolation of a C5-Deprotonated Imidazolium, a Crystalline "Abnormal" N-Heterocyclic Carbene

Eugenia Aldeco-Perez, Amos J. Rosenthal, Bruno Donnadieu, Pattiyil Parameswaran, Gernot Frenking, and Guy Bertrand
Science 23 October 2009: 556-559.
A stable cyclic molecule has been prepared with an unusually positioned divalent carbon. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Carbenes As Catalysts for Transformations of Organometallic Iron Complexes

Vincent Lavallo and Robert H. Grubbs
Science 23 October 2009: 559-562.
Carbenes that are useful for organic catalysis are shown to promote organometallic reactions as well. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Detection of Adsorbed Water and Hydroxyl on the Moon

Roger N. Clark
Science 23 October 2009: 562-564.
Published online 24 September 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1178105] (in Science Express Reports)
Space-based spectroscopic measurements provide evidence for water or hydroxyl (OH) on the surface of the Moon. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Temporal and Spatial Variability of Lunar Hydration As Observed by the Deep Impact Spacecraft

Jessica M. Sunshine, Tony L. Farnham, Lori M. Feaga, Olivier Groussin, Frédéric Merlin, Ralph E. Milliken, and Michael F. A’Hearn
Science 23 October 2009: 565-568.
Published online 24 September 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1179788] (in Science Express Reports)
Space-based spectroscopic measurements provide evidence for water or hydroxyl (OH) on the surface of the Moon. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Character and Spatial Distribution of OH/H₂O on the Surface of the Moon Seen by M³ on Chandrayaan-1

C. M. Pieters, J. N. Goswami, R. N. Clark, M. Annadurai, J. Boardman, B. Buratti, J.-P. Combe, M. D. Dyar, R. Green, J. W. Head, C. Hibbitts, M. Hicks, P. Isaacson, R. Klima, G. Kramer, S. Kumar, E. Livo, S. Lundeen, E. Malaret, T. McCord, J. Mustard, J. Nettles, N. Petro, C. Runyon, M. Staid, J. Sunshine, L. A. Taylor, S. Tompkins, and P. Varanasi
Science 23 October 2009: 568-572.
Published online 24 September 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1178658] (in Science Express Reports)
Space-based spectroscopic measurements provide evidence for water or hydroxyl (OH) on the surface of the Moon Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Smoothened Mutation Confers Resistance to a Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor in Medulloblastoma

Robert L. Yauch, Gerrit J. P. Dijkgraaf, Bruno Alicke, Thomas Januario, Christina P. Ahn, Thomas Holcomb, Kanan Pujara, Jeremy Stinson, Christopher A. Callahan, Tracy Tang, J. Fernando Bazan, Zhengyan Kan, Somasekar Seshagiri, Christine L. Hann, Stephen E. Gould, Jennifer A. Low, Charles M. Rudin, and Frederic J. de Sauvage
Science 23 October 2009: 572-574.
Published online 2 September 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1179386] (in Science Express Reports)
A mutation that prevents binding of a promising drug lead to its target protein confers resistance in a human brain tumor. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

A Cdc20-APC Ubiquitin Signaling Pathway Regulates Presynaptic Differentiation

Yue Yang, Albert H. Kim, Tomoko Yamada, Bei Wu, Parizad M. Bilimoria, Yoshiho Ikeuchi, Núria de la Iglesia, Jie Shen, and Azad Bonni
Science 23 October 2009: 575-578.
The ubiquitin ligase Cdc20-APC is required for proper synapse formation in the developing rat brain. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Metagenome of a Versatile Chemolithoautotroph from Expanding Oceanic Dead Zones

David A. Walsh, Elena Zaikova, Charles G. Howes, Young C. Song, Jody J. Wright, Susannah G. Tringe, Philippe D. Tortell, and Steven J. Hallam
Science 23 October 2009: 578-582.
An abundant microbe in oxygen-deficient oceanic waters reveals its redox-driven niche specialization. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Pathogenesis of Chytridiomycosis, a Cause of Catastrophic Amphibian Declines

Jamie Voyles, Sam Young, Lee Berger, Craig Campbell, Wyatt F. Voyles, Anuwat Dinudom, David Cook, Rebecca Webb, Ross A. Alford, Lee F. Skerratt, and Rick Speare
Science 23 October 2009: 582-585.
A fungal disease that is associated with frog mortality causes changes in electrolyte transport across the skin. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  Podcast Interview »|  

Detection of an Infectious Retrovirus, XMRV, in Blood Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Vincent C. Lombardi, Francis W. Ruscetti, Jaydip Das Gupta, Max A. Pfost, Kathryn S. Hagen, Daniel L. Peterson, Sandra K. Ruscetti, Rachel K. Bagni, Cari Petrow-Sadowski, Bert Gold, Michael Dean, Robert H. Silverman, and Judy A. Mikovits
Science 23 October 2009: 585-589.
Published online 8 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1179052] (in Science Express Reports)
Two-thirds of a sample of 101 U.S. patients with chronic fatigue syndrome harbor an infectious retrovirus in their blood cells. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Complete Reconstitution of a Highly Reducing Iterative Polyketide Synthase

Suzanne M. Ma, Jesse W.-H. Li, Jin W. Choi, Hui Zhou, K. K. Michael Lee, Vijayalakshmi A. Moorthie, Xinkai Xie, James T. Kealey, Nancy A. Da Silva, John C. Vederas, and Yi Tang
Science 23 October 2009: 589-592.
Reconstitution of catalytic function provides insight into how multifunctional enzymes synthesize important natural products. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

PTP Is a Receptor for Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan, an Inhibitor of Neural Regeneration

Yingjie Shen, Alan P. Tenney, Sarah A. Busch, Kevin P. Horn, Fernando X. Cuascut, Kai Liu, Zhigang He, Jerry Silver, and John G. Flanagan
Science 23 October 2009: 592-596.
Published online 15 October 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1178310] (in Science Express Reports)
Mouse neurons that lack a receptor for inhibitory proteoglycans show improved regeneration. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|  

Using Neural Measures of Economic Value to Solve the Public Goods Free-Rider Problem

Ian Krajbich, Colin Camerer, John Ledyard, and Antonio Rangel
Science 23 October 2009: 596-599.
Published online 10 September 2009 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1177302] (in Science Express Reports)
Neuroimaging measures of individuals’ valuation of public goods suggests a path to a coherent public goods economy. Abstract »|   Full Text »|   PDF »|   Supporting Online Material »|