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ningkeqing

木虫 (正式写手)

[交流] Nature Contents 2 November 2006 (pp1-122)

[自然要览]

(选自英国Nature杂志,2006年11月2日出版)


封面故事:伊斯兰国家的科学事业
本期Nature发表了一系列关于伊斯兰世界科学与科学家的特写和观点文章。在很
多有大量穆斯林人口的国家,权力的天平在从世俗政府向伊斯兰宗教政权和伊斯
兰教义倾斜,实际上在过去的很多世纪,后者的权力就要比前者大。不久前的评
估表明,穆斯林国家科技水平和高等教育水平整体上比较低。然而,一些新的伊
斯兰国家政府已开始扩大高等教育规模,科研投资(经常是用于军事目的)也有
一定增长。虽然不同国家情况有所不同,但在一些国家,对学术自由的限制仍然
存在。请看本期第11页的介绍,以了解更多情况。 本期相关栏目的文字将翻译
成阿拉伯文在网上发布。(News Features p. 19; Commentary p. 33;
Editorial p. 1)


工蜂不生育并非志愿(What about the workers?)
Enforced altruism in insect societies
在很多蚂蚁、蜜蜂和黄蜂物种中,工蚁或工蜂有正常的卵巢,但不生育。这是否
是一种志愿的利他主义?也许不全是。对9种黄蜂和蜜蜂所做的一项研究提供了
清楚的证据,证明在这种利他主义中社会胁迫是关键。工蜂之所以要放弃生育,
是因为它们受到了威胁,即如果它们要生育,它们的卵就要被同巢的蜂杀死或
“管制”。(Brief Communication p. 50; N&V)


赤道冰川的成因到底是什么?(A snowball’s chance)
Proterozoic low orbital obliquity and axial-dipolar geomagnetic field
from evaporite palaeolatitudes
原生代冰川沉积在近赤道古磁纬度地区的存在,可以由造成全球变冷的“雪球地
球”事件来解释。也可能是,极端的轨道倾斜逆转了两极与赤道之间的关系,使
热带出现冰川时期。或许还有一种可能性,那就是,我们是在用根据我们今天所
看到的现象得出的关于地球磁场行为的不成立的假设来看待过去的事件。耶鲁大
学地球物理学家David Evans设计了一个试验来对这些可能性进行分辨。该研究
利用古蒸发岩盆地的古磁来测试地磁参照系和古气候参照系之间的一致性。高轨
道倾斜假设未能通过该测试,因为前寒武纪蒸发岩并不像高倾斜全球气候模型所
预测的那样是属于赤道地区的。过去20亿年间蒸发岩盆地古磁纬度的一致性说
明,在这个时间段内,我们熟悉的双极地心磁场是稳定的。(Article p. 51;
N&V)


一种可在大脑中建立神经连接的植入体(Making connections)
Long-term motor cortex plasticity induced by an electronic neural
implant
作为一项开发可植入电路或“神经芯片”、以更换神经系统中受损通道的项目的
一部分,Jackson等人研制出一种神经植入体,它能在灵长类动物大脑中两个皮
层点之间形成一个神经连接。该植入体利用一个电极上记录的动作电位来将电刺
激输送到另一个电极上。几天之后,来自记录点的输出与来自相应刺激点的输出
相似,这与同步神经细胞群之间突触连接的势差现象是一致的。这种在活体中重
组神经细胞的方式也许可用于伤后神经康复治疗,而且这些工作还加深了我们对
神经可塑性的认识。(Article p. 56; N&V)


视网膜母细胞瘤也与p53有关(No avoiding p53 in cancer)
Inactivation of the p53 pathway in retinoblastoma
在多数人类肿瘤中,细胞肿瘤抑制基因Rb 和p53是失活的。该规则的一个例外是
视网膜母细胞瘤(retinoblastoma),在这种肿瘤中,仅仅视网膜母细胞瘤基因
的突变,就足以从不要求p53失活的一种固有的抗死亡细胞类型诱发肿瘤。但这
种观点可能是基于一个误解。人类视网膜母细胞瘤表达野生型p53基因,所以过
去人们假设p53通道是完好的:在Arf-MDM2/MDMX-p53通道中的其他基因的状态没
有被考虑。现在,研究人员在人类视网膜母细胞瘤中识别出了一种遗传放大现
象,它能抑制Arf-MDM2/MDMX-p53通道。重要的是,由放大的基因编码的蛋白
(MDMX)可能是对付这种让人死不了又活不好的少儿癌症的药物的一个理想的作
用目标。(Article p. 61; N&V)


关于机械共振器冷缺方法的三篇论文(It’s all done with mirrors)
Self-cooling of a micromirror by radiation pressure
机械共振器的冷缺是一项重要研究课题,因为它在引力波检测等超高精度测量中
有可能派上用场。它在基础研究中也有意义,因为利用该方法就有可能对一个机
械系统的经典和量子行为之间的转变进行观测 。三个小组在本期Nature上报告
了他们在这一领域所取得的进展。Gigan等人和Arcizet等人用辐射压力来冷却掉
很小的微共振器或微镜的热振动。在合适的条件下,微镜不用外界影响可从室温
冷却到大约10 °K。一旦对该方法进行改进后,就有可能实现进一步冷却,就有
可能通过实验来观测一个微镜的量子基态。在第三篇论文中,Dustin Kleckne
和 Dirk Bouwmeester利用光学反馈来将一个微镜冷却到亚开尔文温度。
(Letters pp. 67, 71, 75; N&V)


最复杂沸石ITQ-22的结构被确定(Taming complex crystals)
Complex zeolite structure solved by combining powder diffraction and
electron microscopy
很多重要工业材料是多晶,所以多数解决晶体结构的传统方法(要求晶体是单
晶)是无效的。在可供选择的方法中,透射电子显微镜迄今只解决了简单的结
构;在粉末衍射方法中,具有相似强度的峰之间的重叠会造成不确定性。现在,
将粉末衍射数据应用于一种结合了来自高分辨率透射电子显微图的相信息
(phase information)的算法,为使用多晶样本解决沸石结构提供了一种方
法。这种新的组合方法成功解决了沸石ITQ-22的结构,它是迄今已知最复杂的沸
石。(Letter p. 79)


一次地磁逆转的记录首次在冰芯中被发现(A geomagnetic reversal)
10Be evidence for the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the
EPICA Dome C ice core
每几十万年,地球的北磁极和南磁极就会交换位置。现在,研究人员首次在一个
冰芯中发现了其中一个地磁逆转的记录。因为在逆转过程中磁场强度非常低,所
以地球大气中的宇宙射线的强度增加。这导致沉积在冰中的铍-10(同碳-14一
样,是由大气中的宇宙射线形成的)的数量增加。研究人员所检测到的正是冰中
铍-10数量的这种增加。这一发现的一个重要意义是,因为这次逆转的时间(距
今78万年)很清楚,所以就有可能独立于冰流模拟和与其他气候记录的“摆动匹
配”来确定冰的年龄。(Letter p. 82)


脊椎动物和其他动物的关系(Spinal tip)
Deuterostome phylogeny reveals monophyletic chordates and the new
phylum Xenoturbellida
大量基因组数据的出现,使得生物学家能够解决动物学上一个最长和最有争议的
问题,即脊椎动物和其他动物的关系问题。最近,研究人员提出了几个似乎不寻
常的解释,但现在Telford等人在一个新的研究工作中解决了这些疑点。该研究
断言脊索动物构成一个单一的门,并且还为蠕虫一样的神秘动物Xenoturbella找
到一个演化上的归属,该动物是我们在无脊椎动物中的近亲之一。(Letter p.
85)


一妻多夫的合理性得到实验证明(The more the merrier)
Post-mating sexual selection increases lifetime fitness of polyandrous
females in the wild
一个不断增长的共识是,一妻多夫(即与多个雄性交配)是有益的,尽管存在疾
病或受伤等潜在代价,因为交配后的机制使父权偏向于这些雄性。令人吃惊的
是,由于在实验设计和解释方面存在困难,关于这一过程没有确凿的证据。澳大
利亚有一种棕色的、跟大鼠差不多大的有袋动物,名叫Antechinus stuartii。
这种动物的交配期集中在10-14天内。它的不寻常的生命史使得研究人员有可能
去设计解决这些问题的实验。这些实验结果首次非常肯定地表明,一妻多夫在野
生环境中能提高后代的净适应能力。(Letter p. 89)


保护生物多样性没有“银弹”(Bullet proof)
Global distribution and conservation of rare and threatened
vertebrates
“银弹”(Silver bullet)保护策略假设,一个非常清楚的类别中易灭绝种的
分布可预测其他类别中可比种的分布。由于缺乏合适的数据库,这个假设一直难
以验证。关于鸟类、哺乳动物和两栖动物全球分布的新的数据库的建成意味着,
这种验证现在可以进行了。三个类别在总物种丰富程度方面表现出相似的模式,
但濒危物种的分布在每个类别中是不同的。看来,单采用“银弹”策略并不能切
中要害。相反,生物多样性保护重点领域的确定必须以来自多种生物类别的高分
辨率数据为依据。(Letter p. 93)


玉米真菌病原体U. maydis的基因组完成测序(Genome of a maize pathogen)
Insights from the genome of the biotrophic fungal plant pathogen
Ustilago maydis
Ustilago maydis是一种重要的玉米真菌病原体,能引起玉米黑穗病。作为一种
活体寄生虫,它非常适应其寄主,能在活植物组织中增殖而不会引起防卫反应。
现在,U. maydis的基因组序列已被确定,这在活体植物寄生虫中还是第一次。
研究人员识别出了为所分泌出的功能未知的蛋白编码的几个基因团:整个基因组
范围的表达分析表明,这些成团基因的作用在患病期间被增强。这些基因团的突
变经常影响到致病能力,其影响范围从致病能力完全丧失到致病能力超强不等。
(Letter p. 97)


GPCR是跨膜电势和外部化学刺激的传感器(Gate expectations)
Movement of 'gating charge' is coupled to ligand binding in a
G-protein-coupled receptor
很多细胞外化学刺激(荷尔蒙、神经传输物、气味等等)是通过G-蛋白耦合的受
体(GPCR)传递给细胞的。这些信号传导过程中的第一步是配体向GPCR上的结
合。这些受体横跨细胞膜,但通常并不被认为是对电压敏感的。对一种典型GPCR
(m2蕈毒碱受体)所做的一项新的研究表明,它具有与电流相关的电荷运动,类
似于电压门控通道的“门控电流”,而且正是这种电荷运动调控GPCR的结合亲和
力。该结果有力证明,GPCR充当跨膜电势和外部化学刺激的传感器。(Letter
p. 106)
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ningkeqing

木虫 (正式写手)

----------------------
NEWS AND VIEWS
----------------------
Photonics: A cooling light breeze
Mirrors confine light, and light exerts pressure on mirrors. The
combination of these effects can be exploited to cool tiny, flexible
mirrors to low temperatures purely through the influence of incident
light.
Khaled Karrai
10.1038/444041a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/full/444041a.html

Evolutionary biology: To work or not to work
Coercion, not kinship, often determines who acts altruistically in an
insect colony. But underlying affinities for kin emerge when coercion
is removed: kin selection is what turns suppressed individuals into
altruists.
David C. Queller
10.1038/444042a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/full/444042a.html

Geophysics: Same old magnetism
Latitudes at which ancient salt deposits occur show that Earth's
magnetic field has always aligned along its rotation axis. One
possible implication is that ancient global glaciations were not
caused by a realignment of this axis.
Edward Irving
10.1038/444043a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/full/444043a.html

50 & 100 Years Ago
10.1038/444044a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/full/444044a.html

Cancer biology: Second step to retinal tumours
The mutations that cause retinoblastoma are well known, but how they
enable the cancer to evade controls on cell division was unclear.
Secondary mutations affecting a growth-regulatory pathway have now
been identified.
Valerie A. Wallace
10.1038/444045a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/full/444045a.html

Physical chemistry: Porous solids get organized
A powerful combination of analytical techniques is used to shed light
on the complex crystallizations of porous solids. Molecular
recognition creates the seeds of order from which complex lattices
grow.
Rutger A. van Santen
10.1038/444046a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/full/444046a.html

Neurobiology: Crossed circuits
Can the brain be induced to reroute neural information? Such an
achievement is crucial if the function of damaged brain areas is to be
taken on elsewhere. A study in monkeys explores this prospect.
Andrew B. Schwartz
10.1038/444047a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/full/444047a.html

Materials science: Qubits in the pink
Crystal imperfections known as nitrogen-vacancy defects give some
diamonds a characteristic pink colour. Appropriately manipulated,
these defects might have rosy prospects as the 'qubits' of a quantum
computer.
Pieter Kok and Brendon W. Lovett
10.1038/444049a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/full/444049a.html

----------------------
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
----------------------
Enforced altruism in insect societies
Tom Wenseleers and Francis L. W. Ratnieks
10.1038/444050a
Abstract: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/abs/444050a.
html
Article: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7115/full/444050a.
html

BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS ARISING
Geochemistry: Does U-Pb date Earth's core formation?
Qing-zhu Yin and Stein B. Jacobsen
10.1038/nature05358
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05358.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05358.html

Geochemistry: How well can Pb isotopes date core formation?
Balz S. Kamber and Jan D. Kramers
10.1038/nature05359
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05359.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05359.html

Geochemistry: Does U-Pb date Earth's core formation?; How well can Pb
isotopes date core formation? (Reply)
B. J. Wood and A. N. Halliday
10.1038/nature05360
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05360.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05360.html

----------------------
ARTICLES
----------------------
Proterozoic low orbital obliquity and axial-dipolar geomagnetic field
from evaporite palaeolatitudes
David A. D. Evans
10.1038/nature05203
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05203.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05203.html

Long-term motor cortex plasticity induced by an electronic neural
implant
Andrew Jackson, Jaideep Mavoori and Eberhard E. Fetz
10.1038/nature05226
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05226.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05226.html

Inactivation of the p53 pathway in retinoblastoma
Nikia A. Laurie et al.
10.1038/nature05194
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05194.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05194.html

----------------------
LETTERS
----------------------
Self-cooling of a micromirror by radiation pressure
Experiments where a tiny mirror, a mechanical microresonator, within
an optical cavity undergoes 'self-cooling' is detailed. Under the
right, finely tuned conditions, the thermal vibration of the mirror
freezes out without outside influence. It cools down by a factor of
30, from room temperature to about 10 kelvin.
S. Gigan et al.
10.1038/nature05273
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05273.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05273.html

Radiation-pressure cooling and optomechanical instability of a
micromirror
A micromechanical resonator is used as a mirror in a very high-finesse
optical cavity, and its displacements are monitored with unprecedented
sensitivity. By detuning the laser frequency with respect to the
cavity resonance, a drastic cooling of the microresonator by
intracavity radiation pressure is observed, down to an effective
temperature of 10 kelvin.
O. Arcizet et al.
10.1038/nature05244
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05244.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05244.html

Sub-kelvin optical cooling of a micromechanical resonator
Active optical feedback cooling of a micromechanical resonator
integrated in an optical cavity from room temperature to 135
millikelvin is achieved.
Dustin Kleckner and Dirk Bouwmeester
10.1038/nature05231
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05231.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05231.html

Complex zeolite structure solved by combining powder diffraction and
electron microscopy
Fabian Gramm et al.
10.1038/nature05200
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05200.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05200.html

10Be evidence for the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the
EPICA Dome C ice core
G. M. Raisbeck, F. Yiou, O. Cattani and J. Jouzel
10.1038/nature05266
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05266.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05266.html

Deuterostome phylogeny reveals monophyletic chordates and the new
phylum Xenoturbellida
Sarah J. Bourlat et al.
10.1038/nature05241
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05241.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05241.html

Post-mating sexual selection increases lifetime fitness of polyandrous
females in the wild
Polyandry, where females mate with several males, can be adaptive,
even when males provide no material benefits. This paper shows that
for an Australian marsupial, polyandry improves female lifetime
fitness in nature.
Diana O. Fisher et al.
10.1038/nature05206
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05206.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05206.html

Global distribution and conservation of rare and threatened
vertebrates
'Silver-bullet' approaches to conservation assume that conservation
strategy can be based on the distribution of species in one or two
well known taxonomic groups, as there is high cross-taxon congruence
in large-scale patterns of biodiversity. Although birds, mammals and
amphibians show similar patterns in terms of overall species richness,
the distribution of threatened and rare species is found to be
different in each group.
Richard Grenyer et al.
10.1038/nature05237
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05237.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05237.html

Insights from the genome of the biotrophic fungal plant pathogen
Ustilago maydis
Jorg Kamper et al.
10.1038/nature05248
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05248.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05248.html

Two modes of fusion pore opening revealed by cell-attached recordings
at a synapse
Liming He, Xin-Sheng Wu, Raja Mohan and Ling-Gang Wu
10.1038/nature05250
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05250.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05250.html

Movement of 'gating charge' is coupled to ligand binding in a
G-protein-coupled receptor
Yair Ben-Chaim et al.
10.1038/nature05259
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05259.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05259.html

XIAP deficiency in humans causes an X-linked lymphoproliferative
syndrome
Stephanie Rigaud et al.
10.1038/nature05257
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05257.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05257.html

Surface expression of MHC class II in dendritic cells is controlled by
regulated ubiquitination
Jeoung-Sook Shin et al.
10.1038/nature05261
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05261.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05261.html


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