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What comes first? Nature 469, 7331 (2011)

Staring at the Sun Nature 469, 7331 (2011). doi:10.1038/469444b Solar measurements are better than ever — but that prowess could endanger future efforts.

Of course scientists can communicate Nature 469, 7331 (2011). doi:10.1038/469445a Author: Tim Radford Tim Radford takes aim at the popular myth that researchers are hopeless at explaining their work to a general audience.

Ecology: Mussel mix boosts erosion Nature 469, 7331 (2011). doi:10.1038/469446a Changes in biodiversity can alter not only the interactions between species in ecosystems, but also the physical habitat.Daniel Allen and Caryn Vaughn at the University of Oklahoma in Norman hypothesized that changes in mussel biodiversity might influence the erosion of riverbed sediments because of

Cardiovascular biology: Fooling the heart into repair Nature 469, 7331 (2011). doi:10.1038/469446b After a heart attack, a type of immune cell can lessen the damaging inflammatory response in the organ by recognizing cells undergoing apoptosis, or programmed cell death. To mimic this protective effect, Smadar Cohen at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, and her

Immunology: TB vaccine with a long view Nature 469, 7331 (2011).

Metabolism: Bitter aperitifs to aid digestion Nature 469, 7331 (2011). doi:10.1038/469446d The Roman tradition of drinking wine infused with bitter herbs before meals may have been wise: a study in mice reveals that bitter foods can temporarily aid digestion.Bitter-taste receptors are found in the gut, as well as the mouth.

Physical chemistry: Separating water by spin Nature 469, 7331 (2011). doi:10.1038/469447a Water molecules have been separated according to the two possible spin orientations of the molecules’ hydrogen atoms.Water is a mixture of two isomers that differ in the direction of their hydrogen spins.

Cancer biology: Blood vessels’ tumour defence Nature 469, 7331 (2011).