AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.Log in via OpenAthens.Log in with your institution via Shibboleth.Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.Vol 369, Issue 651018 September 2020Vol 370, Issue 6515© 2020 . All rights reserved. AAAS is a partner of , , , , ,  and .Science ISSN 1095-9203.…AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.Log in via OpenAthens.Log in with your institution via Shibboleth.Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.Vol 369, Issue 651018 September 2020Vol 370, Issue 6515© 2020 . All rights reserved. AAAS is a partner of , , , , ,  and .Science ISSN 1095-9203.WW…

Outwitting Albert Einstein just got even tougher. More than 100 years ago, the famous physicist published his explanation of gravity, known as general relativity (GR), which successfully explains everything from the orbits of planets to the bending of starlight. Still, some physicists have been trying to invent theories that can solve puzzles GR cannot—for example, by explaining away the need for invisible dark matter, whose gravity appears to bind the galaxies. But the first direct image of a black hole, revealed last year, has now provided a tough new test for theories of gravity. Fail it...…Outwitting Albert Einstein just got even tougher. More than 100 years ago, the famous physicist published his explanation of gravity, known as general relativity (GR), which successfully explains everything from the orbits of planets to the bending of starlight. Still, some physicists have been trying to invent theories that can solve puzzles GR cannot—for example, by explaining away the need for invisible dark matter, whose gravity appears to bind the galaxies. But the first direct image of a black hole, revealed last year, has now provided a tough new test for theories of gravity. Fail it...WW…

Heat shock factor–1 (HSF-1) is a master regulator of stress responses across taxa. Overexpression of HSF-1 or genetic ablation of its conserved negative regulator, heat shock factor binding protein 1 (HSB-1), results in robust life-span extension in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we found that increased HSF-1 activity elevates histone H4 levels in somatic tissues during development, while knockdown of H4 completely suppresses HSF-1–mediated longevity. Moreover, overexpression of H4 is sufficient to extend life span. Ablation of HSB-1 induces an H4-dependent increase in micrococcal nuclease...…Heat shock factor–1 (HSF-1) is a master regulator of stress responses across taxa. Overexpression of HSF-1 or genetic ablation of its conserved negative regulator, heat shock factor binding protein 1 (HSB-1), results in robust life-span extension in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we found that increased HSF-1 activity elevates histone H4 levels in somatic tissues during development, while knockdown of H4 completely suppresses HSF-1–mediated longevity. Moreover, overexpression of H4 is sufficient to extend life span. Ablation of HSB-1 induces an H4-dependent increase in micrococcal nuclease...WW…

You are currently viewing the summary.AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.Log in via OpenAthens.Log in with your institution via Shibboleth.Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.The 197 radio astronomy dishes of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in South Africa, due for completion later this decade, may find itself threatened from above by tens of thousands of...…You are currently viewing the summary.AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.Log in via OpenAthens.Log in with your institution via Shibboleth.Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.The 197 radio astronomy dishes of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in South Africa, due for completion later this decade, may find itself threatened from above by tens of thousands of...WW…

Although climate change is considered to have been a large-scale driver of African human evolution, landscape-scale shifts in ecological resources that may have shaped novel hominin adaptations are rarely investigated. We use well-dated, high-resolution, drill-core datasets to understand ecological dynamics associated with a major adaptive transition in the archeological record ~24 km from the coring site. Outcrops preserve evidence of the replacement of Acheulean by Middle Stone Age (MSA) technological, cognitive, and social innovations between 500 and 300 thousand years (ka) ago,...…Although climate change is considered to have been a large-scale driver of African human evolution, landscape-scale shifts in ecological resources that may have shaped novel hominin adaptations are rarely investigated. We use well-dated, high-resolution, drill-core datasets to understand ecological dynamics associated with a major adaptive transition in the archeological record ~24 km from the coring site. Outcrops preserve evidence of the replacement of Acheulean by Middle Stone Age (MSA) technological, cognitive, and social innovations between 500 and 300 thousand years (ka) ago,...WW…

Each year, millions of Americans fail to appear in court for low-level offenses, and warrants are then issued for their arrest. In two field studies in New York City, we make critical information salient by redesigning the summons form and providing text message reminders. These interventions reduce failures to appear by 13-21% and lead to 30,000 fewer arrest warrants over a 3-year period. In lab experiments, we find that while criminal justice professionals see failures to appear as relatively unintentional, laypeople believe they are more intentional. These lay beliefs reduce support for...…Each year, millions of Americans fail to appear in court for low-level offenses, and warrants are then issued for their arrest. In two field studies in New York City, we make critical information salient by redesigning the summons form and providing text message reminders. These interventions reduce failures to appear by 13-21% and lead to 30,000 fewer arrest warrants over a 3-year period. In lab experiments, we find that while criminal justice professionals see failures to appear as relatively unintentional, laypeople believe they are more intentional. These lay beliefs reduce support for...WW…

Medulloblastoma (MB), the most common form of pediatric brain malignancy, has a low frequency of oncogenic mutations but pronouncedly abnormal DNA methylation changes. Epigenetic analysis of circulating cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) by liquid biopsy offers an approach for real-time monitoring of tumor status without tumor dissection. In this study, we identified 6598 differentially methylated CpGs in both MB tumors and the ctDNA isolated from matched cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) compared with normal cerebellum, which could be used to detect MB tumor occurrence and determine its subtype....…Medulloblastoma (MB), the most common form of pediatric brain malignancy, has a low frequency of oncogenic mutations but pronouncedly abnormal DNA methylation changes. Epigenetic analysis of circulating cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) by liquid biopsy offers an approach for real-time monitoring of tumor status without tumor dissection. In this study, we identified 6598 differentially methylated CpGs in both MB tumors and the ctDNA isolated from matched cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) compared with normal cerebellum, which could be used to detect MB tumor occurrence and determine its subtype....WW…

In the honey bee, genetically related colony members innately develop colony-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, which serve as pheromonal nestmate recognition cues. Yet, despite high intracolony relatedness, the innate development of colony-specific chemical signatures by individual colony members is largely determined by the colony environment, rather than solely relying on genetic variants shared by nestmates. Therefore, it is puzzling how a nongenic factor could drive the innate development of a quantitative trait that is shared by members of the same colony. Here, we provide one...…In the honey bee, genetically related colony members innately develop colony-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, which serve as pheromonal nestmate recognition cues. Yet, despite high intracolony relatedness, the innate development of colony-specific chemical signatures by individual colony members is largely determined by the colony environment, rather than solely relying on genetic variants shared by nestmates. Therefore, it is puzzling how a nongenic factor could drive the innate development of a quantitative trait that is shared by members of the same colony. Here, we provide one...WW…

You are currently viewing the abstract.AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.Log in via OpenAthens.Log in with your institution via Shibboleth.Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.There is currently considerable interest in experimental studies of various ultrafast processes. Of particular interest are the real-time dynamics of photoionization, one of the most fundamental...…You are currently viewing the abstract.AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.Log in via OpenAthens.Log in with your institution via Shibboleth.Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.There is currently considerable interest in experimental studies of various ultrafast processes. Of particular interest are the real-time dynamics of photoionization, one of the most fundamental...WW…

For the first time in decades, researchers may have a new way to tweak brain signals to treat psychosis and other symptoms of schizophrenia. Results from a 245-person clinical trial hint that a compound called SEP-363856, which seems to act on neural receptors involved in dopamine signaling, might address a broader range of schizophrenia symptoms than currently available drugs do—and with fewer side effects.“If these results are confirmed, this will be big, big news,” says Jeffrey Lieberman, a psychiatrist at Columbia University. The drug’s developer, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.,...…For the first time in decades, researchers may have a new way to tweak brain signals to treat psychosis and other symptoms of schizophrenia. Results from a 245-person clinical trial hint that a compound called SEP-363856, which seems to act on neural receptors involved in dopamine signaling, might address a broader range of schizophrenia symptoms than currently available drugs do—and with fewer side effects.“If these results are confirmed, this will be big, big news,” says Jeffrey Lieberman, a psychiatrist at Columbia University. The drug’s developer, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.,...WW…

As the incidence of immune-mediated diseases has increased rapidly in developed societies, there is an unmet need for novel prophylactic practices to fight against these maladies. This study is the first human intervention trial in which urban environmental biodiversity was manipulated to examine its effects on the commensal microbiome and immunoregulation in children. We analyzed changes in the skin and gut microbiota and blood immune markers of children during a 28-day biodiversity intervention. Children in standard urban and nature-oriented daycare centers were analyzed for comparison....…As the incidence of immune-mediated diseases has increased rapidly in developed societies, there is an unmet need for novel prophylactic practices to fight against these maladies. This study is the first human intervention trial in which urban environmental biodiversity was manipulated to examine its effects on the commensal microbiome and immunoregulation in children. We analyzed changes in the skin and gut microbiota and blood immune markers of children during a 28-day biodiversity intervention. Children in standard urban and nature-oriented daycare centers were analyzed for comparison....WW…

Reporting for this story was supported by a journalism grant from the Thakur Family Foundation, which has not exercised any editorial control over the contents of this report.The Indian health ministry  to tackle the country’s COVID-19 outbreak, dismaying many Indian doctors and scientists. On 6 October, health minister Harsh Vardhan released recommendations for preventing COVID-19 and treating mild cases based on Ayurveda, India’s millenniaold system of herbal medicine, triggering sharp criticism from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), a group of more than one-quarter of a million...…Reporting for this story was supported by a journalism grant from the Thakur Family Foundation, which has not exercised any editorial control over the contents of this report.The Indian health ministry  to tackle the country’s COVID-19 outbreak, dismaying many Indian doctors and scientists. On 6 October, health minister Harsh Vardhan released recommendations for preventing COVID-19 and treating mild cases based on Ayurveda, India’s millenniaold system of herbal medicine, triggering sharp criticism from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), a group of more than one-quarter of a million...WW…

Sciences COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.One of the world’s biggest trials of COVID-19 therapies released its long-awaited interim results yesterday—and they’re a letdown. None of the four treatments in the Solidarity trial, which enrolled more than 11,000 patients in 400 hospitals around the globe, increased survival—not even the much-touted antiviral drug remdesivir. Scientists at the World Health Organization (WHO) released the data  last night, ahead of its planned publication in The New England Journal of Medicine.Yet scientists...…Sciences COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.One of the world’s biggest trials of COVID-19 therapies released its long-awaited interim results yesterday—and they’re a letdown. None of the four treatments in the Solidarity trial, which enrolled more than 11,000 patients in 400 hospitals around the globe, increased survival—not even the much-touted antiviral drug remdesivir. Scientists at the World Health Organization (WHO) released the data  last night, ahead of its planned publication in The New England Journal of Medicine.Yet scientists...WW…

Data science has primarily focused on big data, but for many physics, chemistry, and engineering applications, data are often small, correlated and, thus, low dimensional, and sourced from both computations and experiments with various levels of noise. Typical statistics and machine learning methods do not work for these cases. Expert knowledge is essential, but a systematic framework for incorporating it into physics-based models under uncertainty is lacking. Here, we develop a mathematical and computational framework for probabilistic artificial intelligence (AI)–based predictive modeling...…Data science has primarily focused on big data, but for many physics, chemistry, and engineering applications, data are often small, correlated and, thus, low dimensional, and sourced from both computations and experiments with various levels of noise. Typical statistics and machine learning methods do not work for these cases. Expert knowledge is essential, but a systematic framework for incorporating it into physics-based models under uncertainty is lacking. Here, we develop a mathematical and computational framework for probabilistic artificial intelligence (AI)–based predictive modeling...WW…

This story was also supported by the . PleaseOn the morning of 13 July, more than 20 COVID-19 experts from across the U.S. government assembled in a conference room at the Department of Health and Human Services, steps from the Capitol. The group conferred on how best to gather key data on available beds and supplies of medicine and protective gear from thousands of hospitals. Around the table, masks concealed their expressions, but with COVID-19 cases surging out of control in some parts of the country, their grave mood was unmistakable, say two people who were in the room.Irum Zaidi, a...…This story was also supported by the . PleaseOn the morning of 13 July, more than 20 COVID-19 experts from across the U.S. government assembled in a conference room at the Department of Health and Human Services, steps from the Capitol. The group conferred on how best to gather key data on available beds and supplies of medicine and protective gear from thousands of hospitals. Around the table, masks concealed their expressions, but with COVID-19 cases surging out of control in some parts of the country, their grave mood was unmistakable, say two people who were in the room.Irum Zaidi, a...WW…

Tardigrades, small aquatic creatures known as water bears, can survive extreme heat, radiation, and even the —conditions that would kill most animals. Now, scientists have discovered a new species of tardigrade that can endure ultraviolet (UV) light so lethal, it is regularly used to get rid of hard-to-kill viruses and bacteria.The discovery was made by chance: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science scoured their campus for water bears, and then exposed them to extreme conditions. They happened to have a germicidal UV lamp in the lab, so they hit their specimens with it. The dose of...…Tardigrades, small aquatic creatures known as water bears, can survive extreme heat, radiation, and even the —conditions that would kill most animals. Now, scientists have discovered a new species of tardigrade that can endure ultraviolet (UV) light so lethal, it is regularly used to get rid of hard-to-kill viruses and bacteria.The discovery was made by chance: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science scoured their campus for water bears, and then exposed them to extreme conditions. They happened to have a germicidal UV lamp in the lab, so they hit their specimens with it. The dose of...WW…

Fulfilling a decades-old quest, this week researchers report creating the first superconductor that does not have to be cooled for its electrical resistance to vanish. There’s a catch: The new room temperature superconductor only works at a pressure equivalent to about three-quarters of that at the center of Earth. But if researchers can stabilize the material at ambient pressure, dreamed-of applications of superconductivity could be within reach, such as low-loss power lines and ultrapowerful superconducting magnets that don’t need refrigeration, for MRI machines and maglev trains. “This...…Fulfilling a decades-old quest, this week researchers report creating the first superconductor that does not have to be cooled for its electrical resistance to vanish. There’s a catch: The new room temperature superconductor only works at a pressure equivalent to about three-quarters of that at the center of Earth. But if researchers can stabilize the material at ambient pressure, dreamed-of applications of superconductivity could be within reach, such as low-loss power lines and ultrapowerful superconducting magnets that don’t need refrigeration, for MRI machines and maglev trains. “This...WW…

Astronomers staring out to the farthest reaches of the universe, and hence the deepest depths of time, have been . How could such behemoths have had time to swallow up so much matter when the universe was so young? With new observations of one of these youthful giants—a black hole 1 billion times the mass of the Sun and less than 1 billion years old—astronomers now have a possible answer.They found the black hole was connected to six nearby galaxies by filaments: feeding tubes for the monster in their midst. Assembling this family portrait (imagined above) took many observations—some...…Astronomers staring out to the farthest reaches of the universe, and hence the deepest depths of time, have been . How could such behemoths have had time to swallow up so much matter when the universe was so young? With new observations of one of these youthful giants—a black hole 1 billion times the mass of the Sun and less than 1 billion years old—astronomers now have a possible answer.They found the black hole was connected to six nearby galaxies by filaments: feeding tubes for the monster in their midst. Assembling this family portrait (imagined above) took many observations—some...WW…

Two dimensionless fundamental physical constants, the fine structure constant α and the proton-to-electron mass ratio , are attributed a particular importance from the point of view of nuclear synthesis, formation of heavy elements, planets, and life-supporting structures. Here, we show that a combination of these two constants results in a new dimensionless constant that provides the upper bound for the speed of sound in condensed phases, vu. We find that , where c is the speed of light in vacuum. We support this result by a large set of experimental data and first-principles computations...…Two dimensionless fundamental physical constants, the fine structure constant α and the proton-to-electron mass ratio , are attributed a particular importance from the point of view of nuclear synthesis, formation of heavy elements, planets, and life-supporting structures. Here, we show that a combination of these two constants results in a new dimensionless constant that provides the upper bound for the speed of sound in condensed phases, vu. We find that , where c is the speed of light in vacuum. We support this result by a large set of experimental data and first-principles computations...WW…

Mandates for mask use in public during the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, worsened by global shortage of commercial supplies, have led to widespread use of homemade masks and mask alternatives. It is assumed that wearing such masks reduces the likelihood for an infected person to spread the disease, but many of these mask designs have not been tested in practice. We have demonstrated a simple optical measurement method to evaluate the efficacy of masks to reduce the transmission of respiratory droplets during regular speech. In proof-of-principle studies, we compared a...…Mandates for mask use in public during the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, worsened by global shortage of commercial supplies, have led to widespread use of homemade masks and mask alternatives. It is assumed that wearing such masks reduces the likelihood for an infected person to spread the disease, but many of these mask designs have not been tested in practice. We have demonstrated a simple optical measurement method to evaluate the efficacy of masks to reduce the transmission of respiratory droplets during regular speech. In proof-of-principle studies, we compared a...WW…

Tumor environment influences anticancer therapy response but which extracellular nutrients affect drug sensitivity is largely unknown. Using functional genomics, we determine modifiers of -asparaginase (ASNase) response and identify thiamine pyrophosphate kinase 1 as a metabolic dependency under ASNase treatment. While thiamine is generally not limiting for cell proliferation, a DNA-barcode competition assay identifies leukemia cell lines that grow suboptimally under low thiamine and are characterized by low expression of solute carrier family 19 member 2 (SLC19A2), a thiamine transporter....…Tumor environment influences anticancer therapy response but which extracellular nutrients affect drug sensitivity is largely unknown. Using functional genomics, we determine modifiers of -asparaginase (ASNase) response and identify thiamine pyrophosphate kinase 1 as a metabolic dependency under ASNase treatment. While thiamine is generally not limiting for cell proliferation, a DNA-barcode competition assay identifies leukemia cell lines that grow suboptimally under low thiamine and are characterized by low expression of solute carrier family 19 member 2 (SLC19A2), a thiamine transporter....WW…

The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus genetically close to SARS-CoV, thus it is important to define the between antigenic cross-reactivity and neutralization. In this study, we first analyzed 20 convalescent serum samples collected from SARS-CoV infected individuals during the 2003 SARS outbreak. All patient sera reacted strongly with the S1 subunit and receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV, cross-reacted with the S ectodomain, S1, RBD, and S2 proteins of SARS-CoV-2, and neutralized both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 S protein-driven infections. Multiple...…The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus genetically close to SARS-CoV, thus it is important to define the between antigenic cross-reactivity and neutralization. In this study, we first analyzed 20 convalescent serum samples collected from SARS-CoV infected individuals during the 2003 SARS outbreak. All patient sera reacted strongly with the S1 subunit and receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV, cross-reacted with the S ectodomain, S1, RBD, and S2 proteins of SARS-CoV-2, and neutralized both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 S protein-driven infections. Multiple...WW…

In an earthquake zone near the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in Southern California stands a precariously balanced rock that Anna Rood has nicknamed Damaris, after her best friend. “The joke is that she’s incredibly fragile,” says Rood, a Ph.D. student in geology at Imperial College London.She thinks Damaris has stood in place for 21,000 years, which might seem pretty sturdy. The fact that it’s still standing means an earthquake strong enough to fell it hasn’t come along in all the time it’s been so perilously perched. Now, by analyzing the ages of unstable rocks like Damaris and...…In an earthquake zone near the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in Southern California stands a precariously balanced rock that Anna Rood has nicknamed Damaris, after her best friend. “The joke is that she’s incredibly fragile,” says Rood, a Ph.D. student in geology at Imperial College London.She thinks Damaris has stood in place for 21,000 years, which might seem pretty sturdy. The fact that it’s still standing means an earthquake strong enough to fell it hasn’t come along in all the time it’s been so perilously perched. Now, by analyzing the ages of unstable rocks like Damaris and...WW…

The mechanisms by which cells defend against many viruses remain largely unknown. Defining these mechanisms is important not only for understanding viral pathogenesis but also for informing the development of antiviral therapeutics. The concerted efforts of antiviral factors within cells are central to host cell defense. Without these factors, the cell remains defenseless against potentially harmful pathogens. Understanding how the cell defends itself is particularly important for viruses that have the potential to affect global health, such as Ebola virus (EBOV) and severe acute...…The mechanisms by which cells defend against many viruses remain largely unknown. Defining these mechanisms is important not only for understanding viral pathogenesis but also for informing the development of antiviral therapeutics. The concerted efforts of antiviral factors within cells are central to host cell defense. Without these factors, the cell remains defenseless against potentially harmful pathogens. Understanding how the cell defends itself is particularly important for viruses that have the potential to affect global health, such as Ebola virus (EBOV) and severe acute...WW…