Author: Gilbert Chin

Author: Leslie K. Ferrarelli

Author: Barbara R. Jasny

Author: Guy Riddihough

Author: Jelena Stajic

Author: Pamela J. Hines

Author: Caroline Ash

Author: Kristen L. Mueller

Author: Barry Pogson

Author: Pamela J. Hines

Author: Jake Yeston

Author: Stella M. Hurtley

Author: Jelena Stajic

Author: H. Jesse Smith

Author: Barbara R. Jasny

Author: Gilbert Chin

Formal analyses can be valuable aids to decision-making if their limits are understood. Those limits arise from the two forms of subjectivity found in all analyses: ethical judgments, made when setting the terms of an analysis, and scientific judgments, made when conducting it. As formal analysis has assumed a larger role in policy decisions, awareness of those judgments has grown, as have methods for making them. The present review traces these developments, using examples that illustrate the issues that arise when designing, executing, and interpreting analyses. It concludes with lessons learned from the science and practice of analysis. One common thread in these lessons is the importance of collaborative processes, whereby analysts and decision-makers educate one another about their respective needs and capabilities. Author: Baruch Fischhoff

Miocene small-bodied anthropoid primates from Africa and Eurasia are generally considered to precede the divergence between the two groups of extant catarrhines—hominoids (apes and humans) and Old World monkeys—and are thus viewed as more primitive than the stem ape Proconsul. Here we describe Pliobates cataloniae gen. et sp. nov., a small-bodied (4 to 5 kilograms) primate from the Iberian Miocene (11.6 million years ago) that displays a mosaic of primitive characteristics coupled with multiple cranial and postcranial shared derived features of extant hominoids. Our cladistic analyses show that Pliobates is a stem hominoid that is more derived than previously described small catarrhines and Proconsul. This forces us to reevaluate the role played by small-bodied catarrhines in ape evolution and provides key insight into the last common ancestor of hylobatids (gibbons) and hominids (great apes and humans). Authors: David M. Alba, Sergio Almécija, Daniel DeMiguel, Josep Fortuny, Miriam Pérez de los Ríos, Marta Pina, Josep M. Robles, Salvador Moyà-Solà

Telomerase helps maintain telomeres by processive synthesis of telomere repeat DNA at their 3′-ends, using an integral telomerase RNA (TER) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). We report the cryo–electron microscopy structure of Tetrahymena telomerase at ~9 angstrom resolution. In addition to seven known holoenzyme proteins, we identify two additional proteins that form a complex (TEB) with single-stranded telomere DNA-binding protein Teb1, paralogous to heterotrimeric replication protein A (RPA). The p75-p45-p19 subcomplex is identified as another RPA-related complex, CST (CTC1-STN1-TEN1). This study reveals the paths of TER in the TERT-TER-p65 catalytic core and single-stranded DNA exit; extensive subunit interactions of the TERT essential N-terminal domain, p50, and TEB; and other subunit identities and structures, including p19 and p45C crystal structures. Our findings provide structural and mechanistic insights into telomerase holoenzyme function. Authors: Jiansen Jiang, Henry Chan, Darian D. Cash, Edward J. Miracco, Rachel R. Ogorzalek Loo, Heather E. Upton, Duilio Cascio, Reid O’Brien Johnson, Kathleen Collins, Joseph A. Loo, Z. Hong Zhou, Juli Feigon

The rechargeable aprotic lithium-air (Li-O2) battery is a promising potential technology for next-generation energy storage, but its practical realization still faces many challenges. In contrast to the standard Li-O2 cells, which cycle via the formation of Li2O2, we used a reduced graphene oxide electrode, the additive LiI, and the solvent dimethoxyethane to reversibly form and remove crystalline LiOH with particle sizes larger than 15 micrometers during discharge and charge. This leads to high specific capacities, excellent energy efficiency (93.2%) with a voltage gap of only 0.2 volt, and impressive rechargeability. The cells tolerate high concentrations of water, water being the dominant proton source for the LiOH; together with LiI, it has a decisive impact on the chemical nature of the discharge product and on battery performance. Authors: Tao Liu, Michal Leskes, Wanjing Yu, Amy J. Moore, Lina Zhou, Paul M. Bayley, Gunwoo Kim, Clare P. Grey