In molecular biology mir-22 microRNA is a short RNA molecule. MicroRNAs are an abundant class of molecules, approximately 22 nucleotides in length, which can post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression by binding to the 3' UTR of mRNAs expressed in a cell.
85-510: Mir-22 was originally identified in HeLa cells (an immortal cell line derived from cervical cancer cells), but was later found to be ubiquitously expressed in various tissues. The gene encoding miR-22 is found on the short arm of chromosome 17 , in a minimal loss of heterozygosity region. It is highly conserved across many vertebrate species, including chimp, mouse, rat, dog and horse. This level of conservation suggests functional importance. MiR-22
170-556: A Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research initially rejected by Nature and published only after Lauterbur appealed against the rejection, Nature acknowledged more of its own missteps in rejecting papers in an editorial titled, "Coping with Peer Rejection": [T]here are unarguable faux pas in our history. These include the rejection of Cherenkov radiation , Hideki Yukawa 's meson , work on photosynthesis by Johann Deisenhofer , Robert Huber and Hartmut Michel , and
255-648: A cell line . Previously, cells cultured from other human cells would survive for only a few days, but cells from Lacks's tumor behaved differently. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was admitted to the Johns Hopkins Hospital with symptoms of irregular vaginal bleeding; she was subsequently treated for cervical cancer. Her first treatment was performed by Lawrence Wharton Jr., who at that time collected tissue samples from her cervix without her consent. Her cervical biopsy supplied samples of tissue for clinical evaluation and research by George Otto Gey , head of
340-550: A natural history magazine and progressed to include more physical observational science and technical subjects and less natural history. The journal's name changed from its original title to Intellectual Observer: A Review of Natural History, Microscopic Research, and Recreative Science and then to the Student and Intellectual Observer of Science, Literature, and Art . While Recreative Science had attempted to include more physical sciences such as astronomy and archaeology ,
425-586: A tumour suppressor . One known target is histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), which is known to have a critical role in cancer development. Mir-22 also targets Myc Binding Protein (MYCBP). This prevents transcription of c-Myc target genes by silencing c-MYCBP. However, c-Myc also inhibits expression of miR-22 in a positive feedback loop . When this spirals out of control, it can cause uncontrolled cell proliferation. Expression of miR-22 can be induced by adding 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to HL-60 cells (leukaemia cell line). The enforced expression causes
510-496: A biopsy taken from a visible lesion on the cervix as part of Lacks's diagnosis of cancer. HeLa cells, like other cell lines, are termed " immortal " because they can divide an unlimited number of times in a laboratory cell culture plate, as long as fundamental cell survival conditions are met (i.e. being maintained and sustained in a suitable environment). There are many strains of HeLa cells, because they mutate during division in cell cultures , but all HeLa cells are descended from
595-617: A consequence, the majority of submitted papers are rejected without review. According to Nature ' s original mission statement : It is intended, FIRST, to place before the general public the grand results of Scientific Work and Scientific Discovery; and to urge the claims of Science to a more general recognition in Education and in Daily Life; and, SECONDLY, to aid Scientific men themselves, by giving early information of all advances made in any branch of Natural knowledge throughout
680-400: A contamination issue – caused not by human error or shortcomings but by the hardiness, proliferation, or overpowering nature of HeLa cells. Recent data suggest that cross-contamination is still a major problem with modern cell cultures. The International Cell Line Authentication Committee (ICLAC) notes that many cases of cell line misidentification are the result of cross-contamination of
765-421: A degree of contamination. Stanley Gartler (1967) and Walter Nelson-Rees (1975) were the first to publish on contamination of various cell lines by HeLa cells. Gartler noted that "with the continued expansion of cell culture technology, it is almost certain that both interspecific and intraspecific contamination will occur." HeLa cell contamination has become a pervasive worldwide problem – affecting even
850-465: A line by William Wordsworth : "To the solid ground of nature trusts the Mind that builds for aye". First owned and published by Alexander Macmillan , Nature was similar to its predecessors in its attempt to "provide cultivated readers with an accessible forum for reading about advances in scientific knowledge." Janet Browne has proposed that "far more than any other science journal of the period, Nature
935-666: A measure of how many citations a journal generates in other works, was 42.778 in 2019 (as measured by Thomson ISI ). However, as with many journals, most papers receive far fewer citations than the impact factor would indicate. Nature 's journal impact factor carries a long tail. Studies of methodological quality and reliability have found that some high-prestige journals including Nature "publish significantly substandard structures", and overall "reliability of published research works in several fields may be decreasing with increasing journal rank". As with most other professional scientific journals, papers undergo an initial screening by
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#17327801394181020-426: A new species, dubbed Helacyton gartleri , owing to their ability to replicate indefinitely and their non-human number of chromosomes . The species was named after geneticist Stanley M. Gartler , whom Van Valen credits with discovering "the remarkable success of this species". His argument for speciation depends on these points: Van Valen proposed the new family Helacytidae and the genus Helacyton , and in
1105-554: A number of cancer studies, including those involving sex steroid hormones, such as estradiol and estrogen , and estrogen receptors , along with estrogen-like compounds, such as quercetin , which has cancer-reducing properties. There have also been studies on HeLa cells, involving the effects of flavonoids and antioxidants with estradiol on cancer cell proliferation. In 2011, HeLa cells were used in tests of novel heptamethine dyes IR-808 and other analogues, which are currently being explored for their unique uses in medical diagnostics,
1190-521: A strict ancestral-descendant lineage. Nature (journal) Nature is a British weekly scientific journal founded and based in London , England. As a multidisciplinary publication, Nature features peer-reviewed research from a variety of academic disciplines, mainly in science and technology. It has core editorial offices across the United States, continental Europe, and Asia under
1275-419: A theory which, during the latter half of the 19th century, received a great deal of criticism among more conservative groups of scientists. Perhaps it was in part its scientific liberality that made Nature a longer-lasting success than its predecessors. John Maddox , editor of Nature from 1966 to 1973 and from 1980 to 1995, suggested at a celebratory dinner for the journal's centennial edition that perhaps it
1360-691: A viable cell line for tumor xenografts in C57BL/6 nude mice, and were subsequently used to examine the in vivo effects of fluoxetine and cisplatin on cervical cancer. In 1953, a lab mistake involving mixing HeLa cells with the wrong liquid allowed researchers for the first time to see and count each chromosome clearly in the HeLa cells with which they were working. This accidental discovery led scientists Joe Hin Tjio and Albert Levan to develop better techniques for staining and counting chromosomes. They were
1445-443: Is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, from Henrietta Lacks , a 31-year-old African American mother of five, after whom the line is named. Lacks died of cancer on October 4, 1951. The cells from Lacks's cancerous cervical tumor were taken without her knowledge, which was common practice in the United States at the time. Cell biologist George Otto Gey found that they could be kept alive, and developed
1530-472: Is unclear. In 1973, when contamination by HeLa cells was raised as a serious issue, a staff physician at Johns Hopkins contacted the Lacks family, seeking DNA samples to help identify contaminating cell lines. The family never understood the purpose of the visit, but they were distressed by their understanding of what the researchers told them. These cells are treated as cancer cells, as they are descended from
1615-584: The Nature Clinical Practice series of journals, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology , Nature Chemistry , and the Nature Reviews series of journals. Since 2005, each issue of Nature has been accompanied by a Nature Podcast featuring highlights from the issue and interviews with the articles' authors and the journalists covering the research. It is presented by Kerri Smith and features interviews with scientists on
1700-716: The Human Genome Project . In the 1960s, HeLa cells were sent on the Soviet satellite Sputnik-6 and human space missions to determine the long term effects of space travel on living cells and tissues. Scientists discovered that HeLa cells divide more quickly in zero gravity. The HeLa cell line was derived for use in cancer research . These cells proliferate abnormally rapidly, even compared with other cancer cells. Like many other cancer cells, HeLa cells have an active version of telomerase during cell division, which copies telomeres over and over again. This prevents
1785-574: The Intellectual Observer broadened itself further to include literature and art as well. Similar to Recreative Science was the scientific journal Popular Science Review , created in 1862, which covered different fields of science by creating subsections titled "Scientific Summary" or "Quarterly Retrospect", with book reviews and commentary on the latest scientific works and publications. Two other journals produced in England prior to
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#17327801394181870-463: The Prince of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanity. Nature mostly publishes research articles. Spotlight articles are not research papers but mostly news or magazine style papers and hence do not count towards impact factor nor receive similar recognition as research articles. Some spotlight articles are also paid by partners or sponsors. The huge progress in science and mathematics during
1955-423: The Student and Intellectual Observer in 1871. The Quarterly Journal , after undergoing a number of editorial changes, ceased publication in 1885. The Reader terminated in 1867, and finally, Scientific Opinion lasted a mere 2 years, until June 1870. Not long after the conclusion of The Reader , a former editor, Norman Lockyer , decided to create a new scientific journal titled Nature , taking its name from
2040-561: The Unite the Right rally to oppose the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee , setting off violence in the streets and killing a young woman. When Nature posted a link to the editorial on Twitter , the thread quickly exploded with criticisms. In response, several scientists called for a boycott. On 18 September 2017, the editorial was updated and edited by Philip Campbell, the editor of the journal. When Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield won
2125-496: The structure of DNA , Nature did not send the paper out for peer review. John Maddox , Nature ' s editor, stated: "the Watson and Crick paper was not peer-reviewed by Nature ... the paper could not have been refereed: its correctness is self-evident. No referee working in the field ... could have kept his mouth shut once he saw the structure". An earlier error occurred when Enrico Fermi submitted his breakthrough paper on
2210-498: The 1950s. They were observed to be easily infected by the poliomyelitis virus, causing infected cells to die. This made HeLa cells highly desirable for polio vaccine testing, since results could be easily obtained. A large volume of HeLa cells were needed for the testing of Salk's polio vaccine, prompting the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP) to find a facility capable of mass-producing HeLa cells. In
2295-628: The 19th century was recorded in journals written mostly in German or French , as well as in English . Britain underwent enormous technological and industrial changes and advances particularly in the latter half of the 19th century. The most respected scientific journals of this time were the refereed journals of the Royal Society , which had published many of the great works from Isaac Newton and Michael Faraday to Charles Darwin . In addition,
2380-530: The Creative Commons attribution-non-commercial-share alike unported licence for those articles in Nature journals that are publishing the primary sequence of an organism's genome for the first time. In 2008, a collection of articles from Nature was edited by John S. Partington under the title H. G. Wells in Nature, 1893–1946: A Reception Reader and published by Peter Lang . Nature also publishes
2465-400: The HeLa genome, which is different from Henrietta Lacks's genome in various ways, including the number of chromosomes. HeLa cells are rapidly dividing cancer cells, and the number of chromosomes varies during cancer formation and cell culture. The current estimate (excluding very tiny fragments) is a "hypertriploid chromosome number (3n+)", which means 76 to 80 total chromosomes (rather than
2550-521: The Lacks family. A data-access committee will review requests from researchers for access to the genome sequence, under the criteria that the study is for medical research and that the users will abide by terms in the HeLa Genome Data Use Agreement, which includes that all NIH-funded researchers will deposit the data in a single database for future sharing. The committee consists of six members, including representatives from
2635-593: The Tissue Culture Laboratory. Gey's lab assistant Mary Kubicek used the roller-tube technique to culture the cells. It was observed that the cells grew robustly, doubling every 20–24 hours, unlike previous specimens, which died out. The cells were propagated by Gey shortly before Lacks died of her cancer in 1951. This was the first human cell line to prove successful in vitro , which was a scientific achievement with profound future benefit to medical research. Gey freely donated these cells, along with
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2720-898: The activities of the International Scientific Unions." During the years 1945 to 1973, editorship of Nature changed three times, first in 1945 to A. J. V. Gale and L. J. F. Brimble (who in 1958 became the sole editor), then to John Maddox in 1965, and finally to David Davies in 1973. In 1980, Maddox returned as editor and retained his position until 1995. Philip Campbell became Editor-in-chief of all Nature publications until 2018. Magdalena Skipper has since become Editor-in-chief. In 1970, Nature first opened its Washington office; other branches opened in New York in 1985, Tokyo and Munich in 1987, Paris in 1989, San Francisco in 2001, Boston in 2004, and Hong Kong in 2005. In 1971, under John Maddox 's editorship,
2805-650: The case that removing such statues, and erasing names, runs the risk of "whitewashing history", and stated "Instead of removing painful reminders, perhaps these should be supplemented". The article caused a large outcry and was quickly modified by Nature. The article was largely seen as offensive, inappropriate, and by many, racist. Nature acknowledged that the article as originally written was "offensive and poorly worded" and published selected letters of response. The editorial came just weeks after hundreds of white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, Virginia , in
2890-483: The cells start to degenerate shortly after they are infected, causing viral induction of apoptosis . HeLa cells have been used to study expression of the papillomavirus E2 and apoptosis. HeLa cells have also been used to study the ability of the canine distemper virus to induce apoptosis in cancer cell lines, which could play an important role in developing treatments for tumor cells resistant to radiation and chemotherapy. HeLa cells have also been instrumental in
2975-616: The cells would be used for. Johns Hopkins Hospital, where Lacks received treatment and had her tissue harvested, was the only hospital in the Baltimore area where African American patients could receive free care. The patients who received free care from this segregated sect of the hospital often became research subjects without their knowledge. Lacks's family also had no access to her patient files and had no say in who received HeLa cells or what they would be used for. Additionally, as HeLa cells were popularized and used more frequently throughout
3060-516: The content. While it does, to an extent, provide free online access to articles, it is not a true open access scheme due to its restrictions on re-use and distribution. On 15 January 2015, details of a proposed merger with Springer Science+Business Media were announced. In May 2015 it came under the umbrella of Springer Nature , by the merger of Springer Science+Business Media and Holtzbrinck Publishing Group 's Nature Publishing Group , Palgrave Macmillan , and Macmillan Education . Since 2011,
3145-422: The culture by another, faster-growing cell line. This calls into question the validity of the research done using contaminated cell lines, as certain attributes of the contaminant, which may come from an entirely different species or tissue, may be misattributed to the cell line under investigation. HeLa cells were described by evolutionary biologist Leigh Van Valen as an example of the contemporary creation of
3230-434: The detected chromosomal aberrations may be representative of advanced cervical carcinomas and were probably present in the primary tumor, since the HeLa genome has remained stable, even after years of continued cultivation. The complete genome of HeLa cells was sequenced and published on 11 March 2013, without the Lacks family's knowledge. Concerns were raised by the family, so the authors voluntarily withheld access to
3315-672: The development of Nature were the Quarterly Journal of Science and Scientific Opinion , established in 1864 and 1868, respectively. The journal most closely related to Nature in its editorship and format was The Reader , created in 1863; the publication mixed science with literature and art in an attempt to reach an audience outside of the scientific community, similar to Popular Science Review . These similar journals all ultimately failed. The Popular Science Review survived longest, lasting 20 years and ending its publication in 1881; Recreative Science ceased publication as
3400-443: The development of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines. In the 1980s, Harald zur Hausen found that Lacks's cells from the original biopsy contained HPV-18, which was later found to be the cause of the aggressive cancer that had killed her. His work in linking HPV with cervical cancer won him a Nobel Prize and led to the development of HPV vaccines, which are predicted to reduce the number of deaths from cervical cancer by 70%. Over
3485-411: The editor, followed by peer review (in which other scientists, chosen by the editor for expertise with the subject matter but who have no connection to the research under review, will read and critique articles), before publication. In the case of Nature , they are only sent for review if it is decided that they deal with a topical subject and are sufficiently ground-breaking in that particular field. As
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3570-413: The effects of radiation and toxic substances, gene mapping, and countless other scientific pursuits." According to author Rebecca Skloot , by 2009, "more than 60,000 scientific articles had been published about research done on HeLa [cells], and that number was increasing steadily at a rate of more than 300 papers each month." HeLa cells were used by Jonas Salk to test the first polio vaccine in
3655-504: The establishment of the Common Rule in 1991. The Common Rule enforces informed consent by ensuring that doctors inform patients if they plan to use any details of the patient's case in research and give them the choice of disclosing the details or not. Tissues connected to their donors' names are also strictly regulated under this rule, and samples are no longer named using donors' initials, but rather by code numbers. To further resolve
3740-450: The first to show that humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes rather than 24, as was previously believed. This was important for the study of developmental disorders, such as Down syndrome , that involve the number of chromosomes. In 1965, Henry Harris and John Watkins created the first human-animal hybrid by fusing HeLa cells with mouse embryo cells. This enabled advances in mapping genes to specific chromosomes, which would eventually lead to
3825-464: The founder of Nature , was a professor at Imperial College . He was succeeded as editor in 1919 by Sir Richard Gregory . Gregory helped to establish Nature in the international scientific community. His obituary by the Royal Society stated: "Gregory was always very interested in the international contacts of science, and in the columns of Nature he always gave generous space to accounts of
3910-406: The growth of cancer cells to slow down. This means that miR-22 could be a potential target for cancer therapies. HeLa HeLa ( / ˈ h iː l ɑː / ) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest human cell line and one of the most commonly used. HeLa cells are durable and prolific, allowing for extensive applications in scientific study. The line
3995-479: The incremental shortening of telomeres that is implicated in aging and eventual cell death. In this way, the cells circumvent the Hayflick limit , which is the limited number of cell divisions that most normal cells can undergo before becoming senescent . This results in unlimited cell division and immortality. Horizontal gene transfer from human papillomavirus 18 (HPV18) to human cervical cells created
4080-576: The individualized treatment of cancer patients with the aid of PDT , co-administration with other drugs, and irradiation . HeLa cells have been used in research involving fullerenes to induce apoptosis as a part of photodynamic therapy , as well as in in vitro cancer research using cell lines. HeLa cells have also been used to define cancer markers in RNA, and have been used to establish an RNAi Based Identification System and Interference of Specific Cancer Cells . In 2014, HeLa cells were shown to provide
4165-456: The initial rejection (but eventual acceptance) of Stephen Hawking 's black-hole radiation . In June 1988, after nearly a year of guided scrutiny from its editors, Nature published a controversial and seemingly anomalous paper detailing Jacques Benveniste and his team's work studying water memory . The paper concluded that less than a single molecule of antibody diluted in water could trigger an immune response in human basophils , defying
4250-516: The international scientific publishing company Springer Nature . Nature was one of the world's most cited scientific journals by the Science Edition of the 2022 Journal Citation Reports (with an ascribed impact factor of 50.5), making it one of the world's most-read and most prestigious academic journals . As of 2012 , it claimed an online readership of about three million unique readers per month. Founded in autumn 1869, Nature
4335-565: The issue of patient privacy, Johns Hopkins established a joint committee with the NIH and several of Lacks's family members to determine who receives access to Henrietta Lacks's genome. In 2021, Henrietta Lacks's estate sued to get past and future payments for the alleged unauthorized and widely known sale of HeLa cells by Thermo Fisher Scientific . Lacks's family hired an attorney to seek compensation from upwards of 100 pharmaceutical companies that have used and profited from HeLa cells. Settlement of
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#17327801394184420-474: The journal as either letters or news articles. The papers that have been published in this journal are internationally acclaimed for maintaining high research standards. Conversely, due to the journal's exposure, it has at various times been a subject of controversy for its handling of academic dishonesty, the scientific method , and news coverage. Fewer than 8% of submitted papers are accepted for publication. In 2007, Nature (together with Science ) received
4505-672: The journal has published Nature's 10 "people who mattered" during the year, as part of their annual review. According to Science , another academic journal, being published in Nature has been known to carry a certain level of prestige in academia. In particular, empirical papers are often highly cited, which can lead to promotions, grant funding, and attention from the mainstream media. Because of these positive feedback effects, competition among scientists to publish in high-level journals like Nature and its closest competitor, Science , can be very fierce. Nature ' s impact factor ,
4590-423: The journal split into Nature Physical Sciences (published on Mondays), Nature New Biology (published on Wednesdays), and Nature (published on Fridays). In 1974, Maddox was no longer editor, and the journals were merged into Nature . Starting in the 1980s, the journal underwent a great deal of expansion, launching over ten new journals. These new journals comprise Nature Research, which was created in 1999 under
4675-548: The laboratories of many notable physicians, scientists, and researchers, including Jonas Salk . The HeLa contamination problem also contributed to Cold War tensions. The USSR and the USA had begun to cooperate in the war on cancer launched by President Richard Nixon , only to find that the exchanged cells were contaminated by HeLa. Rather than focus on how to resolve the problem of HeLa cell contamination, many scientists and science writers continue to document this problem as simply
4760-845: The late 2000s, dedicated editorial and current affairs columns are created weekly, and electoral endorsements are featured. The primary source of the journal remains, as established at its founding, research scientists; editing standards are primarily concerned with technical readability. Each issue also features articles that are of general interest to the scientific community, namely business, funding, scientific ethics, and research breakthroughs. There are also sections on books, arts, and short science fiction stories. The main research published in Nature consists mostly of papers (articles or letters) in lightly edited form. They are highly technical and dense, but, due to imposed text limits, they are typically summaries of larger work. Innovations or breakthroughs in any scientific or technological field are featured in
4845-595: The latest research, as well as news reports from Nature 's editors and journalists. The Nature Podcast was founded – and the first 100 episodes were produced and presented – by clinician and virologist Chris Smith of Cambridge and The Naked Scientists . Nature Portfolio actively supports the self-archiving process and in 2002 was one of the first publishers to allow authors to post their contributions on their personal websites, by requesting an exclusive licence to publish, rather than requiring authors to transfer copyright. In December 2007, Nature Publishing Group introduced
4930-613: The medical, scientific, and bioethics fields, as well as two members of the Lacks family. In an interview, Collins praised the Lacks family's willingness to participate in a situation that was thrust upon them. He described the whole experience with them as "powerful," saying that it brought together "science, scientific history and ethical concerns" in a unique way. HeLa cells are sometimes difficult to control, because they adapt to growth in tissue culture plates and invade and outcompete other cell lines. Through improper maintenance, they have been known to contaminate other cell cultures in
5015-411: The name Nature Publishing Group and includes Nature , Nature Research Journals , Stockton Press Specialist Journals and Macmillan Reference (renamed NPG Reference). In 1996, Nature created its own website and in 1999 Nature Publishing Group began its series of Nature Reviews . Some articles and papers are available for free on the Nature website, while others require the purchase of premium access to
5100-439: The normal diploid number of 46) with 22–25 clonally abnormal chromosomes, known as "HeLa signature chromosomes". The signature chromosomes can be derived from multiple original chromosomes, making summary counts based on original numbering challenging. Researchers have also noted how stable these aberrant karyotypes can be. Studies that combined spectral karyotyping, FISH , and conventional cytogenic techniques have shown that
5185-563: The number of popular science periodicals doubled from the 1850s to the 1860s. According to the editors of these popular science magazines, the publications were designed to serve as "organs of science", in essence, a means of connecting the public to the scientific world. Nature , first created in 1869, was not the first magazine of its kind in Britain. One journal to precede Nature was Recreative Science: A Record and Remembrancer of Intellectual Observation , which, created in 1859, began as
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#17327801394185270-548: The physical law of mass action . The paper excited substantial media attention in Paris, chiefly because their research sought funding from homeopathic medicine companies. Public inquiry prompted Nature to mandate an extensive and stringent experimental replication in Benveniste's lab, through which his team's results were refuted. Before publishing one of its most famous discoveries, Watson and Crick 's 1953 paper on
5355-489: The placement and maintenance of statues honouring scientists with known unethical, abusive and torturous histories. Specifically, the editorial called on examples of J. Marion Sims , the 'Father of gynecology' who experimented on African American female slaves who were unable to give informed consent, and Thomas Parran Jr. who oversaw the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment . The editorial as written made
5440-618: The public throughout the world, in a fashion that conveys their significance for knowledge, culture and daily life. Many of the most significant scientific breakthroughs in modern history have been first published in Nature . The following is a selection of scientific breakthroughs published in Nature , all of which had far-reaching consequences, and the citation for the article in which they were published. In 2017, Nature published an editorial entitled "Removing Statues of Historical figures risks whitewashing history: Science must acknowledge mistakes as it marks its past". The article commented on
5525-481: The same laboratory, interfering with biological research and forcing researchers to declare many results invalid. The degree of HeLa cell contamination among other cell types is unknown, because few researchers test the identity or purity of already established cell lines. It has been shown that a substantial fraction of in vitro cell lines are contaminated with HeLa cells; estimates range from 10% to 20%. This observation suggests that any cell line may be susceptible to
5610-403: The same paper proposed a new species for HeLa cells. However, this proposal was not taken seriously by other prominent evolutionary biologists, nor by scientists in other disciplines. Van Valen's argument that HeLa are a new species does not fulfill the criteria for an independent unicellular asexually reproducing species, because of the notorious instability of HeLa's karyotype and their lack of
5695-501: The same tumor cells removed from Lacks. The total number of HeLa cells that have been propagated in cell culture far exceeds the total number of cells that were in Henrietta Lacks's body. Lacks's case is one of many examples of the lack of informed consent in 20th-century medicine. Communication between tissue donors and doctors was virtually nonexistent—cells were taken without patient consent, and patients were not told what
5780-575: The scientific community, Lacks's relatives received no financial benefit and continued to live with limited access to healthcare. This issue of who owns tissue samples taken for research was brought up in the Supreme Court of California case of Moore v. Regents of the University of California in 1990. The court ruled that a person's discarded tissue and cells are not his or her property and can be commercialized. Lacks's case influenced
5865-508: The sequence data. Jay Shendure led a HeLa sequencing project at the University of Washington, which resulted in a paper that had been accepted for publication in March ;2013 – but that was also put on hold while the Lacks family's privacy concerns were addressed. On 7 August 2013, NIH director Francis Collins announced a policy of controlled access to the cell line genome, based on an agreement reached after three meetings with
5950-494: The site. As of 2012 , Nature claimed an online readership of about 3 million unique readers per month. On 30 October 2008, Nature endorsed an American presidential candidate for the first time when it supported Barack Obama during his campaign in America's 2008 presidential election . In October 2012, an Arabic edition of the magazine was launched in partnership with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology . As of
6035-428: The spring of 1953, a cell culture factory was established at Tuskegee University to supply Salk and other labs with HeLa cells. Less than a year later, Salk's vaccine was ready for human trials. HeLa cells have been used in testing how parvovirus infects cells of humans, dogs, and cats. These cells have also been used to study viruses such as the oropouche virus (OROV). OROV causes disruption of cells in culture;
6120-540: The suit with Thermo Fisher Scientific was announced in August 2023, with undisclosed terms. Subsequently the Lacks family announced that it will be suing the company Ultragenyx next. HeLa cells were the first human cells to be successfully cloned in 1953, by Theodore Puck and Philip I. Marcus at the University of Colorado, Denver . Since then, HeLa cells have "continually been used for research into cancer, AIDS,
6205-533: The time it was released, it had about 10,000 subscribers. On 2 December 2014, Nature announced that it would allow its subscribers and a group of selected media outlets to share links allowing free, "read-only" access to content from its journals. These articles are presented using the digital rights management system ReadCube (which is funded by the Macmillan subsidiary Digital Science), and does not allow readers to download, copy, print, or otherwise distribute
6290-451: The tools and processes that his lab developed, to any scientist requesting them, simply for the benefit of science. Neither Lacks nor her family gave permission to harvest the cells. The cells were later commercialized, although never patented in their original form. There was no requirement at that time to inform patients or their relatives about such matters, because discarded material or material obtained during surgery, diagnosis, or therapy
6375-498: The weak interaction theory of beta decay . Nature rejected the paper because it was considered too remote from reality. Fermi's paper was published by Zeitschrift für Physik in 1934. The journal apologised for its initial coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in which it linked China and Wuhan with the outbreak, which may have led to racist attacks. From 2000 to 2001, a series of five fraudulent papers by Jan Hendrik Schön
6460-430: The world, and by affording them an opportunity of discussing the various Scientific questions which arise from time to time. This was later revised to: First, to serve scientists through prompt publication of significant advances in any branch of science, and to provide a forum for the reporting and discussion of news and issues concerning science. Second, to ensure that the results of science are rapidly disseminated to
6545-558: The years, HeLa cells have been infected with various types of viruses, including HIV, Zika, mumps, and herpes viruses to test and develop new vaccines and drugs. Dr. Richard Axel discovered that the addition of the CD4 protein to HeLa cells enabled them to be infected with HIV, allowing the virus to be studied. In 1979, scientists learned that the measles virus constantly mutates when it infects HeLa cells, and in 2019 they found that Zika cannot multiply in HeLa cells. HeLa cells have been used in
6630-475: Was retracted due to concerns raised regarding some of the panels shown in a figure, making it the most-cited retracted paper ever. In 1999, Nature began publishing science fiction short stories. The brief " vignettes " are printed in a series called "Futures". The stories appeared in 1999 and 2000, again in 2005 and 2006, and have appeared weekly since July 2007. Sister publication Nature Physics also printed stories in 2007 and 2008. In 2005, Nature
6715-1027: Was awarded the European Science Fiction Society 's Best Publisher award for the "Futures" series. One hundred of the Nature stories between 1999 and 2006 were published as the collection Futures from Nature in 2008. Another collection, Futures from Nature 2 , was published in 2014. Nature is edited and published in the United Kingdom by a division of the international scientific publishing company Springer Nature that publishes academic journals, magazines , online databases, and services in science and medicine. Nature has offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston , Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Munich , and Basingstoke . Nature Portfolio also publishes other specialized journals including Nature Neuroscience , Nature Biotechnology , Nature Methods ,
6800-610: Was conceived, born, and raised to serve polemic purpose." Many of the early editions of Nature consisted of articles written by members of a group that called itself the X Club , a group of scientists known for having liberal, progressive, and somewhat controversial scientific beliefs for their time. Initiated by Thomas Henry Huxley , the group consisted of such important scientists as Joseph Dalton Hooker , Herbert Spencer , and John Tyndall , along with another five scientists and mathematicians; these scientists were all avid supporters of Darwin's theory of evolution as common descent ,
6885-468: Was first circulated by Norman Lockyer and Alexander MacMillan as a public forum for scientific innovations. The mid-20th century facilitated an editorial expansion for the journal; Nature redoubled its efforts in explanatory and scientific journalism . The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the creation of a network of editorial offices outside of Britain and the establishment of ten new supplementary, speciality publications (e.g. Nature Materials ). Since
6970-443: Was previously identified as having a role in erythrocyte maturation . The deregulation of many miRNAs has been shown to have a role in oncogenesis . Mir-22 was found to be over-expressed in prostate cancer but down-regulated in breast cancer, cholangiocarcinoma , multiple myeloma and hepatocellular carcinoma . Mir-22 expression was associated with survival in multiple breast cancer datasets. Specifically, miR-22 can function as
7055-438: Was published in Nature . The papers, about semiconductors , were revealed to contain falsified data and other scientific fraud. In 2003, Nature retracted the papers. The Schön scandal was not limited to Nature ; other prominent journals, such as Science and Physical Review , also retracted papers by Schön. In 2024, a paper titled " Pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adult marrow," published in 2002,
7140-480: Was the journalistic qualities of Nature that drew readers in; "journalism" Maddox states, "is a way of creating a sense of community among people who would otherwise be isolated from each other. This is what Lockyer's journal did from the start." In addition, Maddox mentions that the financial backing of the journal in its first years by the Macmillan family also allowed the journal to flourish and develop more freely than scientific journals before it. Norman Lockyer ,
7225-404: Was the property of the physician or the medical institution. As was customary for Gey's lab assistant, the culture was named after the first two letters of Henrietta Lacks' first and last names, He + La. Before a 1973 query printed in the journal Nature obtained her real name, the "HeLa" cell line was incorrectly attributed to a "Helen Lane" or "Helen Larson". The origin of this obfuscation
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