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    The genome is the fundamental entity of a cell. Many processes are therefore directed at ensuring its faithful duplication and at repairing endogenous and exogenous damage to it. Intimate links between these two facets of DNA metabolism have been increasingly recognized. Here we highlight Nature's most recent papers on replication and repair.

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    Welcome to this Web Focus celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first effective vaccine against polio, in which we provide a selection of news, commentary, reviews and research papers. Produced with support from March of Dimes and Rotary International

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    With the discovery of Flores Man, a new species of human from just 18,000 years ago, reported in this issue of Nature, the Pacific Rim is yet again proving to be the dusty attic of evolution - full of unusual and often bizarre artefacts of biology. Here, we gather together the papers on Flores Man, as well as recent papers fromNatureon other oddities that have sprung up from this fascinating region.

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    The co-discoverer of the structure of DNA died this week. In this web focus, we chart the career of this astonishing scientist, including a comprehensive archive of his myriad writings in Nature.

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    Boy meets girl, sperm meets egg. This timeless tale is increasingly being played out in a culture dish, such is the progress in germ cell biology in recent times. Here, Nature presents the latest research on the establishment of the germline.

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    From Eton to Sussex, from aircraft engineer to original thinker in evolutionary biology; the life and work of John Maynard Smith, who died in April 2004, is celebrated in this web focus, including a selection of his most important research and writings, all available free.

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    The structural analysis of increasingly complex macromolecular systems is revolutionising our understanding of cell biology. Nature has been at the forefront of this revolution having recently published a string of landmark papers that provide fundamental insights into cellular function. Produced with support from Invitrogen

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    In 1954, two Naturepapers uncovered the story of one of the most intriguing of biological problems: the conversion of chemical energy to mechanical work. A decade-by-decade snapshot fromNature's archive of subsequent publications on muscle crossbridges celebrates 50 years of research.

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    Despite the sequencing of microbial genomes now being almost routine, recent studies powerfully demonstrate how genomics can lead to a new understanding of biodiversity and ecology. This collection highlights the significance of genome sequences from key components of the ocean's food web.

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    The techniques and methodologies that promises to transform biological and medical research.

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    In the world of stem-cell research, attention is increasingly focused on the microenvironments within an organism where stem cells reside - the stem-cell niches. There is now evidence that the molecular signals exchanged between stem cells and other cells within these niches are key factors in stem-cell control. Finding and identifying these signals has become a major thrust in stem-cell research. Produced with support from Abcam

  • Focus |

    Is growing old a good thing? As cells mature they naturally stop dividing and enter a period called senescence. But cellular senescence can also be induced prematurely by certain oncogenes involved in cancer development. In this web focus, Natureshows that, as previously suggested byin vitrostudies, oncogene-induced cellular senescence represents a safety mechanism to suppress tumour progressionin vivo.