Virology. Capitalizing on HIV's talents for gene therapy

The emerging understanding of HIV's journey from the cell membrane to the nucleus may help researchers design better vectors for gene therapy for a variety of diseases. Researchers are using HIV itself as a gene-therapy vector, thereby capitalizing on its ability to infect nondividing cells.     

Biophysics. For certain shrimp, life's a snap

On page 2114 of this issue, physicists report that a collapsing bubble outside the claw of the snapping shrimp Alpheus heterochaelis causes its characteristic clack. According to this new study, A. heterochaelis clamps its claw so rapidly that a water jet gushing from the claw first loses and then gains pressure, causing an air bubble in the jet to swell and collapse with a pronounced "snap!" The imploding bubble generates shock waves that stun nearby prey and ward off other shrimp, who have learned to keep their distance.