matrix genes results in a larger
scar size that affects the biome-
chanical property of the tissue.
The mechanosensitive feedback
can be rescued by inhibition of
specific integrins, indicating a
way to treat injuries and prevent
subsequent tissue dysfunction.
—BAP
Cell 182 , 545 (2020).MATERIALS SCIENCE
Metallic glass fibers
Some metallic alloys can be
rapidly cooled into a glassy
state, which can improve their
corrosion and wear-resistance
properties while maintaining
conductivity. However, such
rapid cooling usually limits
the size and shape they can
assume, and many of the pro-
cessing methods aren’t feasible
without losing the glassy state.
Ya n et al. fabricated metersof uniform fibers with widths
ranging from 40 nanome-
ters to a few micrometers by
coating metallic glass with a
polymer with similar rheologi-
cal properties. They used the
extracted fibers as electrodes
in fabrics and combined them
with biocompatible polymers
that can be used to electrically
stimulate and record the activ-
ity of neurons. —MSL
Nat. Nano 10.1038/
s41565-020-0747-9 (2020).WORKFORCE DIVERSITY
A rubric for keeping on
(tenure) track
Diversifying faculty begins with
addressing biases in hiring and
providing equity and account-
ability in the training and
mentoring of future faculty.
Clement et al. interviewedSCIENCE sciencemag.org 4 SEPTEMBER 2020 • VOL 369 ISSUE 6508 1205PHOTO: BÜNDER
ET AL
., P
LANT J.
10.1111/TPJ.14873 (2020)
current faculty at 20 U.S.
institutions and identified
14 qualifications and levels
of achievement required for
obtaining a faculty position
in the life sciences, ultimately
developing the validated
Academic Career Readiness
Assessment (ACRA) rubric.
ACRA can be implemented
in several ways: to provide
formative feedback and iden-
tify training opportunities for
future faculty, to provide trans-
parency and standardization
for evaluating faculty candi-
dates for departments, and to
evaluate training programs for
fundi ng agencies. Not limited
to the life sciences, ACRA is a
blueprint for the characteriza-
tion and evaluation of career
readiness across disciplines,
career types, and education
levels. —MMc
CBE Life Sci. Educ. 19 , ar22 (2020).VIROLOGY
Strategies to stay
or to leave
Virus RNA within a cell is
either packaged into prog-
eny viral particles for release
(“leave strategy”) or serves
as a template for replication
(“stay strategy”). To test the
implications of leave versus
stay strategies for transmis-
sion and replication efficiency,
Iwanami et al. selected
hepatitis C virus (HCV) strains
with differing virion release
characteristics. A series of
culture experiments showed
that a strain isolated from a
fulminant hepatitis patient
that transmits efficiently
packages a higher proportion
of RNA into particles (leave
strategy). Conversely, a virus
strain engineered to maximize
productivity favors retention of
RNA (stay strategy). A model
constructed using data from
time courses of viral produc-
tion, infectivity of progeny,
and infected cell numbers
provides insights into viral
decay dynamics and possible
mechanisms of action of anti-
HCV drugs. —CA
PLOS Biol. 18 , e3000562 (2020).PLANT SCIENCE
Growing straight
and strong
Wood is made of fibrils spun
out of cellulose, which are
major load-bearing polymers.
The cellulose synthase com-
plexes, embedded in the cell
membrane, are aligned with
intracellular microtubules that
lie just inside the plant cell
membrane. Those connections
are enabled by a protein called
CSI1. Bünder et al. found that
aspen trees with less than
the normal complement of
CSI1 had twisted leaves, leaf
epidermal (pavement) cells
that lacked their normally
refined puzzle shapes, and
wood that was brittle and
mechanically weak. The cause
seemed to be less cellulose
polymerization than normal,
which undermined the sturdy,
fined-grained structure of
aspen wood. —PJH
Plant J. 10.1111/tpj.14873 (2020).A two-month-old greenhouse-
grown CSI1RNAi Populus tremula x
tremuloides tree, which shows
growth defects owing to a reduction
in cellulose biosynthesisCONSERVATIONAir pollution is
bad for bees
I
ndia is the second most popu-
lous country and has 9 out of
the 10 most polluted cities in
the world. Pollution there, as
everywhere, is known to harm
human health and well-being,
but little work has character-
ized its direct effects in nature.
Thimmegowda et al. looked at
the impact of air pollution on
the giant Asian honey bee (Apis
dorsata) in and around Bangalore
and found that there was a direct
correlation between pollution
levels and differences in flower
visitation behavior, heart rate,
hemocyte levels, and ultimately
survival. Results from experimen-
tal exposure of laboratory-reared
Drosophila at the same sites
where bees were collected sup-
ported the conclusion that these
changes were caused by air pollu-
tion. These results have important
implications for pollution harming
ecosystem services, as well as
humans. —SNV
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117 , 20653
(2020).Published by AAAS