A heterozygous moth genome provides insights into herbivory and detoxification

How an insect evolves to become a successful herbivore is of profound biological and practical importance. Herbivores are often adapted to feed on a specific group of evolutionarily and biochemically related host plants1, but the genetic and molecular bases for adaptation to plant defense compounds remain poorly understood2. We report the first whole-genome sequence of a basal lepidopteran species, Plutella xylostella, which contains 18,071 protein-coding and 1,412 unique genes with an expansion of gene families associated with perception and the detoxification of plant defense compounds. A recent expansion of retrotransposons near detoxification-related genes and a wider system used in the metabolism of plant defense compounds are shown to also be involved in the development of insecticide resistance. This work shows the genetic and molecular bases for the evolutionary success of this worldwide herbivore and offers wider insights into insect adaptation to plant feeding, as well as opening avenues for more sustainable pest management.Minsheng You … Simon W Baxter … et al

Sensitivity enhancement of flexible gas sensors via conversion of inkjet-printed silver electrodes into porous gold counterparts

This work describes a facile, mild and general wet chemical method to change the material and the geometry of inkjet-printed interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) thus drastically enhancing the sensitivity of chemiresistive sensors. A novel layer-by-layer chemical method was developed and used to uniformly deposit semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based sensing elements on a Kapton® substrate. Flexible chemiresistive sensors were then fabricated by inkjet-printing fine-featured silver IDEs on top of the sensing elements. A mild and facile two-step process was employed to convert the inkjet-printed dense silver IDEs into their highly porous gold counterparts under ambient conditions without losing the IDE-substrate adhesion. A proof-of-concept gas sensor equipped with the resulting porous gold IDEs featured a sensitivity to diethyl ethylphosphonate (DEEP, a simulant of the nerve agent sarin) of at least 5 times higher than a similar sensor equipped with the original dense silver IDEs, which suggested that the electrode material and/or the Schottky contacts between the electrodes and the SWCNTs might have played an important role in the gas sensing process.Peer reviewe

One, two or three cultures? Humanities versus natural and social sciences in modern Germany

The central aim of this article is to clarify some central theoretical issues concerning the relationship between academic disciplines and society in late nineteenth century and early twentieth century Germany. At first glance, the history of science confirms the view commonly held today, of natural sciences and technology eroding the position of forms of knowledge related to the study of cultural phenomena. By linking the crisis of the humanities to the progress of the natural sciences, however, there is a danger of misrepresenting both of them as monolithic epistemic cultures. In reality, the German term Geisteswissenschaften acquired its meaning in sharp competition with other categories. In this context, the Geisteswissenschaften were perceived as “useless” not only by contrast with the impressive technological applications of the “natural sciences”, but also with the bid for political relevance made by the “social sciences”. The “crisis of the humanities” can, therefore, not be overcome without reflecting on science as a whole and conceptualizing the function of the humanities in positive terms