●Sounds, signals and space maps. Carr, C. Nature 3 January (2002). This News and Views article looks at the finding that lesioning the optic tectum of the barn owl prevents adaptation of the auditory map after alteration of visual input by prism spectacles, indicating that the signal that drives adaptation of the auditory map comes from the optic tectum.

●Seeking universals. Konner, M. Nature 10 January (2002). Defining human nature is tricky — characteristics such as speech or bipedal walking can be lost without rendering a person 'not human'. In this Concepts article, Konner discusses human nature and concludes that “In the era of genomics and brain imaging, hypotheses about human nature are more testable than ever.”

●Prestin, a novel type of motor protein. Dallos, P. & Fakler, B. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology February (2002).

●Drug and gene targeting to the brain with molecular Trojan Horses. Pardridge, W. M. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery February (2002).

●The mouse: genetics meets behaviour. Bucan, M. & Abel, T. Nature Reviews Genetics February (2002).

●Accomplices to neuronal death. Mattson, M. P. Nature 24 January (2002). In this News and Views article, Mattson reviews the finding, described in Nature Cell Biology, that the mutation of huntingtin in Huntington's disease releases another protein, Hip1, to start a cascade that leads to cell death. Recruitment of the apoptotic cascade involves a new protein, Hippi, that binds to Hip1.

●Priming plasticity. Dobrunz, L. E. & Garner, C. C. Nature 17 January (2002). A News and Views article discussing the demonstration that RIM1α is crucial for certain forms of short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity.

●Chloride channels are different. Jentsch, T. J. Nature 17 January (2002). A News and Views article that discusses the publication of the structures of two bacterial Cl− channels, which reveal the physical and chemical basis of the channels' anion selectivity.

●Deadly encounter: ubiquitin meets apoptosis. Jesenberger, V. & Jentsch, S. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology February (2002).

●Transmission at the hair cell synapse. Trussell, L. O. Nature Neuroscience February (2002). Trussell discusses the implications of recordings that show that transmitter release at the inner hair cell ribbon synapse follows very different rules from most synapses.