Chromosome conformation capture carbon copy (5C) is used to look at the relationships between functional elements and distal target genes in 1% of the human genome in three dimensions; the study describes numerous long-range interactions between promoters and distal sites that include elements resembling enhancers, promoters and CTCF-bound sites, their genomic distribution and complex interactions.

The radially outward flow of plasma from the Sun is expected to be deflected when it meets the flow of interstellar plasma through which the Solar System moves, but the spacecraft Voyager?1 unexpectedly finds that the deflected, meridional, flow is consistent with zero within the transition region.

Hydrogels with improved mechanical properties, made by combining polymer networks with ionic and covalent crosslinks, should expand the scope of applications, and may serve as model systems to explore mechanisms of deformation and energy dissipation.