RSFS_4_4_Cover_RSFS_4_4_Cover 11/06/14 4:15 PM Page 2 GUIDANCE FOR AUTHORS Editor Denis Noble Publishing Editor Tim Holt Editorial Board Publishing format Along with all Royal Society journals, we are committed to archiving and providing perpetual access. The journal also offers the facility for including Electronic Supplementary Material to papers free of charge. Denis Noble – Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford Fraser A. Armstrong – Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford Sheng He – Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Clemens Kaminski – Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge James Kirkpatrick – Pathologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz Alfonso Martinez-Arias – Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge Richard Templer – Chemistry, Imperial College London John Tyson – Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Denis Wirtz – Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University Weian Zhao – Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Publishing Editor: Tim Holt (tel: +44 (0)20 7451 2649; fax: +44 (0)20 7976 1837; [email protected]) Production Editor: Tom Lowen 6–9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG, UK rsfs.royalsocietypublishing.org Conditions of publication Articles must not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. The main findings of the article should not have been reported in the mass media. Like many journals, Interface Focus employs a strict embargo policy where the reporting of a scientific article by the media is embargoed until a specific time. The Editor has final authority in all matters relating to publication. AIMS AND SCOPE Each issue of Interface Focus is devoted to specific topics at the interface of the physical and life sciences. It facilitates cross-disciplinary research across this traditional divide by acting as a forum accessible to all. Each issue aims to include a combination of high quality review and research articles and all contributions are peer-reviewed to the Royal Society’s exacting standards. Articles are initially published online and subsequently in print. ISBN: 978-1-78252-082-5 Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society Except as otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any other means, with the prior permission in writing of the publisher, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. In particular, the Society permits the making of a single photocopy of an article from this issue (under Sections 29 and 38 of this Act) for an individual for the purposes of research or private study. 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Subscription prices 2014 calendar year Institutional subscription online only Institutional subscription combined online and print Selection criteria The criteria for selection for both theme issues and their constituent articles are scientific excellence, originality and interest across the physical sciences / life sciences interface. The Editor is responsible for all editorial decisions, in part based on the reports received from the referees. Many more good proposals and articles are submitted to us than we have space to print; we give preference to those that are of broad interest and of high scientific quality. UK, Europe and ROW Europe £1061 €1379 USA, Canada and ROW US$1900 Electronic Submission details The majority of Interface Focus issues are commissioned. However, suggestions for themes are welcome and initial proposals should be addressed to [email protected]. For full submission guidelines and access to all journal content please visit the Interface Focus website at rsfs.royalsocietypublishing.org. The Royal Society, the national academy of science of the UK and the Commonwealth, is at the cutting edge of scientific progress. We support many top young scientists, engineers and technologists, influence science policy, debate scientific issues with the public and much more. We are an independent, charitable body and derive our authoritative status from over 1400 Fellows and Foreign Members. Our mission: to expand knowledge and further the role of science and engineering in making the world a better place. The Royal Society’s strategic priorities are to • The Royal Society’s strategic priorities are to: • invest in future scientific leaders and in innovation, £1485 €1930 US$2660 Typeset in India by Techset Composition Limited, Salisbury, UK. Printed by Latimer Trend, Plymouth. This paper meets the requirements of ISO 9706:1994(E) and ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper) effective with volume 1, issue 1, 2011. Interface Focus (ISSN No: 2042-8898) is published bimonthly for US$2517 per year by the Royal Society, and is distributed in the USA by Air Business, C/O Worldnet Shipping USA Inc., 149-35 177th Street, Jamaica, New York, NY11434, USA. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Interface Focus, C/O Air Business Ltd/C/O Worldnet Shipping USA Inc, 149-35 177th Street, Jamaica, New York, NY11414. Articles Articles are contributions containing original scientific research. Reports Reports are short, letter-style contributions which are published rapidly. Preliminary and more speculative work of high quality is strongly encouraged. Reviews Reviews are articles of the highest quality and aim to be of interest to communities working at the physical sciences / life sciences interface. Reviews cover the latest developments in an area of crossdisciplinary research. They put such research into a broader context and are written in a style that makes them accessible to readers in a wide range of disciplines. Complete literature surveys are not encouraged. Topics Interface Focus welcomes articles on a diverse range of topics including, but not limited to . biocomplexity . biophysics . biocomputation . chemical biology . bioengineering . medical physics . bioinformatics . synthetic biology biomaterials . systems biology biomechanics . theoretical biology bionanoscience . tissue engineering . . . For further information on the Society’s activities, please contact the following departments on the extensions listed by dialling +44 (0)20 7839 5561, or visit the Society’s Web site (royalsociety.org). Research Support (UK grants and fellowships) Research Appointments (Fellowships): 2542 Research Grants: 2223 International travel Grants: 2555 Newton International Fellowships: 2559 Science Policy Centre General enquiries: 2550 Science Communication General enquiries: 2573 Library and Information Services Library/archive enquiries: 2606 • influence policymaking with the best scientific advice, • invigorate science and mathematics education, • increase access to the best science internationally, and • inspire an interest in the joy, wonder and excitement of scientific discovery. Cover image: Cooperative and selfish strains of E. coli bacteria – labelled with green- and red-fluorescent proteins, respectively – compete for space and resources in a microfabricated environment. This micrograph shows bacterial competition inside two 100x100 micron micro-habitat patches linked by a narrow, 5-micron wide channel. While the selfish strain (red) slowly migrates through the junction channel into a micro-habitat populated by cooperating bacteria (green), local interactions and spatial segregation allows the cooperative strain to resist the invasion of selfish individuals and avoid extinction. (Image courtesy of Guillaume Lambert.)