New observations confirm two leading theories of type 1a supernova production. (p. 16)

A black hole’s stellar feast is witnessed by telescopes on Earth and in orbit. (p. 8)

Asteroids pummeled the planet for billions of years as the Late Heavy Bombardment tapered off, new estimates suggest. (p. 8)

Most scientists don’t wear protective headgear while giving talks. Then again, most scientists aren’t the target of pastry-wielding colleagues. But last October, when astronomer Hal Levison presented what he called a “slightly radical” mechanism for building the solar system’s giant planets, he was ready. “I’m really a little intimidated about the reaction to this,” Levison said, reaching behind the podium and retrieving a baseball catcher’s mask, which he donned during his presentation, at a planetary science meeting in France. Good thing, because at least one scientist i... (p. 24)

New calculations suggest dearth of invisible substance in solar neighborhood. (p. 5)

After failure to detect neutrinos from gamma-ray bursts, scientists might need to revise theories. (p. 18)