SCIENCE & SOCIETY Intel Science Talent Search finalists present their research. See “Science competition finalists go public.” ATOM & COSMOS Reflected light yields chemical clues in “Aura of life captured in Earthshine.” ENVIRONMENT A plastics ingredient bumps up insulin production. See “BPA fosters diabetes-promoting changes.” ON THE SCENE BLOG Researchers stung by NASA budget cuts. Read “Proposed cuts in planetary science take center stage.” (p. 4)

LIFE Plants use adhesion and bubbles to spread spores. See “Plants’ reproductive weaponry unfurled.”Sharp scales (shown) help propel sharks. See “Shark’s skin adds forward boost.” MOLECULES The sugar in corn syrup may be a concern for diabetics. Read “Taste of fructose revs up metabolism.” DELETED SCENES BLOG Measurements of the W boson hint at the mass of its more famous cousin. See “Higgs running out of hiding places.” (p. 4)

ON THE SCENE BLOG Science can't hear back in time. Read more in "Archaeoacoustics: Tantalizing, but fantastical." GENES & CELLS An eye protein helps mice and people sense vibrations. See "Seeing, feeling have something in common." LIFE Early fliers may have had dark feathers. Read "Archaeopteryx wore black." ATOM & COSMOS Particles reveal the stuff of space in "Spacecraft captures dust from interstellar wind." (p. 4)

LIFE Plant species grafted together can swap DNA via energy-catching organelles. See “Plants swap chloroplasts via grafts.” HUMANS Social networks can spread users’ emotions. Learn more in “Catching a mood on Facebook.” ATOM & COSMOS A solar flare set off auroras around the Arctic Circle. See “Solar storm.” BODY & BRAIN Protein-based disease agents can jump species. Read “Prions more mobile than thought.” (p. 4)

SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC BLOG Imported primate meat hosts potentially dangerous viruses. See “Bush meat can be a viral feast.” LIFE A snake senses prey’s last heartbeats. See “Boas take pulse as they snuff it out.” ATOM & COSMOS A simulation hints at why space is 3-D. Read “String theorists squeeze nine dimensions into three.” BODY & BRAIN Drinking alcohol releases morphinelike brain chemicals. See “Study tracks booze’s buzz in the brain.” (p. 4)

SCIENCE & SOCIETY Plants, algae and fungi can now be named online and in English. Read “Botanists et al freed from Latin, paper.” LIFE Videos and robots show how reptiles use their tails to balance in midair. See “Measuring the leap of a lizard.” SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC BLOG Climate-related natural disasters are on the rise. Learn more in “Insurance payouts point to climate change.” ATOM & COSMOS Cassini images give a ringside view of Saturn’s moons Titan and Dione. See “Saturn moons spied from the side.” (p. 4)

SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC BLOG A government panel wants Science and Nature to withhold data that could be used to make bird flu more deadly. See “Researchers, journals asked to censor data.” ENVIRONMENT Survival rates of young fish could suffer from ocean acidification levels expected this century. Read “Acid test points to coming fish troubles.” ON THE SCENE BLOG Tiny competitors raced (below) as a way to learn how cells move. Learn more in “Vying for the title of World’s Fastest Cell.” HUMANS A big New World population decline after European contact left a genetic ... (p. 4)

BODY & BRAIN Some U.S. presidents go gray in four years, but they still tend to live longer than average. See “Presidency not a death sentence.” A program in Nepal enlisting motorbike owners as emergency transport saves the lives of people bitten by snakes. Read “Scooters save lives of snakebite victims.” GENES & CELLS Tiny hairlike appendages on cells can sequester a protein involved in regulating appetite. Read “Cilia control eating signal.” MOLECULES Cosmetics and other compounds wafting off tourists’ skin threaten a masterpiece. See “Saving the Last Supper... (p. 4)

EARTH Scientists get closer to knowing the exact makeup of Earth’s innards. Read “Oxygen a bit player in Earth’s outer core.” GENES & CELLS A sense-mixing condition in which some people see smells or taste colors may have genetic roots. See “Unraveling synesthesia.” BODY & BRAIN An illusion that tricks people into thinking a sore hand is healthy can reduce pain. Learn more in “Mirrors can alleviate arthritis.”An experimental therapy could improve heart attack treatment. See “Busting blood clots with a nano­particle.” (p. 4)

LIFE Schooling fish stay together by focusing on neighbors rather than the group. See “School rules.”Spiders known for their web architecture can trace their lineage to one crafty ancestor that lived 200 million years ago. See “The origin of orbs.” BODY & BRAIN Scientists have pinpointed what makes hearing nails on a chalkboard so awful, and it’s not the high pitch. Read “The sound of screech.” MATTER & ENERGY A new laser analysis can identify gemstones mined from war-torn regions. See “Laser analysis betrays diamonds’ origins.” (p. 4)