2010 is the deadline set for reversing declines in biodiversity,  but little has been accomplished (p. 20)

A cosmologist suggests a novel way to uncover the nature of spacetime on the smallest scales (p. 26)

Scientists have extracted a nearly complete genome from the hairs of a 4,000-year-old man, suggesting a new scenario for Asian migrations into the New World. (p. 5)

Protons and neutrons melted in collisions of gold atoms have created the hottest matter ever made in a lab (p. 8)

The Large Hadron Collider will operate at only half its maximum energy for the next 2 years. (p. 9)

A two-milligram dot of tooth enamel serves as a radiation dosimeter. (p. 9)

More news from the American Physical Society meeting (p. 9)

Tests find hundreds of bacterial species in major cigarette brands (p. 10)

New research, showing how stresses can snap tiny tracks inside brain connections, may improve understanding of traumatic brain injury. (p. 11)

Scientists identify a type of stem cell and a gene that play a role in the disease. (p. 11)

A new method has the potential to use genome science to improve cancer care. (p. 12)

A study finds that focusing on the heaviest-fished areas can help meet conservation goals. (p. 12)

Over the past two decades, science literacy in the United States – an estimate of the share of adults who can follow complex science issues and maybe even render an informed opinion on them – has nearly tripled. But – and it’s a big but -- the proportion of people who fall into this category remains small. Just 28 percent. (p. 13)

A study finds that older adults perform better on a learning and memory task if they have slept more, while uninterrupted rest matters more for younger folks. (p. 14)

Insulin-resistance switch helps maintain glucose levels in dolphin brains, suggesting possible clues to treating diabetes in people. (p. 14)

New study may help scientists to understand the sequence of events that can lead to schizophrenia (p. 15)

Team finds differences related to metabolism and growth. (p. 15)

Different brain areas light up when deaf people use American Sign Language than when they gesture. (p. 15)

Decoding the genetic makeup of tribal leaders and Archbishop Desmond Tutu uncovers rich genetic diversity in southern Africans. (p. 16)

When operating a car, drivers lose a grip on messages they hear (p. 16)

Defects in three genes governing basic cell metabolism are found in a portion of cases, researchers find. (p. 17)

Isotopic analyses of fossils suggest the carnivores had crocodile-like habits. (p. 18)

When boats roar, hermit crabs slip up and let predators get extra close (p. 18)

(p. 4)

(p. 4)

(p. 30)

Review by Sid Perkins (p. 31)

(p. 31)

(p. 31)

(p. 32)

A measure of U.S. science literacy has increased - to 28% (p. 13)