Young scientists find advantages to pursuing related problems – sometimes for years on end.

The lab mouse is being remodeled to better mimic how humans respond to disease. (p. 22)

Flat structures pop into 3-D forms, yielding miniature robots and tools. (p. 22)

Whether the chicken or the egg came first doesn’t occupy biologist Luca Jovine’s thoughts too much. Animals have been laying eggs for millions of years, after all. Over time, evolution has reshaped both the eggs and the creatures hatched from them. Instead, Jovine spends his time unscrambling another egg-related conundrum: How does the egg orchestrate the molecular mating dance that creates all these new individuals? For a fuller understanding of the ways that egg and sperm tango during the lead-up to fertilization, Jovine is seeking help from the chicken. Eggs come in all shapes and si... (p. 16)

It turns out that the dreamlike state that patients experience during surgery isn’t really sleep — at least not the kind you do every night. Patients going into surgery are given a mixture of medicines called general anesthetics to keep them from feeling any pain. The medicines numb the entire body, including the brain. One of medicine’s greatest mysteries is how the drugs work together in the brain to create a pain-free state. Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: No ordinary zzz’s

When you think about life’s pressures weighing down on you, consider the plight of Palaemonetes varians — the Atlantic ditch shrimp. Smaller than a finger, and covered with only a thin shell, the translucent creature flourishes in the warm, shallow waters off the coast of northern Europe. Recently, though, scientists at the University of Southampton in England have plucked dozens of the critters from their homes and carried them to the lab, placing them in reinforced containers that replicate the crushing pressures found more than three kilometers beneath the sea’s surface. Here, where ... (p. 26)

A good friend will make you laugh, defend you in an argument, cheer you on when you’re doing well and cheer you up when you’re feeling sad. Best buds can be good for your health, too. Maintaining close relationships means less stress and a longer life. And you don’t even have to be human. Just as with people, animals of other sorts can benefit from having a BFF. New studies show that animals with someone they can count on — to get them out of a scrape, share food or deliver a kind gesture — are more likely to reproduce and are better at fighting disease. Such findings suggest that... (p. 18)

Wine flowed freely from ancient Greece during its golden age, but new work suggests nuts and various herbs were also in demand. With the help of DNA analysis, scientists are getting a present-day look at centuries-old trade in the Mediterranean. Such studies may help debunk some long-held assumptions, namely that the bulk of Greek commerce revolved around wine. During the fifth through third centuries B.C., the Mediterranean and Black seas were major thoroughfares for ships loaded with thousands of curvaceous jars known as amphorae, thought from their shape to contain a drink made from ferme... (p. 26)

Rinse and spit. Someday soon, doctors may join dentists in issuing these simple instructions. And before leaving the office, you might know whether you’re at risk for oral cancer. Additional tests on that same ptui may reveal whether you show signs of certain other cancers or diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Saliva — the frothy fluid that helps clean the mouth, digest food and fight tooth decay — carries many of the same proteins and other molecules found in blood and urine. Scientists have long been interested in mining a person’s mix of these compounds for clues to diag... (p. 26)

Fly over any baseball stadium when the home-team batter slams a double in the gap with two men on base, and you’ll see a crowd of fans rising in unison, arms waving wildly in the air. You’d think you were viewing typical baseball fan behavior. Witness this scene at ground level, though, and you’ll get a different picture. While a majority of fans participate in the cheering, others are sipping beer, attending to scorecards or roaming the walkways in search of a hot dog. Such displays of individuality shouldn’t come as a surprise — people often react differently to the same circumst... (p. 26)