Three-dimensional imaging of a classic violin's vibrations explains the instrument's superior ability to direct sound to the audience. (p. 414)

A faster, simpler manufacturing technique could make a synthetic biofuel into an even stronger competitor to ethanol. (p. 389)

A new algorithm speeds simulations of chemical reactions by focusing on rare but crucial molecular motions. (p. 372)

Novel circuits use electrons as tiny bar magnets to process information. (p. 342)

An X-ray experiment has yielded the most conclusive evidence to date that carbon can be magnetic. (p. 350)

Physicists have used a novel measuring technique to track the motions of electron spins in a tiny magnet as its polarity flips, with north and south poles changing places. (p. 334)

Cells that act like optical fibers could explain why vertebrate retinas have sharp vision despite being mounted backwards. (p. 317)

A new algorithm might make online driving directions more accurate. (p. 285)

A NASA mission has found new evidence for Einstein's theory of gravity, but its final results have been delayed by unexpected problems. (p. 270)

A new particle accelerator starting up next year in Switzerland should finally discover the origin of mass, unless an older U.S. machine does it first. (p. 270)