Native groups in an Amazonian region of Bolivia built a large-scale fishery and other earthworks at least 300 years ago, before the Spanish conquest. (p. 308)

The unusual eardrums of a tiny parasitic fly turn out to rival cats', owls', and people's abilities to pinpoint the origin of a sound. (p. 308)

Used for decades to treat manic depression, lithium may stimulate the production of new brain cells, thus raising hope that it can treat strokes, Alzheimer's disease, and other conditions that kill brain cells. (p. 309)

Researchers have paired the brain of a sea lamprey with a small robot that can detect and move around in response to light. (p. 309)

Although the space station's main laboratories have yet to be launched, scientists are already using nooks and crannies in the existing structure to conduct experiments in biotechnology and physics. (p. 310)

A new malaria vaccine tested in chimpanzees spurs an immune response against the parasite as it passes through the liver, halting it in most cases before it can get into the bloodstream and cause symptoms of the disease. (p. 310)

An experimental test for colon cancer may detect the disease at a treatable stage more accurately than current, noninvasive screening techniques. (p. 311)

Megadoses of vitamin E may reduce the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes and other conditions that produce chronic, low-grade inflammation. (p. 311)

In identifying the chemical responsible for the color of many yellow flowers, scientists have moved one step closer to engineering sunny-colored designer buds. (p. 311)

Ant teamwork suggests models for computing faster and organizing better. (p. 314)

These immune molecules may directly kill, not just tag, microbes. (p. 318)

Ultraviolet light can fine-tune the properties of intricately structured, porous films of glass that, among other uses, may make possible the long-sought direct extraction of oxygen and nitrogen gases from air. (p. 312)

Stacks of polymers designed to break apart in acid solution or at a certain voltage may prove useful for releasing drugs, pesticides, or other compounds where and when needed. (p. 312)

Increased use of colonoscopy could significantly reduce the number of colon cancer deaths and wouldn't cost much more overall than other tests. (p. 312)

People who have frequent sinus infections are more likely on average to carry one copy of the same genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis, even though they don't have that disease. (p. 312)

Small pieces of large bones and petrified wood that show distinct signs of being burned may be evidence of a 74-million-year-old wildfire in central Wyoming. (p. 317)

Radiocarbon dating of fossils taken from caves on islands along Alaska's southeastern coast suggest that at least a portion of the area remained ice-free during the last ice age. (p. 317)

The skull of the carnivorous dinosaur Allosaurus fragilis can resist levels of stress much higher than those expected from chewing, which may provide insight into the animal's method of attacking its prey. (p. 317)

Researchers have unearthed fossils of a theropod dinosaur whose front teeth grew almost directly forward, which sets it apart from all other related species. (p. 317)