A newly discovered protein secreted by fat cells could be the link between obesity and type II diabetes. (p. 36)

Researchers in theoretical computer science have made progress in settling the question of whether a clairvoyant scheduler can regulate the timing of moves by random walkers on a grid to keep them from ever colliding. (p. 36)

A new approach that exploits the orientations of the electric and magnetic fields in radio waves may increase data flows to and from cell phones and other wireless devices by up to a factor of six. (p. 37)

Incisions on ancient bone implements found in South Africa indicate that human ancestors gathered termites, a protein-rich food source, more than 1 million years ago. (p. 37)

Oregon researchers have slipped a jellyfish gene into a rhesus monkey to create the first genetically modified primate. (p. 38)

Two new studies provide supporting evidence for event horizons, the one-way membranes that surround black holes. (p. 38)

Researchers have developed a four-component system that acts like an on-vehicle oil refinery and may help significantly reduce the hydrocarbon emissions from internal combustion engines. (p. 39)

In rats, exposure to diesel exhaust perturbs pregnant moms’ sex-hormone production and makes her pups more masculine in certain ways. (p. 39)

Promising new ways to magnetically probe tissues and substances are emerging now that a small research group has proved their once-ridiculed claim of a flaw in the 50-year-old theory behind magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and similar analytic techniques. (p. 42)

Many scientists propose that changes in the sun's magnetic field and radiation output during its 11-year sunspot cycle also affect the atmosphere, changing Earth's climate by steering weather systems and influencing the amount of cloud cover. (p. 45)

Diabetics who retreat from close relationships in favor of self-reliance may have particular difficulty adhering to diabetes treatments if their physician communicates poorly with them. (p. 40)

Men's and women's brains may adopt different approaches to fostering memories of emotional experiences. (p. 40)

Genetic and song analyses of the greenish warblers in forests around the Tibetan Plateau suggest the birds represent a long-sought evolutionary quirk called a ring species. (p. 40)

Malaysian ants that nest in giant bamboo fight floods by sipping from water rising inside and then dashing outdoors to pee. (p. 40)

Estrogen-replacement therapy that includes estrogen increases breast-tissue density among postmenopausal women, but the estrogen-replacement drug raloxifene doesn’t. (p. 47)

Internal conflict about what and how much to eat not only induces production of a stress hormone but also may eventually weaken bones. (p. 47)