Astronomers have confirmed one of the weirdest properties of the universe: Some mysterious force is pushing galaxies apart at a faster and faster rate. (p. 196)

Using tree-ring analysis, an international team of researchers has reconstructed the earliest record of annual climate variation. (p. 197)

U.S. and Chinese researchers find that two unconventional urine tests can often predict when a person is developing bladder cancer even before tumors appear. (p. 197)

The finding of a cytoskeleton in Bacillus subtilis bacteria eliminates a fundamental difference between bacteria and higher (eukaryotic) cells. (p. 198)

Scientists have found microorganisms within Kentucky shale that are eating the ancient carbon locked within the rock, a previously unrecognized dietary habit that could have a prevalent role in the weathering and erosion of similar sedimentary rock at many other locations. (p. 198)

Efforts to use the moon to detect the highest-energy cosmic rays get a boost from an experiment showing that gamma rays zipping through a giant sandbox cause the kind of microwave bursts moon-watchers are hoping to see. (p. 199)

Researchers have discovered that sensing repeated touch on the hind leg triggers a shy, green locust to flip into swarming mode. (p. 199)

Amoebas having trouble dividing produce a chemical signal that draws other amoebas to the scene. (p. 200)

One type of restriction enzyme not only cuts a DNA strand but also looks like a pair of scissors. (p. 200)

Scientists have found the gene that directs chloroplasts to dance out of a cell's shaded edges to soak up the sun or back into that shade when the light is too intense. (p. 200)

Researchers are exploring how both sea-level lowlanders and high-altitude natives cope with low oxygen levels. (p. 202)

In a community sample, people suffering from moderate to severe depression exhibited an elevated death rate from heart disease over a 4-year study period, even if they had no discernable heart disease to begin with. (p. 205)

Although dyslexia involves a common disruption of reading-related brain activity, the reading performance of people with dyslexia appears to improve if they use a language that has consistent spelling rules. (p. 205)

Consuming calcium along with lead limits, and may prevent, the body's absorption of the toxicant. (p. 205)

Governments may be able to monitor trends in the release and transport of persistent organic pollutants by sampling butter. (p. 205)

After decades of research, several companies are about to release the first line of artificial blood products. (p. 206)