Small rings of amino acids can self-assemble into tubes that punch holes in bacteria. (p. 52)

Electronics components made of Portland cement may one day be part of buildngs and roadways that double as gargantuan sensors or other current-carrying devices. (p. 52)

The largest dust storm observed on Mars in 25 years is now engulfing the Red Planet. (p. 53)

In a new twist on how life forms can exploit each other and with implications for how complex cells originated, scientists have discovered one bacterium living inside another. (p. 53)

A molecule patterned after part of the parasite that causes most severe malaria induces a strong immune response in people. (p. 54)

Deaf children in Nicaragua display evidence of having created a fully grammatical sign language on their own in under 2 decades. (p. 54)

Negotiators, without U.S. representatives' input, resolved controversies in Bonn that were blocking an international treaty to limit greenhouse gases. (p. 54)

Mites fossilized in cave formations in the American Southwest show that at times during the past 3,200 years the climate there was much wetter and cooler. (p. 55)

Researchers have identified a particular exhalation that dogs make while playing as a possible counterpart to a human laugh. (p. 55)

The sharpest radar image ever of an asteroid shows features on 1999 KW4 as small as 7.5 meters—about the length of a stretch limo. (p. 57)

A government-sponsored study says the U.S. Army may benefit from advances in biotechnology during the next 25 years, including sensors that identify soldiers by the food they ate, protein-based computers, near-instant vaccines, and automated wound treatments. (p. 57)

A coating of water-repellent powder transforms water droplets into remarkably mobile and resiliant balls, hoops, or peanut-shaped blobs. (p. 57)

Autoimmune diseases are more common in women than in men, and researchers are beginning to tease out the cellular mechanisms that may be responsible for this phenomenon. (p. 58)

Mounting evidence that many asteroids aren't solid rock but collections of loosely bound fragments could have far-reaching implications for elucidating their internal structure, understanding planet formation, and developing strategies to mitigate the threat of one striking Earth. (p. 61)