Two experiments simulating the environment of interstellar space have produced amino acids—the building blocks of proteins. (p. 195)

Researchers have uncovered the first archaeological site attributed to chimpanzees, which includes stone implements that were used to crack nuts on top of thick tree roots. (p. 195)

Peering ever deeper into space and further back in time, two teams of astronomers have uncovered new details about the earliest galaxies and galaxy clusters in the universe. (p. 196)

Animals appear to adapt to bright light by reducing their use of proteins involved in the eye's light-detecting systems. (p. 196)

By documenting genetic variation among bacteria responsible for a heart-damaging illness known as rheumatic fever, researchers may have opened paths to new preventive measures and treatments. (p. 197)

A Rhode Island-size section of an Antarctic ice shelf splintered into thousands of icebergs in a mere 5-week period during the area's warmest summer on record. (p. 197)

New tests of the amazing nose power of Belding's ground squirrels has solved a 25-year-old puzzle about doing dangerous favors for relatives. (p. 198)

Researchers are beginning to study whether nanomaterials could have unintended negative consequences in the human body or the environment. (p. 200)

The fossilized microbes found inside termites that have been encased in amber for 20 million years are remarkably similar to those found within the ancient insects' modern cousins. (p. 202)

By modeling a lake ecosystem in large tubs of water, researchers have found that zooplankton—an important link in the food chain—consume much less toxic methylmercury when the lake experiences an algal bloom. (p. 205)

Analysis of minerals created in the laboratory under conditions that simulate those deep within the planet suggests that the zone of rocks just outside Earth's core could hold enough water to fill the oceans five times. (p. 205)

Flight controllers have revived an instrument on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft that measures the amount of radiation bombarding the Martian surface. (p. 205)

Researchers in Japan have identified a natural compound responsible for the effectiveness of one rhubarb-based remedy to combat the overwhelming diarrhea that comes with cholera. (p. 205)

After all the hue and cry about the color of the universe, astronomers have now revised their findings: It’s not pale green, but boring old beige. (p. 206)

A new way to introduce foreign atoms into silicon with atomic-scale precision may help chip manufacturers over a looming hurdle. (p. 206)

X rays reveal how food processing shapes microscopic crystals of edible fats. (p. 206)