An experimental vaccine neutralizes a toxic molecule made by malaria-causing parasites. (p. 99)

Feeding concerns about developing superweeds, a test of sunflowers shows for the first time that a biologically engineered gene moving from a crop can give an advantage to wild relatives under naturalistic conditions. (p. 99)

The caterpillars that spin commercial silk can make tougher or more elastic threads, depending on how fast they're forced to spin. (p. 100)

A gene that helps regulate X chromosome activity in mice doesn't work in people. (p. 100)

Trace amounts of pharmaceutical drugs in waterways may work together to deform and kill native microscopic organisms. (p. 101)

Babies who tolerate a salty flavor have higher blood pressure on average than their less tolerant counterparts do. (p. 101)

New X-ray observations provide additional evidence that Centaurus A, the nearest radio-wave-emitting galaxy to Earth that has a supermassive black hole, is a maelstrom of violence. (p. 102)

Chemical analyses of seawater provide the first direct evidence that the ocean may be a significant source of certain atmospheric gases that scientists had previously assumed to be produced primarily by industrial activity. (p. 102)

Ocean scientists question whether the seas can handle rising carbon dioxide concentrations. (p. 104)

Sliding-block puzzles can be surprisingly difficult to solve and can even serve as theoretical models of computation. (p. 106)

Two new studies renew controversy about the authenticity of a map that may be the first depiction of North America. (p. 109)

Investigations at a 3,700-year-old Egyptian town have yielded a painted brick that was used in childbirth rituals. (p. 110)

Creatures as simple as worms have an effective immune defense. (p. 110)

A report disputes the controversial notion that bright light applied to skin can reset a person's biological clock. (p. 110)

An increase in ocean temperatures in the central Pacific heralds the onset of El Niño, whose effects should show up in the United States this fall. (p. 110)

The DNA of a malaria-causing parasite suggests it is at least 100,000 years old. (p. 110)