Scientists have for the first time coaxed the growth of new sensory cells within the ears of an adult mammal. (p. 355)

Nonstick cookware can, if overheated, sicken people and kill birds, according to a new analysis of research published over the past 40 years. (p. 355)

Researchers have emulated a gecko's sticking power to create a superstrong adhesive. (p. 356)

The winds in Saturn’s upper atmosphere are some of the swiftest in the solar system, but recent findings suggest there’s been a dramatic slowdown. (p. 356)

Eight-month-old infants utter more complex, speechlike sounds when their mothers encourage them with well-timed touches and smiles rather than with words offered as models to imitate. (p. 357)

A group of parasitic insects called Strepsiptera can hide inside their victim by making the host form a protective bag of its own skin. (p. 358)

Two experimental drugs can induce remission in colorectal cancer patients and extend their survival. (p. 358)

Many herbal-product makers aren't maintaining adequate quality control, prompting the Food and Drug Administration to propose rules that mandate good manufacturing practices. (p. 359)

Analytical chemists are exploring ways to improve chemical and biological weapons detection. (p. 362)

A drug for treating high cholesterol might someday find use relieving the debilitating symptoms of poisoning from some algal toxins. (p. 364)

NASA last month released the first images taken by the recently launched Galaxy Evolution Explorer satellite. (p. 364)

People who report high levels of self-esteem experience few of the beneficial effects often assumed to flow from this attitude. (p. 365)

Bioengineers have harnessed zebra mussels to help avert algal blooms by cleaning particles, including algae, from the water. (p. 365)

Astronomers have discovered a star that may be among the very closest known to us. (p. 365)

Some people in Japan who eat dolphins and other toothed whales are ingesting amounts of mercury that exceed legal health limits. (p. 365)

An enzyme made by immune cells destroys the proteins that make up bacterial tails. (p. 366)

A microbe found on the ocean floor can grow at 121°C, a new record for the upper temperature limit for life. (p. 366)

The addictive compound nicotine kills bacteria, which may explain why smokers get lung disease. (p. 366)

Bacteria can survive being blasted into space. (p. 366)

Salamander skin has bacteria that repel egg-destroying mold. (p. 366)