High-energy invaders from space could signal a nearby pulsar, or perhaps dark matter (p. 16)

Problems in the cell’s energy factories power new ideas on disease and aging (p. 20)

The presidents of two island nations draft escape plans, anticipating sea level rise (p. 24)

Recently discovered fossils of a protowhale help fill in gaps in the land-to-water transition. (p. 5)

Iron-based materials allow 3-D current flow, open new doors for understanding superconductivity. (p. 8)

Astronomers have found the smallest known extrasolar planets that is blocking light from its parent star. The discovery could help reveal information about the structure of planets that may resemble Earth. (p. 9)

By tracing star birth in a galaxy that existed when the universe was less than 1 billion years old, researchers have captured what appears to be the formation of a key galactic component — a central concentration of stars known as the bulge. (p. 9)

A new robotics study suggests that the ridges select the right frequencies for light touch (p. 10)

A survey of donors since the 1960s finds survival rates on par with the general population. (p. 10)

Tests in mice show how the immune system tracks down cells infected with West Nile virus, findings that might explain why some old people fare worst from the virus. (p. 10)

Serotonin can turn solitary locusts into swarming biblical-scale crop destroyers. (p. 12)

Chemical fossils in Precambrian sedimentary rock push back the first date for animal life. (p. 13)

Domesticated dogs passed a gene for dark fur color to their wild cousins. (p. 12)

A new study suggests that people in America’s Southwest were making cacao beverages as early as A.D. 1000. (p. 14)

People see hidden truths in their dreams and use dreams to guide waking attitudes and behaviors, especially when dream content supports pre-existing beliefs, researchers say. (p. 14)

Premenopausal women and women taking oral contraceptives are especially sensitive to the cuteness of babies’ faces, partly thanks to raised levels of reproductive hormones, a new study suggests. (p. 14)

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Review by Sid Perkins (p. 31)

Review by Ashley Yeager (p. 31)

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