Researchers have created a miniature DNA computer that can detect cancer genes in a test tube and respond by releasing a drug. (p. 275)

Whale-watching boats may be making so much noise that killer whales off the coast of Washington have to change their calls to communicate over the racket. (p. 275)

A Stone Age site in Israel contains the oldest evidence of controlled fire use in Asia or Europe, from around 750,000 years ago, a research team reports. (p. 276)

Presumed exposure shortly after birth to a chemical ingredient in plastics shows no evidence of disrupting development in people, according to a small study of teens who, as newborns, received intensive medical care involving plastic hospital equipment. (p. 276)

Getting dental X rays while pregnant might increase a woman's risk of giving birth to a low-birth-weight baby. (p. 277)

The chemical reactions taking place just above a northern Michigan forest hint that trees there and elsewhere may be emitting highly reactive gaseous substances that scientists haven't yet identified or directly detected. (p. 277)

An age-defying laboratory mouse known as Yoda died peacefully in his cage in Ann Arbor, Mich., on April 22, at the age of 4 years and 12 days. (p. 277)

Although electrons are nonnuclear particles, they exert a feeble nuclear force on each other when they snuggle up close, a new experiment shows. (p. 278)

Recent astronomical observations and sophisticated lab experiments portray space as a breeding ground for complex organic molecules, the likes of which may have jump-started life on Earth. (p. 280)

Several dietary agents, including coffee, wine, and cinnamon, appear to restore some of the body's responsiveness to insulin, potentially slowing diabetes' onset or ravages. (p. 282)

NASA has extended the missions of the twin Mars rovers by 5 months, through September 2004. (p. 285)

Colonoscopy is better at detecting potentially dangerous colon polyps than computed tomography scanning is. (p. 285)

Images of the North Atlantic taken from orbit suggest that hurricanes churn the ocean's surface enough to bring cool, nutrient-rich waters to the surface, thereby stimulating algal blooms that can last for weeks. (p. 285)

An experimental drug can dramatically increase blood concentrations of high-density lipoprotein, the beneficial cholesterol. (p. 285)

Animal studies suggest that the body attempts to protect itself from heart attacks during brief periods of oxygen deprivation by temporarily modifying heart-muscle proteins. (p. 286)

Scientists reported finding what appears to be the first diagnostic test for Lou Gehrig's disease, potentially shaving a year off of when targeted treatment for the disease can begin. (p. 286)

Overheating, as might occur if a baby were swaddled in a warm room, might predispose some babies to prolonged breathing lapses and sudden infant death syndrome, animal experiments indicate. (p. 286)

Studies in runners and in animals indicate that exercise increases an individual's sensitivity to sweetness. (p. 286)

(p. 287)