New findings raise questions about reliability of fMRI as gauge of neural activity. (p. 16)

Brain structure and circuitry offer clues to consciousness in nonmammals (p. 22)

Without destroying the Earth, the Large Hadron Collider might help humans explore the cosmos (p. 26)

Prevalence of a dung fungus over time suggests megafauna extinctions at end of last ice age started before vegetation changed. (p. 5)

A fresh look at a fungus-insect partnership that biologists have studied for more than a century uncovers a role for bacteria. (p. 8)

Brains are probably not what powers the invasive bee’s takeover from European honeybees (p. 8)

Multiple teams announce complete draft of the maize genome, with a full plate of surprises that include hints about hybrid vigor. (p. 9)

Study links boys' fetal phthalate exposure to tendency toward gender-neutral play later on. (p. 10)

Plant pathogen could help track waters polluted with human waste. (p. 10)

Study in mice suggests proteins could be source of post-menopausal hot flashes. (p. 11)

Researchers studying manganese oxides unexpectedly discover a new way to achieve blue hue. (p. 11)

Newly recorded gamma rays from a microquasar may reveal how the black holes or neutron stars powering them can accelerate particles to enormous energies. (p. 12)

System uses ultracold beryllium ions to tackle 160 randomly chosen programs. (p. 13)

Bouncing an oil-coated water droplet creates a tiny emulsion and reveals physics of mixing. (p. 13)

CT scans of preserved individuals show hardening of arteries similar to that seen in people today. (p. 14)

The frontline malaria medicine artemisinin shows gaps in effectiveness in Southeast Asia. (p. 15)

Protecting palm-tree sap from bats may limit spread of deadly disease, a study in Bangladesh shows. (p. 15)

(p. 4)

(p. 4)

Review by Sid Perkins (p. 30)

Review by Laura Sanders (p. 30)

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(p. 31)

At the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in October in Chicago, NIH Director Francis S. Collins discussed NIH funding and answered questions from reporters, including Science News writers Tina Hesman Saey and Laura Sanders. (p. 32)