Nearly 30 years after the peak’s major eruption, recovery has just begun. (p. 18)

Astronomers reconsider how extraterrestrials could make contact (p. 22)

Perceptions of risk can get pulled in opposite directions (p. 26)

A new study suggests that mice with prostate tumors should say “nuts to cancer.” Paul Davis of the University of California, Davis, hopes follow-up data by his team and others will one day justify men saying the same.

Genetic data unveil a previously unknown Stone Age ancestor in central Asia. (p. 5)

Mechanics suggests the creatures are more limber than thought and use all their legs to come to a four-way stop. (p. 8)

Developing underwater or above, it’s all good for moths that evolved new lifestyle in the islands (p. 8)

The rarity of MS in the tropics may be due to higher ultraviolet light exposure, not necessarily increased vitamin production, new research suggests. (p. 9)

A new study suggests that intestinal microbe populations vary widely from one person to another. (p. 9)

The world’s most powerful atom smasher achieves its most energetic collisions yet. (p. 10)

Hints of weak magnetism between galaxies narrows options for how the early universe got its fields. (p. 10)

Lower reflectivity kept Earth from freezing under a fainter young sun. (p. 11)

Supposedly safer chemicals are spotted in peregrine falcon eggs in California. (p. 12)

Comparative study finds that screw tops can perform just as well in regulating the aging process. (p. 12)

A compound generated in the roasting process appears to reduce acid production in the stomach. (p. 13)

More news from the American Chemical Society meeting (p. 13)

New radio frequency tags would use nanotechnology to identify and track products. (p. 14)

Using perovskite instead of platinum in catalytic converters could shave many hundreds of dollars off the cost of a diesel car. (p. 14)

An international team of researchers fill a gap in the periodic table, and lay another stepping stone along the path to the “island of stability.” (p. 15)

The modification of a powerful chemical analysis technique could make it the gold standard in detecting trace substances. (p. 15)

The genome of a songbird has been decoded for the first time. Zebra finches join chickens as the only birds to have detailed maps of their genetic blueprints. (p. 16)

Researchers show that a gene helps honeybees choose between nectar and pollen. (p. 16)

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Review by Sid Perkins (p. 30)

Review by Elizabeth Quill (p. 30)

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