New fossil finds and a digitally reconstructed skull bolster the claim that the oldest known member of the human evolutionary family lived in central Africa between 6 million and 7 million years ago. (p. 227)

A cell-surface protein found in the nervous system may play a central role in a chronic-pain condition known as neuropathy. (p. 227)

A tiny dot of light next to a young, sunlike star might be the long-sought image of an extrasolar planet. (p. 228)

Researchers have exerted a little mind control over fruit flies by designing and installing genetic 'remote controls' within the insects' brains. (p. 228)

Top-notch magnetic resonance sensing now found only in hospitals and chemical labs may become available in portable devices, thanks to a new type of magnetic sensor. (p. 229)

When looking for a home, young fish seem to prefer a reef that's alive with the sounds of shrimp and fish rather than a quieter environment. (p. 229)

A new chemical technique for extracting natural dyes from ancient textiles could help identify the plant species from which the colorants came. (p. 230)

A new mathematical model estimates how many medieval manuscripts have survived to the present. (p. 231)

Researchers have yet to find markers for race in the genome, but understanding the biology underlying perceptions of race could have dramatic social and personal consequences. (p. 232)

The Mars rover Spirit recently had its dirty solar arrays cleaned off, possibly by a dust devil, allowing the craft to generate nearly as much energy as it did when it first landed on the Red Planet in January 2004. (p. 235)

Some plants can reinstate genes missing from their own chromosomes but that had been carried by previous generations. (p. 235)

A new analysis may have put the final piece in the puzzle of how the Moon formed. (p. 235)

A relatively safe region within the seas of radiation that surround Earth owes its existence to lightning storms. (p. 235)

Bacterial viruses, or phages, inject DNA into their prey in a way that is more complicated than researchers had previously thought. (p. 235)

A genetic study indicates that pigs were domesticated in at least seven different parts of Asia and Europe, not in just two regions, as many researchers had assumed. (p. 236)

Instant identification of cancer cells may become possible following experiments demonstrating that healthy and cancerous cells alter laser light in different, and distinguishable, ways. (p. 237)

Exploiting the relative strength of surface tension forces in the world of tiny objects, a novel type of nanomotor creates a powerful thrust each time molten metal droplets merge. (p. 237)

A scale-on-a-chip capable of weighing individual, biologically active proteins took a step closer to reality as a minuscule, vibrating bridge detected the mass of a mere 30 xenon atoms. (p. 237)

(p. 239)