Scientists have come up with a way to efficiently produce thin, transparent sheets of carbon nanotubes that are several meters long. (p. 115)

An enhanced vaccine appears to offer better protection against tuberculosis than the current version does, a study in mice suggests. (p. 115)

Three phases of heavy rainfall in eastern Africa between 2.7 million and 900,000 years ago created deep lakes and might have played a critical role in the evolution of human ancestors. (p. 116)

Used systematically, special combs may be more effective than insecticidal shampoos at ridding a child's scalp of head lice. (p. 116)

Recent advances in a technique called phase-contrast x-ray imaging could make it easier for physicians to spot tumors, clogged arteries, and other soft-tissue problems. (p. 117)

Scientists have devised a way to make single-cell algae bear loads over distances of several centimeters, a tactic that could prove useful in tiny machines. (p. 117)

A young male orca that spits up fish and then ambushes gulls attracted to the mess seems to have started a wave of cultural transmission. (p. 118)

Even though a lot of people still believe birds have no sense of smell, certain species rely on their noses for important jobs, such as finding food and shelter, and maybe even a mate. (p. 120)

Drugs now used to treat erectile dysfunction might soon assume multiple roles in managing heart disease and other conditions, including some that affect women and infants. (p. 124)

The biggest survey of the heavens just got bigger when the Sloan Digital Sky Survey received a 3-year extension. (p. 126)

A new anticounterfeiting scheme generates unique, reproducible identity codes that could be used to authenticate passports, credit cards, and other items on the basis of inherent, microscopic irregularities in the items' surfaces. (p. 126)

By identifying which genes are overactive in certain breast tumors, researchers have discovered a genetic signature that could help doctors predict if and when a woman's cancer might spread to her lungs. (p. 126)

People who work in environments where large amounts of salt particles hang in the air may literally breathe their way to high blood pressure. (p. 126)

(p. 127)