A quantum computation involving a custom-built molecule furnishes experimental evidence that a quantum computer can solve certain mathematical problems more efficiently than can a conventional computer. (p. 132)

Researchers have for the first time coerced argon into forming a stable and neutral compound with other elements. (p. 132)

The odd cog teeth of the crocodile heart may be the first cardiac valve known to control blood flow actively. (p. 133)

Though cars' catalytic converters clean up some of the acidic contributors to urban haze and particulates pollution, a subset of these pollution-control devices seems to foster the production of ammonia, another pivotal ingredient in haze and particulates. (p. 133)

A drug that lowers the activity of serotonin and other chemical messengers in the brain may boost the effectiveness of psychological treatments for a severe form of alcoholism. (p. 134)

Mating with multiple partners benefits the female Trinidadian guppy and her offspring by reducing gestation time and producing youngsters more adept at forming protective schools and at evading capture. (p. 134)

Young infants kept out of day care and having no more than one older sibling are significantly more likely to develop asthma than are babies who have greater exposure to other children. (p. 134)

Inhabiting tiny pits in the small intestine, so-called Paneth cells defend other cells in these crypts by discharging bacteria-killing bursts of enzymes and other molecules. (p. 135)

Advanced spacesuits protected astronauts far from Earth just 30 years ago, but the materials have already deteriorated. (p. 135)

World's mightiest particle collider may transform less-than-nothing into a primordial something. (p. 136)

Tales from the dark (and frequently crunchy) side of biodiversity. (p. 140)

Female salamanders get aggressive if the male they share a rock with wanders back after an interlude with another female. (p. 143)

In mustachioed rodents called tuco-tucos, group life seems to have fostered more diverse immune systems than has solitary living. (p. 143)

Two cricket species don't seem to care whether they get mixed up at mating time, an oddity that may have something to do with the female's need to dine on leftover sperm. (p. 143)

A follow-up study of dog-personality tests suggests that they don't have the predictive power many puppy purchasers expect. (p. 143)

A new look—and listen—at Darwin's finches finds that the famous relationship between beak size and food supply affects their courtship songs as well. (p. 143)

Researchers who have studied how female guppies copy other females' choice of mate are tackling the same question in Homo sapiens. (p. 143)