Transplanting the entire genome of one species of bacteria into another paves the way for making synthetic microbes with manmade DNA. (p. 403)

DNA evidence shows that the Near Eastern lineage of the wildcat, one of five lineages of Felis silvestris, gave rise to today's domestic kitty cats. (p. 403)

A genetically engineered virus not only kills bacteria but makes an enzyme that breaks up the biofilm in which the bacteria live. (p. 404)

Molecular cargoes loaded onto nanoparticles can sneak into mammalian cells on the backs of bacteria. (p. 404)

Moderate consumption of beer, wine, or gin lowers blood glucose, perhaps helping to stave off type 2 diabetes and heart disease. (p. 405)

The illicit drug methamphetamine alters immune proteins unleashed in the body, possibly explaining why some longtime methamphetamine abusers suffer heart problems. (p. 405)

Chimpanzees, as well as 18-month-old children, will assist strangers even when getting no personal reward, suggesting that human altruism has deep evolutionary roots. (p. 406)

The staff of Science News presents wide-ranging recommendations of books for readers to pack for their summer vacations. (p. 408)

Diamonds may be carried to the surface in explosions of gas and rock fizzing up from deep within Earth's mantle. (p. 412)

Artificial genes inserted into cells make RNA molecules that can perform logical computations. (p. 413)

Ex-planet Pluto suffers another demotion, as observations show that it's much less massive than Eris, another distant denizen of the outer solar system. (p. 413)

West Nile virus has hammered populations of five common North American birds. (p. 413)

Bacteria lurking in the bowels of an abandoned Wisconsin mine might help remove toxic metals from polluted water. (p. 413)

The life-extending effect that some animals get from calorie-restricted diets may depend on signals from the brain. (p. 414)

Thanks to a new chemical process, many products now manufactured from petroleum could one day be made from sugar molecules. (p. 414)

Three-dimensional imaging of a classic violin's vibrations explains the instrument's superior ability to direct sound to the audience. (p. 414)

Saturn's moon Titan may be the best rock concert venue in the solar system, according to computer simulations of sound propagation on other worlds. (p. 414)

(p. 415)