An experimental AIDS vaccine bolstered with two immune proteins protects rhesus monkeys from the disease even when they are exposed to a combination of simian and human immunodeficiency virus. (p. 260)

By analyzing some of a diamond's trapped impurities, researchers were able to measure remnants of the gargantuan pressure that produced the gem. (p. 260)

A report describing woven caps, skirts, belts, and other apparel on Venus figurines from the Stone Age draws some critical responses. (p. 261)

Detection of proton pairs simultaneously emitted from neon nuclei raises the possibility that a new and long-sought window into the nucleus has been found and unlocked. (p. 261)

A computer model of bubonic plague suggests rats can harbor the disease for years before a human epidemic breaks out. (p. 262)

A recently discovered communications problem could prevent the Huygens probe from relaying all of its precious data when it parachutes through the cloud-bedecked atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, in 2004. (p. 262)

Researchers have found a second bird genus, also in New Guinea, that carries the same toxins as poison-dart frogs in Central and South America. (p. 263)

A novel electrochemical method improves the surface of stainless steel without making the metal brittle or prone to corrosion. (p. 263)

X-ray astronomy opens a new window on the most energetic cosmic events. (p. 266)

Scientists mine the tuberculosis genome. (p. 270)

New computer simulations detail how fragments of asteroids travel to Earth and rain down as meteorites. (p. 264)

Some female red squirrels hoard extra food for youngsters that haven't yet been conceived. (p. 264)

Breeding in stored grain throughout the tropics, bean weevils represent an unusually clear example of the evolutionary male-female arms race. (p. 264)

Among people with mild symptoms of memory loss, a limited ability to recognize smells—along with an inability to detect the disability—has been linked to the future development of Alzheimer's. (p. 269)

Transplanted nerve cells can survive in the brains of people who have suffered strokes and may alleviate some brain damage. (p. 269)

Ailments ranging from the common cold to many types of cancer can make people nauseous, an effect that may occur because signals from the brain suppress the muscle contractions required for digestion. (p. 269)

The plastic cases of certain computer monitors emit a chemical—triphenyl phosphate—that can cause allergic reactions. (p. 269)

Breathing in secondhand smoke may contribute to the development of menstrual cramps. (p. 269)