News in Brief

  1. Space

    Atom & Cosmos

    The gassy halo engulfing the Milky Way, a comet in the neighborhood, and extraterrestrial rocks as the source of life on Earth.

    By Science News
  2. Chemistry

    Japanese lab lays claim to element 113

    With the latest observation of a superheavy atom, a chemical catfight looms over who will get to name it.

    By Rachel Ehrenberg
  3. Life

    How the cheetah loses its spots

    Mutations in one gene alter felines’ coat coloring.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  4. Life

    International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park, Md., August 5–10

    Dung beetle gaits and the whine of a mosquito's flight

    By Susan Milius
  5. Earth

    Earth & Environment

    Soot’s contributions to global warming may be overestimated, and unusual source of oceans’ methane discovered.