Notebook

  1. Life

    A downy killer wages chemical warfare

    The common fungus Beauveria bassiana makes white downy corpses of its victims.

    By Beth Mole
  2. Tech

    Flame-finding pistols set off decades of blazing technology

    Researchers unveiled a gun-shaped flame detector in 1965

    By Beth Mole
  3. Earth

    Natural concrete keeps lid on Italian volcano

    Naturally occurring, concretelike rock allows the ground around Italy’s Campi Flegrei caldera to bulge without bursting.

    By Thomas Sumner
  4. Animals

    Giant pandas live in the slow lane

    Giant pandas burn far less energy than similarly sized land mammals.

    By Meghan Rosen
  5. Tech

    Plastic shell lets roach-bot squeeze through gaps

    An arched shell helps a six-legged robot shimmy past obstacles.