Molecules/Matter & Energy

Clear batteries, mucus busters, a 3-D invisibility cloak and more in this week's news

Breaking up is hard for goo
Scientists have hit upon a couple of compounds that weaken the stiff mucus that afflicts the lungs of many cystic fibrosis patients. Mucus usually forms a sticky blanket that traps and helps clear inhaled particles, but in people with cystic fibrosis, fibrous bundles of DNA make mucus stiff, thick and tough to clear.