Studies in rats suggest that the active compound in licorice root can promote or hinder the availability of certain drugs.

Scientists have engineered several compounds that target an enzyme that blackleg and black spot fungi use to thwart plant defense systems. The selective compounds are designed not to harm beneficial species while still protecting valuable crops.

Researchers find a simple way to get molecules into the meta position on an aromatic ring, opening fresh possibilities for making new compounds.

Scientists survey the specific gravity of 25 marine critters. (p. 8)

Scientists have created a new material that repairs itself when exposed to ultraviolet light. (p. 10)

Star students receive more than $530,000 in scholarships and prizes in the Intel Science Talent Search. (p. 12)

A new study finds that a particular microbe makes caterpillars susceptible to the insecticide.

A mathematical constant that emerges only in the unusual conditions of specific black hole systems has shown up in a simple Newtonian system. (p. 8)

New research reveals another impact of fish farming on wild stocks. (p. 18)

Southern right whales learn where to eat from mom and may not seek new feeding grounds if these favorite restaurants go belly-up.

When angiosperms diversified 100 million years ago, they opened new niches for ants, plants and frogs.

Chemical fossils in Precambrian sedimentary rock push back the first date for animal life. (p. 12)

A new study suggests that people in America’s Southwest were making cacao beverages as early as A.D. 1000. (p. 14)