Two new compounds uncovered by pharmaceutical scientists block integrase, an enzyme essential to the replication cycle of the virus that causes AIDS. (p. 68)

Scientists have identified a receptor protein in taste buds that recognizes the flavor of monosodium glutamate. (p. 68)

The temperature of the North Pacific Ocean has apparently veered from one extreme to the other—a change that could alter North American weather for the next decade or two. (p. 69)

Lumpy sacs bulging out of a horse's auditory tubes may solve the mystery of how such an athletic animal keeps its brain from overheating during exercise. (p. 69)

New evidence supports the notion that Jupiter's moon Europa contains an ocean beneath its icy surface, and a planetary scientist has proposed a novel way that Europa could be getting the energy required to sustain life within that ocean. (p. 70)

A few rural households burning trash may generate more toxic dioxins than a major, properly operated municipal incinerator. (p. 70)

The Intel Science Talent Search announces its 40 finalists (p. 71)

New experiments suggest that a coordinated dance involving more and more molecules may help explain the puzzling transformation from liquid to the molecular gridlock of solid glass. (p. 71)

Research provides guidance on how best to bank water during times of plenty for use during subsequent droughts (p. 72)

Preliminary research suggests that inhaled nitric oxide may offer a much-needed treatment for patients suffering from complications of sickle cell disease. (p. 78)

An observatory in space has detected the coolest black hole yet found (p. 75)

Studies of fruit flies taking over the New World and stickleback fish adapting to Canadian lakes suggest that evolution can proceed quickly and take predictable paths. (p. 75)

When barn swallow nestlings open wide for food, their parents may be looking for the healthiest throats. (p. 75)

Excess concentrations of insulin in the blood may hamper the body's ability to break down blood clots efficiently. (p. 77)

Celera Genomics announced that it has sequenced 90 percent of the human genome and claimed it has found about 97 percent of all human genes. (p. 77)

Roughly 60 percent of men who have a cancerous prostate gland removed are subsequently impotent. (p. 77)

A proof of the double-bubble conjecture for the case in which the two bubbles' volumes are unequal appears within reach. (p. 77)

An ancient manuscript long hidden from public view may provide significant insights into the way Archimedes did his mathematical work more than 2,000 years ago. (p. 77)