Hydrocarbons in fluids spewing from hydrothermal vents on the seafloor in the central Atlantic were produced by inorganic chemical reactions deep within the ocean crust, a finding with implications for the possible origins of life. (p. 67)

A new study suggests that many, or perhaps most, sunlike stars have planets much like Earth. (p. 67)

Potato varieties from Chile arrived in Europe several years before the blights of the mid-1800s, a new analysis of DNA from old plant collections reveals. (p. 68)

The African naked mole-rat doesn't feel pain from acid or chilies, a possible adaptation to its cramped underground habitat. (p. 68)

Forty outstanding young scientists will travel to Washington, D.C., for the final round of the 2008 Intel Science Talent Search. (p. 69)

A new study finds that a sedentary lifestyle is linked to short telomeres on chromosomes, potentially a sign of rapid aging. (p. 69)

A new species of giant elephant-shrew, small bounding forest dwellers very distantly related to elephants, has been discovered in Tanzania. With video. (p. 70)

High levels of the microRNA miR-21 lead to poor prognoses for colon cancer patients. (p. 70)

The first entries—with the basics for a mere 30,000 species—in the Web-based Encyclopedia of Life are scheduled for release in a matter of weeks. (p. 72)

Ten years after researchers discovered that the expansion of the universe was speeding up rather than slowing down, cosmologists are still struggling to explain the astonishing finding. (p. 74)

By reshuffling the chemical letters of the genetic code, scientists have made short strands of DNA that can distinguish several different smells, such as explosives and food preservatives. (p. 77)

Fish alter the growth of crystals in their skin, making it supershiny. (p. 77)

The source of polychlorinated biphenyls found heavily tainting some homes—and their dwellers—appears to be a durable topcoat for hardwood floors that was widely used a half-century ago. (p. 77)

Suppressing a receptor protein called neuropilin-2 slows colon cancer growth in mice. (p. 77)

Big, dark sheep on a Scottish island are not breaking the rules of evolution after all. (p. 78)

Researchers have found cells resembling stem cells in the mouse pancreas, suggesting new ways to treat diabetes. (p. 78)

Mauna Loa, Hawaii's most massive volcano, may be splitting the Earth's crust. (p. 78)

Celery's tasteless compounds make chicken soup taste better. (p. 78)

(p. 79)