Biochemistry

Misfolded proteins may preserve postmortem brains well after other tissues have decayed

Social wasps can hold their liquor

Mysterious “leopard spots” on a Martian rock could be evidence of extraterrestrial life—or of mere lifeless chemistry. Finding out the truth may require bringing the rock back to Earth

Injection of a hormone called FGF21 rapidly revives intoxicated mice.

Hungarian-American biophysicist and inventorMária Telkes illuminated the field of solar energy. She invented a solar oven, a solar desalination kit and, in the late 1940s, designed one of the first solar-heated houses

A chemical trick for making oxygen can sustain whole underground ecosystems

Minuscule motor molecules could emit light as they journey into cells

A new computer model “maps” odor molecules to differentiate among those that have meaty, powdery, sweet and many other scents

A mathematical model reveals the best way to achieve consistently tasty espresso

Identifying the gut microbes in plastic-munching beetle larvae illuminates bacteria that could help degrade plastic waste

A bacteria-produced protein could help snag, detect or filter radioactive particles

This mesmerizing ice formation has befuddled scientists for a century