For some years, astronomers have been trying to track down all the lithium predicted by standard cosmological models. Spectroscopic dissection of globular clusters reveals that the answer might lie in the stars.

Acidic and basic molecules are antagonistic, and keeping them in their place is no easy job — unless, it seems, one unites them under the tutelage of ordered, nanoporous materials known as organosilicas.

A family of enzymes called caspases — best known for their involvement in programmed cell death — now seems to be pivotal in the progression of two neurodegenerative diseases.