Usually, materials either are stiff or can absorb shocks or vibrations; they rarely achieve both. A fresh approach combines these seemingly incompatible properties in materials that are at once stiff, lightweight and shock-absorbent. This technique embraces the failure of the materials.

Powerful bursts of radio waves from distant galaxies are typically linked to young celestial objects. But observations reveal that they are more likely to occur in rarer, more massive galaxies, offering clues to their enigmatic origins.

How did the characteristic pattern of embryonic cell divisions during animal development evolve? Analysis of the multicellular development of an organism related to animals now provides some answers.

The body’s clock is essential for anticipating daily environmental changes. Surprisingly, clock genes are highly expressed in innate immune cells that produce the inflammatory protein interleukin-17A, particularly in body fat. The clock drives a rhythmic production of this protein, which in turn contributes to the metabolic rhythms of fat.