Advances

Culture may play a role in how birds build collectively in the Kalahari Desert

A galaxy cluster bends light from seven background galaxies around it, letting astronomers peer into space and time

A science photo book probes the colors we can see—and even “forbidden” colors we can’t

This blazingly fast star is shooting through the Milky Way with a planet in tow

A self-building sponge that efficiently collects gold could eliminate some harsh methods used to process e-waste

New rolling, hopping robots navigate via fungus

Social wasps can hold their liquor

Human echolocation repurposes parts of the brain’s visual cortex for sound, even in sighted people

A vast, ancient slab of seafloor plunged underneath the Pacific Ocean and has hovered in Earth’s mantle for more than 120 million years, a new study suggests

Can this house of cards be built?

A smell’s effect on facial recognition is key at first—but decreases as a baby’s eyesight improves

New work listens in on bird dreams