Chemists created a new form of carbon called cyclocarbon. The 18-atom ring is illustrated here using data from an atomic force microscope. Bonds between the atoms are alternately longer and shorter, giving the ring nine sides.

To reshape living tissue, surgeons usually cut into cells and stitch the wound. This type of surgery creates scars. A new, painless approach would damage few cells and might take only a few minutes.

Three permanently magnetized liquid droplets floating in oil. As they spin in response to a rotating magnetic field, their activity wraps orange dye around themselves.

This artist’s drawing suggests what a floating solar-electricity and water-cleansing system might look like. Here the solar-cell panels are mounted atop a water clean-up system.