Scientists have discovered unusual microbes that offer new clues about how cells adapt to life with little or no oxygen. The findings help explain how mitochondria, the tiny structures that power our cells, can shrink, change or even disappear over evolutionary time.

Astronomers at Arizona State University have joined an international team that recently reached a major milestone: For the first time, they directly measured the speed of a superheated wind blowing through the center of a nearby galaxy.