It's a breath of fresh air: some creative thinking on space and dark energy from an Oxford theoretical physicist--Subir Sarkar. He proposes that our galaxy is surrounded by a gigantic bubble of empty space. Wish there were more guys like this willing to think outside the box. . .

At the other extreme, science news really doesn't get any nerdier than this. Homemade electronic apparel? Do the inseam mikes come with a sew-on disclosure label?

You may remember the fungus identified in the deaths of amphibians around the globe. It's been discovered that the basic antibiotic for human pink eye is effective against the fungus. Not solved: how to rub down all the frogs in the world with chloramphenicol ointment.