What's Inside Pegasus' midsection like a diamond in sky Eureka! Questions answered Much-relied-on cacao tree poorly understood scientifically Warming pressures animals, plants Ozone pollution in fires can have a broad reach Human evolution slows as lifestyle changes, geneticist says Librarian records fading sounds of the West More Quest

Before Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch tradesman-turned-scientist, developed a more powerful microscope in the 17th century, few people suspected that life forms existed, infinitesimal and unseen, around them. Then suddenly, scientists could see bacteria, cells and all manner of microorganisms.

The vermilion rockfish (Sebastes miniatus) is commonly known among anglers and fish connoisseurs as rock cod or Pacific red snapper – a singular catch. No more. John Hyde, a rockfish expert at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and colleagues say some vermilion rockfish are, in fact, a different species, newly dubbed the sunset rockfish (Sebastes crocotulus).

French scientists have created a map of the largest wheat chromosome, raising hopes that they can decode the grain's complete genome in the next five years. The breakthrough could eventually lead to improved wheat varieties that are resistant to drought and disease.