Picture yourself at a busy pedestrian crossing. When the light is red, everyone waits—until one person starts to cross. Soon, others follow, and eventually everyone follows the crowd and crosses.

Zebras and tigers have stripes, cheetahs and leopards have spots, and the ocellated lizard (Timon lepidus) boasts a labyrinthine pattern of black-and-green chains of scales. Now researchers from the ...

Hybrid electric vehicles, cell phones, digital cameras, and the Mars Curiosity rover are just a few of the many devices that use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Now a team of researchers has a ...