For the scientist or wanna-be who’s (almost) got it all: We scour the planet to find ancient wood, ancient-er ice, and a bamboo microscope. Dive into our holiday gift catalog slide-show!

Most music is built on the 12-tone “chromatic” scale. Does this reflect chance, or the basic structure of the human voice? New study finds tight link between pronunciation and musical scale.

Toxins are nature’s best defenses. The Asian snake can get toxin by eating toxic food. If an Asian snake offers to let you gobble its pretty neck, don’t be tempted!

The Argentine ant invaded California 100 years ago, forming “super-colonies” that stretch hundreds of miles. Most ants attack nearby nests. Why have Argentine ants declared peace with neighbors?

How’s a hungry fish supposed to make a living in the shallow water below tropical mangrove trees? Hint: Squirt, squirt!

After boy and girl mosquitoes meet, they synchronize their wingbeats. What does this tell us about how insects use sound?

Evolution favors tiny sperm, which boost a guys chance of fertilizing an egg. So why do some fruit flies make giant sperm?

How do dragonflies fly? How do bats catch insects hidden behind leaves? How do you make a temperature of 2 billion degrees? Why would anyone care?

Need a gift for your favorite scientist? How about a solar backpack, a super-hefty magnet, or a digital camera that takes 40 million pix a second?

The solar clock doesn’t quite line up with the atomic clock. We use leap seconds to make them match. Should we dump the leap second?