A scientist's kitchen-sink–sized contraption recreates a Cretaceous-era rainforest floor and sheds light on the key role that fungi play in oil production. And U.S. Geological Survey scientists use the implosion of a building overlooking San Francisco Bay to better understand earthquake hazards on California's Hayward fault.

With 130 extrasolar planets to its credit, NASA's Kepler space telescope was going strong—until mechanical breakdowns crippled it and left astronomers scrambling to find ways to keep the mission doing science.