Pro-democratic student activist Joshua Wong, on Sept. 2, 2015. (Photo: AP) Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, 29, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a national security allegation of collusion with foreign entities, an offence that carries a potential life sentence. Several Western diplomats were present at the hearing.Wong rose to international prominence as a teenage…

A fungus that infects house flies has evolved a remarkable way to send spores towards new hosts. Entomophthora muscae grows inside an infected fly and, after the insect dies, it produces microscopic stalks that emerge from its body. Each stalk forms a single spore at its tip. Instead of simply dropping away, the spore is…

Six decades ago, Dutch elm disease swept across the United States, killing an estimated 100 million American elms that once shaded streets, parks and college campuses from coast to coast. The fungus, carried by bark beetles, turned majestic, vase-shaped trees into dead standing skeletons and changed the look of countless towns. Now, in a bold…