*An international team of 291 scientists decodes the x chromosome, finding an unexpectedly large number of genes linked to human brain functions.

* European astronomers claim a visual milestone: the first photographic image of a planet outside our solar system. The Jupiter-size planet orbits the star GQ Lup, 400 light-years away.

* Alternative stem cell sources: Australian scientists grow human stem cells from nose tissue, and MIT researchers harvest mouse whisker follicles that grow into skin cells, smooth muscle cells, and neurons.

* King tut went to his grave with a flask of red wine, say Spanish chemists who analyzed residues from his tomb.

* pierced mouths or lips can eventually cause dental disease, chipped teeth, and receding gums, say Ohio State University researchers.

* Vikings, not the Dutch, first developed the telescope, archaeologists say. Magnifying lenses found on a Baltic Sea island date some 500 years before 16th-century Dutch models.

* Chimps, dogs, and rats emit sounds resembling human laughter, says Bowling Green State University psychologist Jaak Panksepp, suggesting laughter may have preceded the development of human speech.

* Oysters do boost the libido, say U.S. and Italian chemists. They find the shellfish are rich in rare amino acids that, especially when eaten raw, trigger an increase in sex hormones.

* Noted physiologist Eric Poehlman pleaded guilty to falsifying a $542,000 NIH grant proposal. He also admitted faking 17 other proposals and data in 10 articles. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

8 NASA says the 11.8-inch telescope aboard deep impact, a probe scheduled to collide with comet Tempel 1 on July 4, has moisture in its barrel, causing blurry images.