Science News • Magazine Of The Society For Science & The Public, December 7, 2019

From the Eastern Shore to Cumberland Gap, Virginia stretches across five distinct regions, each home to unique and amazing geology. In the Coastal Plain's wedge of fossil-rich sediments, a meteor impact crater-the sixth largest on Earth-helped determine the location of Chesapeake Bay. The Piedmont begins at the Fall Line, the series of East Coast waterfalls that mark the upstream limit to ship navigation, such as Belle Else in Richland, where the turbulent James River erodes potholes in the Petersburg Granite. Rising up from the rolling hills of the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge forms the spine of the state, its hard basalt and gneisses on display at Shenandoah National Park. Farther west, limestones in the Valley and Ridge are riddled with caves and sinkholes, with dissolution forming one of the wonders of the world at Natural Bridge State Park. Along the very western edge of the state is the Appalachian Plateau, where the No. 3 coal, know as America's Favorite Fuel was extracted from the historic Pocahontas Mine. Virginia Rocks! is part of the state-by-state Geology Rocks! series that introduces readers to some of the most compelling and accessible geologic sites in each state. Author Albert Dickas has picked 50 of the best sites in Virginia for discussing the enormous variety of rocks, minerals, and landforms created over the course of the states more than 1 billion years of geologic history. Table of Contents News Nearly 3 million people in the United States develop antibiotic-resistant infections each year Scientists take to the sky to pinpoint major emitters of methane in California Tiny bits of plastic inundate the homes and stomachs of baby fish Laboratory tests identify power lines as a potential cause of stress for honeybees What a leaky galaxy has to say about the early universe's makeover Want to measure gravity? Trap some atoms in midair Early Catholic Church's rules on marriage are linked to the origins of Western individualism Self-destructing mitochondria may leave nerve cells vulnerable to Lou Gehrig's disease Olfactory bulbs may not be a prerequisite for having a sense of smell An ape in Europe walked upright before human ancestors in Africa did Telescope images reveal possible source of the sun's plasma whiskers News in Brief Liver-on-a-chip could improve drug testing A dengue vaccine shows promise in an early study Features Scientists Under Fire Teen Brains on Birth Control Departments EDITOR'S NOTE NOTEBOOK REVIEWS & PREVIEWS FEEDBACK SCIENCE VISUALIZED