This document contains 3 summaries of separate topics: 1) New surveys in the Republic of Congo found the population of western lowland gorillas to be much higher than previously estimated, at 125,000. However, war in a neighboring country threatens the smaller population of mountain gorillas. 2) China has made impressive progress in its space program, launching 3 crewed missions between 2003-2008 and completing a spacewalk. China aims to land humans on the moon by 2020. 3) NASA's Phoenix lander explored Mars' polar region in 2008, finding evidence the planet was once wet but reinforcing that Mars is currently a dead world. The lander exceeded its life expectancy before succumbing to the planet