Yahoo! News: Science News

Earl's path along northeast is not well-worn (AP)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:48:04 GMT

AP - Pushed by an ill-timed trough of low pressure, Hurricane Earl is heading uncomfortably close to an area relatively few hurricanes tend to go: the Northeast coastline.

UN: Climate funds shouldn't divert poverty aid (AP)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:22:47 GMT

AP - The U.N.'s climate chief says poor countries are right to expect that any funding they receive to combat global warming be kept separate from development aid or poverty relief.

Famed Tasmanian devil euthanized after tumor found (AP)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:44:50 GMT

AP - A Tasmanian devil named Cedric, once thought to be immune to a contagious facial cancer threatening the iconic creatures with extinction, has been euthanized after succumbing to the disease, researchers said Wednesday.

Hair Gives a Heads-Up On Heart Attack Risk (LiveScience.com)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:40:31 GMT

LiveScience.com - Stress may make you want to pull out your hair, but those tresses could be the key to measuring just how much stress you're under, according to a new study.

Feds launch investigation of Gulf platform fire (AP)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:02:34 GMT

AP - The agency that oversees offshore drilling will investigate the fire on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

BP says cost of Gulf of Mexico spill hits $8B (AP)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:02:47 GMT

AP - BP says it has so far spent $8 billion responding to the disastrous oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.

NASA Aims to Plunge Car-Sized Probe Into the Sun (SPACE.com)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:30:42 GMT

SPACE.com - NASA is developing an ambitious new mission to plunge a car-sized probe directly into the sun's atmosphere, boldly going where no spacecraft has gone before.

Exercise Can Counteract Obesity Genes, Says Study (Time.com)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:50:00 GMT

Time.com - A new study finds people who are genetically predisposed to obesity may benefit most from physical activity

Thanks to high-tech, storm track easier to predict (AP)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:12:17 GMT

AP - Sophisticated computer models that replaced instinct with cold, hard math have helped forecasters predict where a storm like Hurricane Earl is going about twice as accurately as 20 years ago.

Japan whale meat case echoes apartheid: Greenpeace chief (AFP)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:42:32 GMT

AFP - Greenpeace chief Kumi Naidoo on Friday likened Japan's treatment of two of its anti-whaling activists to the tactics of the former apartheid regime he once campaigned against in his native South Africa.

Mass Extinction Threat: Earth on Verge of Huge Reset Button? (LiveScience.com)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:30:25 GMT

LiveScience.com - Mass extinctions have served as huge reset buttons that dramatically changed the diversity of species found in oceans all over the world, according to a comprehensive study of fossil records. The findings suggest humans will live in a very different future if they drive animals to extinction, because the loss of each species can alter entire ecosystems.

BP says oil spill costs hit $8 bln (AFP)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:07:38 GMT

AFP - British oil giant BP said Friday that the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster has cost about eight billion dollars so far.

The nation's weather (AP)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:40:22 GMT

AP - Hurricane Earl was forecast to rapidly approach the East Coast on Thursday, bringing unsettled weather to the North Carolina coast.

Asteroid Diversity: Mixed Bag of Space Rocks Found Near Earth (SPACE.com)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:33:03 GMT

SPACE.com - A new survey of asteroids near Earth by a NASA space telescope has found a much wider variety of the space rocks than previously thought, with some shiny and bright while others are dark and dull.

Stem cell firms defend record after criticism (Reuters)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:42:36 GMT

Reuters - Cell therapy companies in China and Germany who were criticized by British experts warning of the dangers of "stem cell tourism" defended themselves on Wednesday, saying their safety records were good.

BP oil spill costs hit $8 billion as ends rig probe (Reuters)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:02:12 GMT

Reuters - BP Plc said the cost of dealing with its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had risen to $8 billion as the oil giant prepared to release the findings of an internal probe into the causes of the disaster.

Typhoon kills 5 South Koreans (AP)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:02:47 GMT

AP - The death toll from Typhoon Kompasu, which battered the Korean peninsula with strong winds and heavy rains, rose to five in South Korea, an official said Friday.