The ants -- formally known as "paratrenicha species near pubens" -- have spread to five Houston-area counties since they were first spotted in Texas in 2002.

Scientists are not sure exactly where the ants came from, but their cousins, commonly called crazy ants, are found in the Southeast and the Caribbean.

God, alien life and the Vatican

Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said.

"Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures.

More women opt for mastectomies

A growing number of women with early-stage breast cancer seem to be choosing to have the whole breast removed instead of just the cancerous lump, a Mayo Clinic study of about 5,500 women found.

Mastectomies were standard treatment until 1990, when studies showed that women whose cancers were small and confined to the breast did just as well if they had less radical surgery followed by radiation.

Researchers are not sure what is responsible for the new trend, but speculate that newer tests like MRI scans are finding more cancers, or flagging so many suspicious spots that women want the breast removed for peace of mind.

The findings are to be reported next month at a meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

Shingles vaccine urged for seniors

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended that people 60 and older get Merck & Co.'s vaccine Zostavax to protect against shingles.

The CDC said the recommendation replaces a provisional one it made in 2006 after the vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration and recommended by a CDC advisory panel of immunization experts.

Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same one that causes chicken pox.

There is no cure for shingles, which causes a painful, blistering rash.