Scientists side with smelt, salmon protections

A National Academy of Sciences panel has concluded that the much-disputed fish protections that have curbed water deliveries to the San...

Monarch butterflies suffer population loss

Monarch butterflies, devastated by storms at their winter home in Mexico, have dwindled to their lowest population levels in decades as they...

Farm chickens' DNA traced back to red jungle fowl

Hundreds of genetic mutations accumulated over thousands of years have transformed the red jungle fowl of South Asia into the domesticated...

TB rate down in U.S., but drug-resistant cases rise elsewhere

Even with tuberculosis cases falling sharply in the United States to historic lows, strains of drug-resistant disease are gaining ground...

Running from the recession

Your foot strikes the ground about 1,500 times when running a mile. It strikes the ground about 39,300 times when running 26.2 of them....

Erectile dysfunction is strong predictor of fatal heart ailments, study finds

For the first time, researchers have shown that erectile dysfunction is a strong predictor of the likelihood that men will die of heart...

Scientists study use of tobacco plants in making flu vaccine

Here's an idea: Rehabilitate the tobacco plant by using it to make flu vaccine. This may sound like a double-whammy nightmare for anyone who...

Vitamin D linked to lower heart disease risk

Raising the amount of vitamin D in the blood appears to help some people -- at least those deficient in the vitamin -- reduce their risk...

Bacterial trail may be next forensic clue

Forget fingerprint dusting. Crime-scene drama fans might soon see a new forensic technique debut on their favorite TV series: hand-germ...

Aggressive measures to treat diabetics make many of them worse, studies show

It seemed like a good idea. Diabetics are at an unusually high risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke, so sharply reducing their...

'Vaccines court' rejects mercury-autism link in 3 test cases

The federal "vaccines court" ruled Friday in three separate cases that the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal does not cause autism,...

Obesity risks start before birth

Pam Levin's daughter weighed less than 5 pounds at birth. But by the time the child turned 3, Levin and her husband had begun to bristle...

Big Bang project may delay space shuttle's final flight

Possible problems with a $2-billion physics experiment could delay the space shuttle's final flight and further complicate White House plans...

Invasive heart test may be overused, researchers say

Nearly two-thirds of those who undergo an invasive heart test called cardiac catheterization when they do not have diagnosed heart disease...

Laptops could be key to an earthquake early-warning system

If Elizabeth Cochran allowed herself to dream, the future would look something like this:

Pill found to outdo lotion in tough head-lice cases

Head lice are itchy, nasty nuisances that can be hard to get rid of. Can a pill provide relief? A new study has found that in tough cases,...