NewsDaily: Science Headlines

Another reason to cover your cough - pets at risk (Reuters)

Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:41:45 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2009 (Reuters) -- People who think they may have H1N1 flu need to stay away from work, avoid sneezing on their spouses and children and now, they have someone else to worry about infecting too -- their pets. ... > read full story

Study suggests peat CO2 credits more valuable (Reuters)

Sunanda Creagh — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:39:22 EST

JAKARTA, Nov. 5, 2009 (Reuters) -- An Indonesia-based study is showing carbon-rich tropical peat lands trap more greenhouse gases than first thought, driving up their potential value on the carbon market and strengthening the case for their protection. ... > read full story

Company sequences whole human genome for $1,700 (Reuters)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:24:11 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2009 (Reuters) -- Want to know your entire DNA sequence? A California company has done it for as little as $1,700. ... > read full story

Canada to investigate disappearing Pacific salmon (Reuters)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:02:35 EST

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 5, 2009 (Reuters) -- Canada will launch an investigation into why far fewer sockeye salmon than scientists had predicted returned to the Fraser River on the Pacific Coast this summer. ... > read full story

Scientists halt brain disease with new gene therapy (Reuters)

Kate Kelland — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:02:11 EST

LONDON, Nov. 5, 2009 (Reuters) -- Scientists have managed to halt a rare and fatal brain disease with an experimental gene therapy technique using a deactivated version of the AIDS virus, a study published on Thursday showed. ... > read full story

China says space plans peaceful (Reuters)

Lucy Hornby — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:41:35 EST

BEIJING, Nov. 5, 2009 (Reuters) -- China's foreign ministry insisted on Thursday that the country's intentions in space were peaceful, after comments from top air force brass preparing to celebrate a 60th anniversary worried analysts in the United States. ... > read full story

Bypass surgery safer using heart-lung pump: study (Reuters)

Gene Emery — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:57 EST

BOSTON, Nov. 4, 2009 (Reuters) -- Allowing the heart to keep beating during coronary bypass surgery is riskier than stopping the heart and using a heart-lung machine to keep the patient alive, researchers reported on Wednesday. ... > read full story

Space junk storm will up mission costs: experts (Reuters)

Kate Kelland — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:58:48 EST

LONDON, Nov. 4, 2009 (Reuters) -- A growing storm of debris flying around in space is dramatically increasing the risk of orbital crashes, and steps to avoid them will add greatly to the costs of future space flight, British space experts say. ... > read full story

U.S. eyes "intent" of China's space programs (Reuters)

Phil Stewart — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:32:31 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2009 (Reuters) -- The U.S. military needs to deepen dialogue with China to better understand the intent of its space programs, a U.S. general said on Tuesday, after a Chinese commander announced plans to develop offensive military capabilities in space. ... > read full story

Pentagon eyes crash analysis on 1,300 satellites (Reuters)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:31:29 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2009 (Reuters) -- The U.S. military on Tuesday said it met its goal of conducting collision analysis on 800 maneuverable satellites in September, and expects to be able to track 500 more non-maneuvering satellites by year's end. ... > read full story

French anthropologist Levi-Strauss dies at 100 (Reuters)

Estelle Shirbon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:22:17 EST

PARIS, Nov. 3, 2009 (Reuters) -- French intellectual Claude Levi-Strauss, the founder of structural anthropology, has died at the age of 100, his publishing house Plon said on Tuesday. ... > read full story

Pregnant women should get flu shot as winter bites: WHO (Reuters)

Stephanie Nebehay — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:51:13 EST

GENEVA, Nov. 3, 2009 (Reuters) -- Pregnant women and other people at high risk should be vaccinated against the H1N1 swine flu virus as the cold weather begins to bite in the northern hemisphere, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. ... > read full story

One of Tsavo's lions ate most human prey (Reuters)

Andrew Stern — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:04 EST

CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2009 (Reuters) -- Two man-eating lions terrorized Kenya during the building of a railroad bridge over the Tsavo River in the late 19th century, but only one was making regular meals of human prey, researchers said on Monday. ... > read full story

Lawsuit against gene patents can proceed: judge (Reuters)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:59:38 EST

NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2009 (Reuters) -- A lawsuit challenging patents on two human genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer can move forward, a U.S. federal judge ruled on Monday. ... > read full story

Pig DNA mapped: may help with breeding, vaccines (Reuters)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:01:48 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2009 (Reuters) -- An international team of researchers said on Monday it had mapped the DNA of a domestic pig, work they say could help lead to better breeding techniques as well as improve vaccines against diseases such as swine flu. ... > read full story

Deforestation sped demise of Nasca in Peru: study (Reuters)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:57:06 EST

BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 2, 2009 (Reuters) -- The mysterious people who etched the "Nasca Lines" across deserts in Peru hastened their own demise by clearing forests 1,500 years ago, according to a study on Monday. ... > read full story

Divers probe Mayan ruins submerged in Guatemala lake (Reuters)

Sarah Grainger — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:02:58 EDT

GUATEMALA CITY, Oct. 30, 2009 (Reuters) -- Scuba divers are exploring the depths of a volcanic lake in Guatemala to find clues about an ancient sacred island where Mayan pilgrims flocked to worship before it was submerged by rising waters. ... > read full story

Ariane rocket launches two television satellites (Reuters)

Franck Leconte — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:28:30 EDT

KOUROU, French Guiana, Oct. 29, 2009 (Reuters) -- An Ariane-5 rocket placed two television satellites in orbit after blasting off from French Guiana on Thursday, space officials said. ... > read full story

Multiyear Arctic ice is effectively gone: expert (Reuters)

David Ljunggren — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:01:51 EDT

OTTAWA, Oct. 29, 2009 (Reuters) -- The multiyear ice covering the Arctic Ocean has effectively vanished, a startling development that will make it easier to open up polar shipping routes, an Arctic expert said on Thursday. ... > read full story

Bad driver? Blame your genes (Reuters)

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:33:20 EDT

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2009 (Reuters) -- No need to curse that bad driver weaving in and out of the lane in front of you -- he cannot help it, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. ... > read full story