A new study argues that intelligent alien life, should it exist, is more likely to communicate with Earth by sending artifacts, rather than radio waves.

Burrowing owls have been observed surrounding their nests with excrement from other animals, then waiting patiently for dinner to show up—dung beetles.

A bird flu virus killed 26 people in Asia and prompted widespread slaughter of poultry several months ago. Now a new study says it can also infect cats.

Computer analysis of an African fossil indicates that a human-like creature walked upright six million years ago—the earliest evidence of bipedalism found to date.

Traveler magazine's geotourism editor says the military dictators of Burma (Myanmar) are defacing medieval Buddhist temples at one of Asia's greatest archaeological sites.

Millions of feral cats—domestic animals that have become wild—are said to be running free throughout the U.S., threatening birds and public health.

Musk has been used in perfume and traditional remedies for 5,000 years. But now the deer that secretes the valuable substance is becoming threatened across its range.

Researchers in China have unearthed the fossil remains of a parrotlike dinosaur surrounded by 34 juveniles. The find suggests dinosaurs were nurturing parents.

A capsule jettisoned to Earth by NASA's Genesis spacecraft today failed to deploy its parachute and crash-landed in the Utah desert.

Earth's magnetic field is reportedly about 10 percent weaker today than it was when a German mathematician first started keeping tabs on it in 1845. So should we worry?

A new study estimates that if the nearly 12,200 animals and plants currently listed as threatened or endangered disappear, another 6,300 "affiliate" species could also be lost.

Seeking relief from urban heat, Toronto has tapped Lake Ontario's frigid depths to cool office buildings, joining a growing number of cities using "deep-source cooling."

Indigenous issues are receiving more political attention worldwide, but many observers say most indigenous people remain mired in poverty. Dwindling land remains a chief cause, experts say.

Trees bring both comfort and measurable benefits to urban environments. The problem is that roots don't flourish under pavement. Now scientists think they have a solution.

Hurricane Ivan will pass near or over the western tip of Cuba today. The powerful Category Five storm, which has already claimed 65 lives, will bring devastating winds and a potential storm surge of 20 feet (6 meters) or more.

Scientists are investigating whether global warming is linked to declining penguin populations on South Africa's Prince Edward Islands and Antarctica.

For environmentally minded urbanites, no kitchen is complete without an accessory that treats hundreds of wriggling, red guests to dinner: a composting worm bin.

From the wetlands out front to the undulating exterior, the new National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., is built on native ideas. Includes photo gallery.

Many Native Americans believe exhibits at the new Smithsonian museum in Washington are literally alive—some masks are even fed cornmeal. Includes photo gallery.

Get a jump on the crowds with our guide to the building, the grounds, the exhibits—and what you need to know to plan a visit to Washington, D.C.'s newest museum.

Get the facts on Native American breakthroughs, from chocolate and chewing gum to snow goggles and syringes.

A group of Bushmen are touring the U.S. to raise funds for a court battle. They are fighting Botswana over ancestral lands in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

From across the Americas, Native Americans marched in the opening powwow in Washington, D.C.—the largest such gathering in recent times.

Surfers and sunbathers aren't the only creatures crowding the Malibu beach, as birding columnist Mathew Tekulsky discovered during a recent stay.

A new study suggests the ancient Egyptians put as much care into mummifying some cats, birds, and other animals as they did into preserving human corpses.

From the wetlands out front to the undulating exterior, the new National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., is built on native ideas. Includes photo gallery.

Hurricane Ivan roared into the Gulf Coast near Mobile, Alabama, early this morning with peak winds exceeding 125 miles an hour (200 kilometers an hour).

In this week's TravelWatch column: A small experiment in Armenia shows how easy it is to turn an urban dead zone into an appealing, living place.

Within a decade computer models may be able to forecast some types of earthquakes with accuracy similar to that of current forecasts for hurricanes, scientists say.

For the past 30 years scientists have scoured the most inhospitable environments for life. Just about everywhere they look, they find it thriving in microscopic form.

Using data from a NASA satellite, an astronomer has simulated the sound that he says followed the birth of the universe. Includes audio.

In April a Christian activist announced a summer 2004 expedition to search for Noah's ark. The quest didn't happen, and now critics are questioning the project's credibility.

New Zealand has reached a major milestone in its 110-year effort to save many native birds from extinction and reintroduce them to their old mainland habitats.

Oil spills cause over half a million waterbird deaths each year, according to conservationists. Rescue workers offer some birds a chance at survival.

A controversial new study suggests Mars had an acidic ocean. The strange brew, spiked with sulfates and iron, could still have harbored life, scientists say.

The male meadow vole faces a big problem: How can it become a father when a female is likely to mate with every other male in the neighborhood?

Popular television shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation have heightened public interest in forensics. So what is the job of a crime-scene investigator really like?

Today researchers announced the discovery of a new species of ancient reptile. The 230-million-year-old remains of the long-necked, aquatic predator were found in China.

Tumbling through space like a fumbled football, a peanut-shaped asteroid named 4179 Toutatis is expected to pass within a million miles (1.6 million kilometers) of Earth today.

Many plants can naturally clean chemically contaminated soil and groundwater. Researchers are now helping them do a quicker, better job of rehabbing polluted sites.

Earth's magnetic field has flipped many times over the last billion years. But only recently have scientists developed computer models to reveal how these reversals occur.

The arrival of Jeanne, the fourth powerful hurricane to slam into Florida in two months, made it likely that 2004 will be the costliest hurricane season in U.S. history.

Pick your vehicle—stock car, motorcycle, pickup truck, riding lawn mower—and competitors in the United States race them. So, too, the solar-powered car.

Birding columnist Mathew Tekulsky considers the joys of sparrows wintering in his California backyard.

The North American bullfrog population is booming. That may sound like good news, but it isn't—not when the frog has leaped far beyond its native habitat.

Hoping to monitor penguins unobtrusively, scientists are testing a tag made of silicone rubber. Stainless steel tags used currently can impede the birds' ability to swim.

SpaceShipOne, the first privately built, manned vehicle to reach space, roared to space and back again this morning from a launch site in California's Mojave desert.

Photographer and conservationist Karl Ammann discusses why he takes often shocking photos of African apes and other rare animals killed for meat. With photo galleries.

Photographer and conservationist Karl Ammann discusses why he takes often shocking photos of African apes and other rare animals killed for meat. With photo galleries.

Mount St. Helens blew a cloud of steam and gray ash into the skies over Washington State earlier today. Observers reported the eruption lasted 20 minutes.