At a unique beach lab, scientists are piecing together the puzzle of how and why coastlines keep changing.

Hoping to head off an astronomical scoop, scientists rushed to announce their discovery of what they consider the tenth planet in the solar system.

New research spotlights the hunting habits of South America's ancient terror birds—huge predators that could swallow a dog in a single gulp.

Geography shapes online relationships, a new study shows, and Web friends tend to have several acquaintances in common.

Dubbed the ENV (or "envy"), the hydrogen-powered motorcycle emits only water vapor and runs as quietly as a PC. Total fill-up cost: four dollars (U.S.).

Life on Mars? Who knows? Ice on Mars? Most definitely—and now we've got more cold, hard evidence.

Call it the Lie Diet: Scientists say fake memories of bad experiences with bad food can help steer eaters off the road to obesity.

Scientists have identified the gene for the main protein that female spiders use to make their silken egg cases. Will product spin-offs follow?

With the world nearly defenseless against a possible bird flu pandemic, a new study evaluates ways of containing an outbreak.

Korean scientists have won the race to clone a domestic dog successfully. They used skin cells to make a copy of a male Afghan hound.

Using new, microscopic technology to analyze dental wear-patterns, researchers have reconstructed the diets of two species of early humans.

Exponential leaps in technology may soon redefine what it means to be human, says Radical Evolution author Joel Garreau. If he's right, get ready to meet "enhanced" humans.

Female California fiddler crabs play seriously hard to get, according to a new study, which found that one bachelorette inspected 106 crab cribs before finding Mr. Right.

Scientists say last year's Hurricane Ivan kicked up waves more than 90 feet (27 meters) tall, extreme waves that could "wipe out" a commercial fishing boat.

Hurricanes and typhoons have grown stronger and longer-lasting as the Earth has warmed, a new study finds.

Skeptics who questioned evidence that the "extinct" ivory-billed woodpecker had been rediscovered concede new audio recordings offer convincing proof that the bird is alive.

Thanks to a star turn in the movie Napoleon Dynamite, these half-lion, half-tiger hybrids are stealing the show at U.S. sanctuaries. With photo gallery.

Traditional forensic analysis doesn't have an airtight science alibi, according to a new study, which drew on data from 86 DNA exoneration cases.

Warm ocean waters and other climate factors have scientists forecasting an even more powerful storm season than they predicted in May.

Automakers have started using hybrid technology to boost power rather than efficiency. But a new U.S. law promotes hybrids, regardless of their mpg.

Indian Ocean islanders who used ancient lore to escape last year's tsunami are facing a new threat that could extinguish their traditional way of life: modernization.

A U.S. Navy fighter jet left a cool and unusual calling card just as it broke the sound barrier.

More than a decade after California's black abalone fishery was closed the shellfish has still not recovered from overfishing and disease. Scientists are trying to understand why.

Two new lemur species—one a "good man" and one a squirrel-size "child"—have been found off Africa.

The dangerous phenomenon of space weather could jeopardize plans for a manned mission to Mars, a new study reports.

The space shuttle touched down successfully in California, but safety concerns still loom large at NASA.

"Congratulations on a truly spectacular test flight," Mission Control radioed the seven-member crew as Discovery rolled to a stop this morning in the predawn darkness in the Mojave Desert.

Ancient hunters, not climate change, may have spurred the extinction of giant sloths, saber-toothed cats, and other Ice Age mammals, a new study says.

Working with Russian space officials, a private firm plans to sell a flyby trip to the moon. Price per passenger: 100 million dollars (U.S.).

The presumed tenth planet was only discovered two weeks ago, but name suggestions are already rolling in, with "Persephone" and "Bob" among the contenders.

Its name sounds like a junkyard rust-bucket, but astronomers say 87 Sylvia is part of something special: the first triple asteroid system ever observed.

Climate experts say rising global temperatures could affect some U.S. regions more than others. Most vulnerable: Low-slung, storm-whipped coastal areas from the Carolinas to Texas.

Inca bureaucrats used mop-like knotted strings called khipu as "documents" in a sophisticated accounting system, new research reveals.

Boomer the kangaroo is making himself at home in a 127-year-old Australian inn.

New "micro-reactors" offer tiny ways to produce toxic chemicals. In the wrong hands, they could be deadly.

Listening to classical music within days after birth calms newborns and helps them stay healthy, say doctors at a Slovak hospital.

Two years ago activist Timothy Treadwell was mauled to death by a bear he considered a brother. Was he to blame for his own killing?

Terrorists would not have much more difficulty attacking the U.S. today than they did before 9/11, says a former CIA analyst.

Rising temperatures are rapidly changing they way animals mate, feed, and migrate, researchers say, and creatures that can't adapt may not survive.

Undersea exploration is now as close as the nearest computer, thanks to "telepresence" technology that lets scientists—and the public—dive deep from the comfort of home.

A park ranger has rediscovered a 400-foot (122-meter) waterfall in northern California that languished unseen for decades, hidden by rugged terrain and faulty maps.

Tiny Y-shaped tubes of carbon act like electrical switches, researchers say. Could these potential transistors pave the way for nano-electronics?

California regulators say dairy cows in the state's San Joaquin Valley produce more smog-forming gases than cars.

A Chinese boy tows a giant floating plastic bag of stolen natural gas—a sign of the times in the booming, fuel-thirsty country.

With summer temperatures rising in cities across North America and Europe, scientists debate whether it's just a heat wave or the work of global warming.

Animal rights activists have embroiled Australian wool growers in a media campaign over how to protect sheep from flystrike, a slow death wrought by maggots.

On his seven-month flyover of Africa, conservationist J. Michael Fay saw hundreds of hippos stuck in mud, vast anteloope herds, and humans nearly everywhere.

A team of biologists proposes introducing lions, elephants, and other wild animals to replace the giant Ice Age mammals that roamed the U.S. Plains.

Thousands of digital images shot from a low-flying airplane have revealed a startling new portrait of Africa.

In June 2004 conservationist J. Michael Fay and pilot Peter Ragg departed a South African airstrip in a camera-laden Cessna 182, launching one of the most remarkable expeditions in the history of Africa.

Say what you will about our space real estate, at least we don't live in a dry galaxy. A stellar bar 27,000 light-years long cuts through the center of the Milky Way, astronomers report.

Researchers in Japan have developed a flexible, electronic skin that may provide robots with a nearly human sense of touch.

Parents usually take their role as providers very seriously. But in an unusual role reversal, paper wasp queens beg their young for food.

Yellowstone's grizzlies are likely to be taken off the U.S. endangered list soon, spurring debate over whether the move is triumphant or tragic.

Computer models developed from CT scans give scientists a glimpse inside the delicate burial case of a millennia-old child mummy.

A controversial breeding program designed to boost genetic health has nearly tripled the number of endangered Florida panthers, researchers say.

Scientists in Singapore have developed a battery powered by urine. The credit card-size device produces about 1.5 volts, the same as a standard AA battery.

Clinging to life, hundreds of hippos throng what's left of a river in this new aerial photo from a seven-month airborne survey of Africa.

"Love will find a way," coos the surprise hit movie. But do penguins really have emotions? Animal experts say the issue is anything but black-and-white.

Sunbathers often feel a "buzz" after a long day at the beach. But scientists say this natural high can be fatally addictive.

Chinese and Americans literally view the world differently, a new study says. When looking at photos, Americans focused less on background and context.

Researchers hoping to increase the breeding rate of southern Africa's increasingly rare ground hornbill have taken to feeding abandoned chicks with puppets disguised as the birds' parents.

The space shuttle Discovery hitched a ride on top of a modified Boeing 747 for the last leg of its journey home.

New analysis of mile-thick lava deposits in India suggests a buildup of gases triggered by massive volcanic eruptions may have snuffed out the dinosaurs.

Scientists in London say they have successfully grown specialized lung cells from embryonic stem cells, a potential step toward lab-grown replacement lungs and tissue.

Equipped with a videophone, smoke detector, and infrared sensors, a new robot will phone when your house is at risk—and send the pictures to prove it.

Harvard scientists say they have found a way to turn ordinary skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells.

Wings inspired by seagulls may help this tiny spy plane dart and dive through cityscapes and quietly snoop for the U.S. military.

An extraordinary proposal to have lions, elephants, and other big African mammals roam wild across the U.S. Great Plains has been slammed by conservation groups.

Scientists have engineered mice to live 20 percent longer, and they say the discovery might someday help humans do the same.

Analysis of nearly identical earthquakes that happened years apart proves Earth's core rotates faster than the rest of the planet, a new study says.

Rockets may be the rage for space travel today, but space elevators may replace them, lifting humans and cargo into space at lower cost and risk.

A sea turtle protection campaign featuring a scantily clad model has drawn ire from women's rights advocates.

Scientists say chimpanzees teach each other new and useful behavior and conform to their group's dominant techniques for performing them—a hallmark of human culture.

A Native American group is building an all-glass, balcony-like "Skywalk" over the Grand Canyon, 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above the Colorado River.

All geared up for the best Mars show ever on Saturday night? Have we got news for you. A popular e-mail chain letter has astronomers seeing red.

Illegal online trade of live primates and body parts from protected species is running a brisk business, a new report reveals.

The grandeur (and grit) that is HBO's lavish new series required 4,000 costumes—and backbreaking authenticity.

A new technique for treating glass could improve everything from car windshields and eyeglasses to camera lenses and solar panels, scientists say.

A new exhibition stars real human corpses. The origin and arrangement of the bodies, though, make some critics' skin crawl. Includes photo gallery.

August 29, 2 p.m. ET—The city avoided a worst-case pounding, but not by much. Elsewhere on the Gulf Coast storm surges spurred flooding.

August 29, 9 a.m. ET—Hurricane Katrina came ashore early this morning, bringing a storm surge nearly two stories tall.

Increasingly powerful supercomputers are helping the nation's weather forecasters better predict Mother Nature's fickle moves.

Intense winds from Hurricane Katrina tore away parts of the roof of New Orleans' Superdome, creating holes that allowed rain to shower down on the storm refugees inside.

As prices at the pump skyrocket, one Dallas gas station has made filling up truly painful. Its rates? An arm and a leg, or your first born.

Hurricane Katrina stormed on to the U.S. Gulf Coast Monday, August 29, as a dangerous Category Four hurricane. Watch this animation to see how one of the worst storms to make U.S. landfall formed.

August 30, 11 a.m. ET—Residents from Louisiana to Florida began digging out today from the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina.

Chemical engineers say they have come up with a tiny hydrogen fuel cell that can run portable electronic devices, eliminating the need to plug into wall outlets.

Navajo shepherds and a veterinary scientist teamed up to help a rare breed of desert sheep stage a comeback more than a century in the making.

A backbone breakthrough suggests that some of the first terrestrial four-legged animals walked with a scrunching and stretching and strangely galumphing gait.

Researchers have mapped the genome of the chimpanzee, humans' closest living relative, providing important clues about what makes us human.

Researchers have found the first reported chimpanzee fossils in Kenya's Rift Valley. The discovery provides the first physical evidence that chimpanzees coexisted with human ancestors in Africa.

Coffee is a top source of disease-fighting antioxidants in the U.S., a new study finds. But experts warn that java is still no health drink.

Looking to donate cash, goods or services? Want to volunteer? USA Freedom Corps and the Federal Emergency Management Agency suggest ways to make a difference.

August 31, 2005—Broken levees are allowing floodwaters to pour into New Orleans, endangering thousands of residents in a city that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina Monday.

A 2004 National Geographic video shows how the levees of New Orleans contributed to the destruction of the city this week by Hurricane Katrina.

Goaded by rising floodwaters and the Louisiana governor's evacuation order, residents—including cats in a plastic tub—are escaping in boats and helicopters.