Scientists say the U.S. is prepared for a slow-growing flu virus in the event of an oubreak, but perhaps not one that spreads more quickly. Also: news on a preliminary bird-blu vaccine.
Ceramic superconducting wires lined with tiny dots might be the technological leap forward that makes yesterday's vision of the future a modern reality.
In eastern Antarctica seabirds such as Adélie penguins are giving birth later, because shrinking sea ice is diminishing their food supply, scientists say.
Five companies that jointly owned the nation's main whaling firm plan to donate their shares to public groups, but the Japanese government says it will continue its annual whale hunt.
All shook up ever since the announcement that the "extinct" ivory-billed woodpecker is alive in Arkansas, birders are on the hunt for further evidence.
X-ray images of comet Tempel 1's collision with the Deep Impact space probe last year show that the comet released about 250,000 tons (226,800 metric tons) of water.
The first commercially cloned horse in the United States was recently born, opening the gates on questions about the future of horse breeding and racing.
Billions of years ago a giant space rock slammed into Mercury, leaving the planet less than half its previous size, according to new computer simulations.
A subpopulation of Damaraland mole rats does little and gets fat, but the critters kick into overdrive during the wet season to help expand the colony's range.
Scientists have found that umbilical cord blood may be a new source of organ-growing stem cells. But experts disagree about the future of this potentially life-saving resource.
The twisting tale of the document itself—centuries in hiding, mysterious travels, and near destruction—is nearly as surprising as the story the gospel tells.
A dead swan pulled from a Scottish harbor has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza. Experts stress that birds, not humans, are at risk.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the blooming of Washington, D.C.'s cherry trees, which were given by the people of Tokyo as a token of friendship.
Standing perhaps seven feet (two meters) tall, the predator was discovered in a remote area that fossil hunters call a dinosaur graveyard full of unusual species.
Gender-bending "King" Hatshepsut ruled ancient Egypt for 20 prosperous and artful years. Her legacy gets a new look at a traveling exhibition now in New York City.
NASA's first moon landing in more than 30 years will end with a bang, when a space probe launched in 2008 crashes into the moon's south pole to stir up signs of water ice.
Mysterious scrolls found beneath the lava and ash of an ancient volcanic eruption have begun to give up their secrets. Join scientists as they reveal the papyruses' hidden words.
When a male loon changes territories to find a new mate, he changes his distinctive call, too, a new study has found. But why this happens remains a mystery.
Watch animation of NASA's proposed plan to crash a probe into the moon in search of lunar water, and hear a NASA scientist describe the probe's historic suicide mission.
Combining geology and genetics, New Zealand researchers say the world's oldest penguin fossils suggest modern birds took flight during—not after—the dinosaur era.
Though lacking nipples or other distinguishing marks, the antique tome is covered in human leather, British police say. At one time the practice was not so rare.
What looks like an eel, has whiskers like a feline, and can eat like an otter? Biologists solve the riddle, and the answer may have evolutionary implications.
Nearly a hundred years before San Francisco's great quake, three massive tremors rocked the central U.S. Experts say it could happen again soon—with even deadlier consequences.
A wormlike amphibian in Africa feasts on the flesh of its own mother once it's born, researchers have found—the first time this gruesome practice has been seen in animals.
Teeth and jaw fossils discovered in Ethiopia provide a link between two species of early human ancestors, filling a crucial gap in human evolution, scientists have announced.
A hundred years after the Bay Area's Big One, the heavily populated California region has a 62 percent chance of a magnitude 6.7 or greater quake between now and 2032, experts warn.
See Johnny rooks tear up the camp of a film crew visiting the Falkland Islands, and find out what the cameras reveal about the mischievous birds' nighttime habits.
The volcano found in the South Pacific is dazzling scientists with its weird features, including a swirling vortex, strange animals, and a toxic zone that only one creature can survive.
See a series of two views of San Francisco separated by nearly a century—one after a massive earthquake devastated the city in 1906 and the other as the same site appeared in 2003.
As oil prices hit record highs, scientists have unveiled a technology that can turn coal, natural gas, and biomass into a fuel that burns cleaner than gasoline.
Some species of migratory birds that feed on the eggs of horseshoe crabs may soon disappear. Can the rapid decline in the numbers of crabs be reversed in time to save the birds?
A March of the Penguins mystery may be solved. Parental chemistry might help explain why some female emperor penguins that have lost babies kidnap chicks.
Crabs that have shed their shells to grow larger are able to move before their new shell hardens using an internal "skeleton" made of gas from their guts.
Earth's climate may still warm up by several degrees in response to greenhouse gas pollution, but it may not be as sensitive as some scientists have feared, a new study says.
Learn more about this unique San Francisco neigborhood, and see how it is currently being shaped by the cultures and traditions of its Hispanic residents.
Antiviral drugs can immobilize a virus, but mathematical models of viral pandemics show that if too many people pop the pills, the virus is likely to regain the upper hand.
The long and curious story of the Gospel of Judas took another turn Wednesday, when an attorney announced that his client is holding scraps of the ancient text in an Akron bank vault.
Mars was once wet, many scientists say. Now it's dry. For the first time, a geological map of the entire planet is revealing the history of its dessication.
A four-sided hill in Bosnia is actually Europe's first known step pyramid, according to an amateur archaeologist—and he recently announced that he has proof.
Earth Day meets the 21st century: Environmental and other scientists should embrace blogs as potentially potent tools for advancing science and policy, experts recommend.
Just in time for Earth Day (April 22) comes news from China that the government plans to build a new sanctuary to shelter rare white dolphins threatened by water pollution.
Plague is closing in on the U.S.'s largest colony of endangered black-footed ferrets, decades after the animals were rescued from the brink of extinction.
The April 21 earthquake was as strong as the 1906 San Francisco temblor but killed no one. Though fairly common, most big quakes occur out of harm's way, experts say.
People and animals are suffering severe respiratory problems as the Ubinas volcano—inactive for nearly 40 years—belches clouds of poisonous ash and acidic smoke.
If cars were as fuel efficient as supermassive black holes, researchers say, the vehicles could theoretically travel over a billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) on a gallon of gasoline.
Giant tortoises might have survived a lava flow in the past, but today conservationists prefer not to take chances. Watch as some of the rare reptiles are airlifted out of reach of an erupting volcano.
Two decades after a nuclear-plant explosion blanketed the area in radiation, residents of the former Soviet region still battle the aftermath of abandoned homes and shattered lives.
Need an Australian frog? Just add water. See a water-holding frog create its underground tomb, then watch the return of the rains bring the creature back to life.
Invasive brush-tailed possums are overrunning New Zealand and forcing out native species, leading locals to devise unique strategies for getting rid of them.
Animals and plants seem to be prospering near the infamous nuclear reactor. But some experts say the creatures are too unhealthy to be cause for cheer.
Specially designed sportswear is allowing Muslim women to adhere to the Koranic principle of modesty while on the volleyball court, the soccer field, and even at the beach.
Arbor Day reminds us of the beauty and utility of trees. But in New Orleans historic species have been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, changing the city's leafy landscape.
For the first time ever, a panda raised by humans was reintroduced into the wild today. Scientists will track how well the animal adapts to his new surroundings.
Persistent drought could create one of the worst wildfire seasons on record in the U.S., officials warn, with the greatest danger zones in the West and South.
Searching for your lost shaker of salt? Look no further than Key West, Florida, a tiny island with a big reputation for warm breezes and cool characters.
Xiang Xiang Friday became the first captive-bred panda to be released into the wild. Conservationists hope he will lead the way for more pandas to return to their native habitat.
