Scientists studying a color-blind bat native to Central and South America have found that the animal uses ultraviolet light reflected from native flowers to locate the nectar-rich blooms. The trait lends credence to the idea of co-evolution between the bat and rain forest plants, experts say.

Scientists plan to dive in the world's highest lake, on top of Chile's Licancabur Volcano, testing new space equipment and studying organisms that live in extreme conditions similar to those that might have existed in the ancient water courses of Mars. The research is supported by the National Geographic Society.

The doctors who use them to treat chronic flesh wounds call them "microsurgeons," but they're not talking about scalpels or lasers. They're referring to live maggots. The medicinal use of the wriggling fly larvae to dissolve dead tissue and disinfect wounds on patients has caught on in some medical quarters.

In more than 300 mammals and birds, including meerkats and kookaburras, some individuals eschew reproduction to help rear the offspring of other parents. New research now adds to the evidence that these individuals benefit instead by helping relatives to pass on the genes they both share.

Earth scientists reported today that frigid ocean currents and parched soils helped South America's central Andes, the world's second tallest mountain range, reach their lofty height.

To help attract female mates, male peacocks display extravagant fans of iridescent tail feathers. Now, physicists in China say they have uncovered the exact mechanism that allows these birds to produce such bold, shimmering colors.

Tropical cone snails are cherished for both the beauty of their shells and their powerful venom, which has the potential to yield new treatments for cancer, epilepsy, and other diseases. However, according to a new report these animals are now intensively exploited and threatened as never before.

A blackish-purple frog species whose ancestors evolved in the shadow of dinosaurs has been discovered burrowing into the remote mountains of southern India. Described by scientists as so unique that it warrants a new family of frogs, the amphibian surfaces for only two weeks a year, during monsoon season.

China successfully launched its first manned space mission today. Carrying a single astronaut, the Szenzhou 5 rocket blasted off from northwest China. It will orbit Earth 14 times before returning. Despite the national pride associated with it, the launch was shrouded in secrecy.

Swedish stonecutters excavated limestone from the quarry in Dalarna for nearly 50 years. But since 1993, a different kind of rock has poured forth—along with opera and blues. With near-perfect acoustics and a spectacular natural setting, the defunct quarry now serves as a 4,000-seat amphitheater.

Machines, medicines, and materials a mere fraction the width of a human hair may one day store trillions of bits of information, detect the onset of cancer, and restore a paralyzed limb. George Whitesides, a chemist at Harvard University, will be awarded the 2003 Kyoto Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Advanced Technology for laying the foundation for such technology.

Energy derived from the moon now trickles into a village near the Arctic tip of Norway via a novel underwater windmill-like device powered by the rhythmic slosh of the tides.

Europe's eels are heading towards extinction, scientists warn. Stocks there declined an estimated 99 percent since the 1970s. The collapse has spurred a Europe-wide action plan to conserve the species and save related jobs.

A new study of cosmic background radiation data only recently available hints that the universe is finite and bears a rough resemblance to a soccer ball. If proven by further evidence and scrutiny, the model would represent a major discovery about the nature of the cosmos.

In a windowless New York City lab, scientists are simulating conditions that triggered two of the most explosive volcanic events in recent history: the eruption of Mount Mazama and Mount Vesuvius. The project seeks to better understand and predict volcanic eruptions.