Mature moms more affectionate than teen ones, study finds Mothers who are more mature tend to display more affection towards their infants, a new study has found. (Jan. 26, 2005)

First images from Titan show apparent water, researchers say
The first images from a probe of the moon of Saturn seem to show shorelines and bits of ice, experts say. Smog had shrouded Titan from view before the probe arrived. (Jan. 14, 2005)

Experts: almost anyone could torture Under certain conditions, almost anyone is capable of becoming a torturer, say psychologists who reviewed decades’ worth of studies. (Dec. 1, 2004)

Chimps use tool kits, researchers say
They use a set of different sticks to fish out unlucky termites from their nests. (Nov. 11, 2004)

Tiny new species of human said to be found The discovery of 18,000-year-old skeletons on an Indonesian island shows human diversity was much greater than expected, scientists say. (Oct. 27, 2004)

~ Egypt Special  (Sept. 1, 2004) ~ 

Researchers reconstruct mummy’s head without unwrapping They used a scanning technique that revealed details right down to the mole on his temple.
Tunnel to king’s secret chamber in the biggest pyramid may be found  But the Egyptian authorities won’t let the finders dig further to confirm it. 

Does females' promiscuity reduce our height differences? One researcher thinks that may be the case. It seems to be the pattern among our ape relatives, at least, he says. (June 18, 2004)

Researchers said to find out how happiness relates to health (April 18, 2005)

Plant fixes its own broken genes Scientists have found some plants can fix genetic mutations that occurred in their parents and revert to the genes their grandparents had (March 22, 2005)

Boom and bust for sea life In a mysterious cycle, sea life diversity swells and then shrinks again every 62 million years, scientists have found. (March 11, 2005)

Early universe looked “like vegetable soup”
Scientists have found to their surprise that the early universe was as complex as today’s. (March 11, 2005)

Universe grew up quickly Its intricate structure of galaxy clusters appeared sooner than leading theories have predicted, astronomers say. (The blinking photo is a new way of representing an ancient galaxy cluster, with and without its X-ray light.) (March 2, 2005)

Another record: biggest blast ever in our galaxy The most powerful explosion in our galaxy ever recorded occurred recently when an exotic star’s magnetic field snapped, astronomers say. (Feb. 18, 2005)

Gene may raise prostate cancer risk by 50% (Feb. 16, 2005)

Asteroid will have close brush with Earth in 2029 It will come close enough for Earth’s gravity to deflect its path, but it won’t hit us, scientists say. (Feb. 16, 2005)

Oldest homo sapiens identified The study suggests there was a great time lag between when we appeared, and when we got culture. (Feb. 16, 2005)

Gene aromatherapy Scientists aim to make future Valentine’s days a bit more fragrant by genetically enhancing flower scents. (Feb. 9, 2005)

The nearly comatose may understand more than we thought: study The findings, if confirmed, could prompt a reassessment of how barely-aware patients think. (Feb. 9, 2005)

Giant pollution cloud found over state in India (Jan. 31, 2005)

Fewer species, less stability When species go extinct, it leads to greater instability in the environment, researchers have found. (Jan. 26, 2005)

First objects in the universe were invisible blobs, physicists calculate (Jan. 26, 2005)

Stellar blast may have participated in Solar System’s creation A Chinese meteorite contains chemicals that might have come from a supernova, a huge stellar explosion, researchers say, backing up a controversial theory that a supernova could have had a hand in our Solar System’s formation. (Jan. 26, 2005)

Mental health crisis stalks tsunami survivors Some children recoil at the sight of bath water; others have stopped talking, a psychologist says. (Jan. 26, 2005)

Global warming killed almost everything once: scientist The “great dying” 250 million years ago was a result of “greenhouse gases,” a new theory claims. (Jan. 21, 2005)

Temporary disguises let fish launch sneak attacks Some fish can put on a disguise just for a while, to launch attacks aimed at both food and sex. (Jan. 21, 2005)

Global warming causing spreading droughts, scientists say
Drought struck twice as much land in this decade than in the 1970s, and global warming seems be a major culprit, scientists claim. (Jan. 14, 2005)

Fearsome mammal dined on dinosaurs
The finding overturns the long-held view that mammals were shy little creatures at the time, according to researchers. (Jan. 13, 2005)

Study: historic Russian rocket-launch pad making children sick
The still-active launch pad put the first human into orbit. (Jan. 12, 2005)

Milky Way’s center may be swarming with black holes
More than 10,000 of the super-dense objects seem to be orbiting a central, giant one, scientists say. (Jan. 12, 2005)

Quake changed shape of Earth, length of day
The quake that caused the Asian tsunami also moved the poles by about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch), researchers say. (Jan. 12, 2005)

Massive space explosion bursts record
A supermassive black hole has created the most powerful explosion on record, according to astronomers. (Jan. 5, 2005)

Giant eagles evolved super-big, super-fast Scientists say a lack of predators turned the extinct New Zealand eagles so huge, they hunted animals that were much bigger than most humans. (Jan. 5, 2005)

New language area in the brain found (Jan. 5, 2005)

Impulsive acts may be a relic of hunter-gatherer past A study with blue jays may give new perspective on why we grab those last-minute candies at the supermarket checkout line. (Dec. 14, 2004)

Possible next Tsunami victim: America's West Coast (Dec. 29, 2004)

Lie detector of the future: a brain scanner? Relax and control the sweating, and you might just fool a traditional lie detector. Tricking something that peers into your brain might be harder. (Dec. 29, 2004)

Scientists to shoot hole in a comet Scientists say their mission to blast a stadium-sized crater in Comet Tempel 1, to better learn what’s inside it, will begin by Jan. 12. (Dec. 14, 2004)

New way for paralyzed people to move things To scientists’ surprise, they find there may be a way to let paralyzed people move things with their thoughts – and without sticking pesky wires into their brains. (Dec. 6, 2004)

It’s “official”: Mars had water There is conclusive proof that water once existed on Mars, a team of researchers has found. (Dec. 6, 2004)

Alien worlds in our backyard? Our solar system may have once exchanged small planets and debris with another one, researchers say. At left: scientists’ computer simulation of the process. (Dec. 1, 2004)

Wasps punish “cheaters,” researchers find A wasp’s markings can signify its importance in its group. And wearing a fake badge may lead to unpleasant consequences. (Nov. 18, 2004)

Scientists zero in on possible anti-aging gene Chemicals that stimulate the gene extend life in yeast, roundworms and fruit flies. Are humans next? (Oct. 25, 2004)

New ape ancestor found? Scientists say they may have found bones of the last common ancestor of the great apes, which include humans. (Nov. 18, 2004)

Species dying off at unprecedented rate, researchers say 15,589 species are at risk of extinction and least 15 have gone extinct in the past 20 years, conservationists say. (Nov. 18, 2004)

Glitch found in brains of schizophrenia patients
The finding could also shed light on the processes underlying consciousness in all of us, scientists say. (Nov. 11, 2004)

Planet-building a “messy,” violent process
Giant chunks of rock the size of mountain ranges slam together to form planets, scientists say. (Oct. 25, 2004)

Humans have far fewer genes than we thought, researchers say
In making the announcement, scientists add that they’re beginning to systematically pinpoint which genes separate us from other animals. (Oct. 25, 2004)

Scientists watch brain "battle itself" during tough decisions (Oct. 14, 2004)

How dinosaurs slept A newly found fossil shows dinosaurs slept the same way birds do: with head tucked under a forelimb, researchers say. (Oct. 14, 2004)

Sea monster fossil tells tales A sea-dwelling cousin of dinosaurs may have used its neck and tiny head to surprise prey, then suck it in, researchers say. (Sept. 23, 2004)

Acupuncture beats conventional treatment in study (Sept. 22, 2004)

Mediterranean-style diet slashes death rates, researchers find (Sept. 21, 2004)

Children create new language nearly from scratch Children at a school for the deaf have created their own sign language, giving scientists insight into language’s origins. (Sept. 16, 2004)

Untapped gas reserves deep in the Earth? (Sept. 13, 2004)

Happiness may stave off old-age frailty Growing evidence shows psychological factors influence the aging process. (Sept. 12, 2004)

Scientists pinpoint better which brain areas produce dreams (Sept. 10, 2004)

Smash- up on the way for our Milky Way?
Photos of faraway galaxies reveal what might happen to our own. At left: artists’ depiction of the stellar fireworks that could result. (Sept. 9, 2004)

Hubble telescope releases stunning new photos of dying star (Sept. 9, 2004)

For talking parrots, it just might be all in the tongue (Sept. 7, 2004)

Possible first photo of a planet circling a distant star It could be a holy grail astronomers have been seeking for a long time. (Sept. 10, 2004)

Ratings of 20 medical journals published (Sept. 5, 2004)

Study sheds light on road-following by pigeons (Sept. 3, 2004)

Chimp-like hominid walked upright six million years ago, researchers say (Sept. 2, 2004)

News reports of signal from extraterrestrials off-base, according to scientists (Sept. 2, 2004)

Scientists fear Ebola outbreak may explain gorilla disappearances (Sept. 2, 2004)

World’s first plastic magnet passes “test”  It’s reported to be the first plastic magnet to work at room temperature. (Sept. 1, 2004)

“Major new class” of more Earth-like planets discovered 
The findings also indicate there may be 20 billion or more planetary systems in our galaxy, astronomers say. (Aug. 31, 2004)

"Virus" vaccines may create new and worse diseases, researchers warn Some vaccines, intended to prevent disease, may create new and more dangerous ones. (Aug. 9, 2005)

New theories on solar systems may have little room for other "Earths" New theories may be needed to explain how the known solar systems beyond our own formed, and the theories may dampen hopes for “Earth-like” planets there, researchers say. (Aug. 3, 2005)

Songbirds may use 'dawn chorus' to gather intelligence Songbirds whose sweet tittering awakes us in the morning may make an unexpected use for the ritual: spying on rivals. (July 31, 2004)

Researchers pinpointing causes of autism Biologists are investigating the brains of victims of the disorder, which disrupts communication and social functioning. (July 31, 2004)

"Monster waves" are common, researchers say Researchers say satellites have shown that ten-story high ship-sinkers, once dismissed as fantasy, are not only real but widespread. (July 27, 2004)

In insect societies, order through discipline Wasps seem to “discipline” each other for not working hard enough. (July 21, 2005)

Astro-sleuths unravel marathon mystery Using moon records, astronomers show commonly accepted date of first marathon may be off. (July 21, 2004)

Apes threatened again – by anthrax Anthrax has killed six apes in the African rainforest, an area not previously associated with the disease, researchers say. (July 21, 2004)

Scientists close in on aging secrets It's long been known that a near-starvation diet, oddly, makes you live a lot longer. Scientists are finding out why that works – and how we might be able to get the gain without the pain. (July 14, 2004)

Our environmental destruction affects dinner Thanks to overfishing, the red snapper on your menu might well not be a red snapper. (July 14, 2004)

Black holes looking less and less 'black' Black holes, traditionally assumed to be sullen, dark objects, may actually give off signals that betray what fell inside them. (July 12, 2004)

Ancient brewery found Archaeologists have found remains of a large-scale brewery from a pre-Incan culture of the first millennium AD in Peru. (July 9, 2004)

How 'near-death experiences' change the brain After brushes with death, some people report newfound peace and spiritual awakenings. Researchers are learning what brain changes accompany these experiences. (June 28, 2004)

Saturn moon may be a captured comet New images suggest it’s a dark, icy object that may have come from distant reaches of the solar system. (June 23, 2004)

Less may be more when it comes to brain use (June 17, 2004)

Beauty and ugliness stimulate the same brain region Humans use the same brain area, and very possibly the same cells, to perceive both beauty and beastliness, scientists report. (June 7, 2004)