Mummy thought to be Queen Seshestet found in Egypt

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian archaeologists have found the remains of a mummy thought to be that of Queen Seshestet, the mother of a pharaoh who ruled Egypt in the 24th century BC, the government said on Thursday.

Low blood oxygen on Everest offers treatment hope

LONDON (Reuters) - A team of British doctors conducting experiments in the "Death Zone" of Mount Everest has recorded the lowest levels of blood oxygen in humans, far below those of critically ill patients.

U.S. scientists learn how to levitate tiny objects

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. scientists have found a way to levitate the very smallest objects using the strange forces of quantum mechanics, and said on Wednesday they might use it to help make tiny nanotechnology machines.

Black holes may precede galaxies, astronomers say

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Black holes -- those massive, invisible objects that suck in everything around them -- may have appeared before the galaxies that host them, astronomers said on Wednesday.

Could we reduce love to a pill? Maybe, says expert

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Could a pill or a squirt up your nose save your marriage? Maybe, according to a researcher who is studying the chemical basis of that most elusive of emotions -- love.

Japan to monitor greenhouse gases from space

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's space agency will launch a satellite later this month to monitor greenhouse gases around the world, officials said Wednesday, hoping the data it collects helps global efforts to combat climate change.

Familiar face? "Love" hormone may help, study says

LONDON (Reuters) - The "love" hormone linked to feelings of sexual pleasure, bonding and maternal care also appears to help us recognize familiar faces, Swiss researchers said on Tuesday.

Study backs deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Deep brain stimulation dramatically improves Parkinson's disease symptoms such as trembling and slowness of movement, offering hope to many with the incurable ailment, researchers said on Tuesday.

Pink iguanas unseen by Darwin offer evolution clue

LONDON (Reuters) - Pink iguanas unknown to Charles Darwin during his visits to the Galapagos islands may provide evidence of species divergence far earlier than the English naturalist's famous finches, researchers said Monday.

Scientists find a gene that makes cancer spread

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A single gene appears to play a crucial role in deadly breast cancers, increasing the chances the cancer will spread and making it resistant to chemotherapy, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Black holes 'preceded galaxies'

Astronomers believe they have solved a cosmic chicken-and-egg question: what came first - black holes or galaxies?

First flight of algae-fuelled jet

Continental Airlines is the latest to to test-fly a jet biofuel, this time with a product derived partially from algae.

Tech fair offers greener vision

Analysts at the Consumer Electronics Show say green credentials of tech products will become critical to success.

China alert over bird flu death

Chinese authorities shut down and clean poultry markets in Hebei province, after the first human death in nearly a year.

Baby Jupiter's huge weight gain

The planet Jupiter must have gained mass fast during its infancy, according to astronomers.

Everest trip helps critically ill

Blood oxygen levels recorded on a trip by medics to Everest could help the treatment of critically ill patients.

US vows 'huge' marine protection

The US is to establish "the largest area of protected sea in the world", banning fishing and mining, around its Pacific islands.

Brain-cooling devices developed

Scientists are developing new ways to cool heart attack and stroke victims' brains to protect them from damage.

Every animal counts - zoos begin their annual stock-take

Zookeepers across Britain are counting every one of their animals and insects as part of a huge new year stock-take.

'Spookfish' uses mirrors as well as lenses to spot its prey

A deep-sea fish caught in the Pacific has eyes which use mirrors as well as lenses, scientists discover.

Why good green food isn't just for Christmas

Why good green food isn't just for Christmas

Ozone protection feels the heat

Ozone and the lesser of the environmental evils

Poetry or science?

Is romantic love just a chemical cocktail?

'Wolfman' returns

Explorer Jim McNeill tracks down Arctic wolves

Animal matters

Scotland's debate over tests on primates

Fizzling out

No iPhone buzz for fans at Apple's last Macworld show

Brains wanted

Tom Feilden on the shortage of brains donated to science

Green Room

Modern farming is slowly killing off valuable species

More species invasions feared for Great Lakes (AP)

AP - Dozens of foreign species could spread across the Great Lakes in coming years despite policies designed to keep them out, causing significant environmental and economic damage, a federal report says.

USDA taking applications for Cattail eradication (AP)

AP - Federal wildlife officials are taking applications from farmers who want the government to remove cattail-infested wetlands, the preferred habitat of sunflower-snacking blackbirds.

How big Jurassic flying reptiles got off ground (AP)

AP - The Jurassic version of jumbo jets — huge flying creatures weighing hundreds of pounds — is a mystery of dinosaur-era flight: How did something so big get off the ground? A Johns Hopkins University biologist thinks he has figured out the answer.

Study: Black holes seem to form before galaxies (AP)

AP - When galaxies initially formed, they weren't the first in the cosmic neighborhood. The supermassive black holes, which reside at the center of galaxies, probably moved in first, a new astronomy study suggests.

Spookfish Have World's Strangest Eyes (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - The four-eyed spookfish may have seemed strange enough. Now researchers say it doesn't really have four eyes. Instead, it is the known first vertebrate to use mirrors, rather than lenses, to focus light in its eyes.

The Nation's Weather (AP)

AP - Storms were to continue flaring up across the Northwest and Northeast on Thursday. The rest of the country was to see dry conditions and benign weather.

Gaza must not become 'Iran satellite': Peres (AFP)

AFP - Israeli President Shimon Peres said Gaza must not become a "satellite of Iran," in an interview published Thursday by an Italian daily.

Australia to allow anti-whaling ship to dock (AP)

AP - The Australian government said Thursday that radical conservationists who have been pursuing Japanese whalers in Antarctic waters can refuel their ship in Australia, despite Japan's objections that they are tantamount to terrorists.

Ancient Fossil Suggests Origin of Cheetahs (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - A nearly complete skull of a primitive cheetah that sprinted about in China more than 2 million years ago suggests the agile cats originated in the Old World rather than in the Americas.

Fraud-hit Indian IT firm vows to fight on (AFP)

AFP - Bosses at Indian outsourcing giant Satyam Computers vowed Thursday that the company would remain in operation despite being rocked by revelations of a billion-dollar accounting fraud.

China Blocks New York Times Web Site

China has blocked access to The New York Times' Web site, the newspaper said Saturday, days after the central government defended its right to censor online content it deems illegal.

The "Detroit's A Loser" Myth

The inconvenient truth is GM, Ford and Chrysler build a lot of really good - and often great - cars and we buy a lot of them.

Mars Find Suggests Life Once Possible

A Mars spacecraft for the first time spotted a key mineral in bedrock on the Martian surface, suggesting parts of the planet might have once had an environment hospitable to life.

Oil Demand Slowing, Says Energy Agency

U.S. oil consumption is expected to level off with virtually no growth between now and 2030 because of increases in energy efficiency, greater use of renewable fuels and an expected rebound in oil prices, the government said.

67 Percent Say They Understand Their Pets

Sixty-seven percent of pet owners say they understand their animals' barks, purrs and other sounds, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll.

Apple Takes Bite Out Of Macworld

With its decision to end its relationship with the Macworld Expo, Apple is cutting one of its last ties to an era in which it wasn't a technology powerhouse.

Small Cars Make Safety Gains

Small cars, which have become more popular with the fluctuation in gas prices, are becoming better equipped to protect motorists in serious crashes, according to tests by the insurance industry.

NASA: 2T Tons Of Land Ice Melted Since '03

More than 2 trillion tons of land ice in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska have melted since 2003, according to new NASA satellite data that show the latest signs of what scientists say is global warming.

Saturn Moon May Be Home To Ice Volcanoes

Observations from the international Cassini spacecraft suggest Saturn's largest moon may have active or recently active ice volcanoes.