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Milky Way — the galaxy — not snack-sized anymore
(AP)
AP - Take that, Andromeda! For decades, astronomers thought when it came to the major galaxies in Earth's cosmic neighborhood, our Milky Way was a weak sister to the larger Andromeda. Not anymore. The Milky Way is considerably larger, bulkier and spinning faster than astronomers once thought, Andromeda's equal.
Mars rover mission reaches 5th anniversary
(AP)
AP - Five years after the NASA rover Spirit landed on Mars, the six-wheel robotic geologist and its twin Opportunity are still on the job.
More small quakes rattle Yellowstone National Park
(AP)
AP - More earthquakes are rattling Yellowstone National Park.
Exploiting nature to cut mosquitoes' life short
(AP)
AP - Old mosquitoes usually spread disease, so Australian researchers figured out a way to make the pests die younger — naturally, not poisoned.
Exercise Improves Old Brains
(LiveScience.com)
LiveScience.com - The moment of truth has arrived, again. The holidays have passed,
the leftovers are dwindling and you have renewed your annual New Year's
resolution to get back into shape... for real. Don't worry, you are not
alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 63 percent
of Americans have a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 25 (defined as
overweight), while a quarter are greater than 30 (obese).
AP - Storms swirled over the Northwest and Gulf Coast early Monday, dumping snow from Washington to Northern California and promising wind-swept showers for the Southeast.
Milky Way spins faster, has more mass than thought: astronomers
(AFP)
AFP - The Milky Way, the Earth's home galaxy, is spinning much faster and has a mass 50 percent larger than previously believed, raising the probability of a collision with another galaxy, according to a report out Monday.
Bush leaves legacy of ocean protection
(McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush on Tuesday will create three new marine monuments in the Pacific Ocean to protect the deepest place on Earth, some of the last pristine corals and sanctuaries for vanishing marine species.
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.
Putin orders cuts to Europe-bound gas supplies through Ukraine
(AFP)
AFP - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered gas giant Gazprom to start cutting supplies to Ukraine bound for European consumers in response to Kiev's alleged siphoning from pipelines.
Genes Predict Chances of Breast Cancer's Spread
(HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Jan. 1 (HealthDay News) -- In a finding that could help
doctors fine-tune breast cancer treatments even further, a new study
confirms that there are genes that increase the likelihood that the
disease will spread throughout a woman's body.