Science
Head of national nuke security agency departing
The man who has led the nation's nuclear security agency since 2007 is stepping down next month after presiding over a 20 percent increase in the agency's budget but also some management missteps that have raised questions about the agency's ability to carry out its mission.
Annual bird counts give scientists climate clues
Armed with flashlights, recordings of bird calls, a small notebook and a stash of candy bars, scientist Rich Kostecke embarked on an annual 24-hour Christmastime count of birds along the Texas Gulf Coast. Yellow rail. Barn owl. Bittern. Crested Cara-Cara. Kostecke rattled off the names and scribbled them in his notebook.
Federal government lists 2 ice seals as threatened
Two types of ice seals joined polar bears Friday on the list of species threatened by the loss of sea ice, which scientists say reached record low levels this year due to climate warming.
Soyuz capsule docks with space Station
A Soyuz capsule packed with three astronauts successfully docked Friday with the International Space Station, taking the size of the full crew at the orbiting laboratory to six.
Once-conjoined NY twins make debut at Pa. hospital
More than nine months after they were born joined at the lower chest and abdomen, twin girls made their public debut Thursday at the hospital where they were separated.
2012 another record-setter, fits climate forecasts
As 2012 began, winter in the U.S. went AWOL. Spring and summer arrived early with wildfires, blistering heat and drought. And fall hit the eastern third of the country with the ferocity of Superstorm Sandy.
Endangered whale washes up on Fla. beach
One of the most endangered whales in the world has washed up dead on a beach in northeast Florida.
Ecuador volcano blasts more hot rock from crater
The Tungurahua volcano in central Ecuador keeps spewing gas, ash and red-hot rock, forcing hundreds to evacuate from their homes.
Field Museum cutting staff, overhauling operations
Chicago's renowned Field Museum, a major center of global scientific research, has announced plans to cut staff, overhaul operations and limit the scope of its research because of a high debt load and the recession.
Source of persistent Gulf sheen remains a mystery
Underwater inspections at the site of BP's Deepwater Horizon rig disaster have failed to identify the source of a persistent sheen on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, officials said Tuesday.
113 chimps moving to haven from south La. lab
A sanctuary for retired federal research chimpanzees will get 113 chimps from a south Louisiana lab that no longer has a National Institutes of Health contract for research on the animals. It will nearly double Chimp Haven's population.
NASA names moon crash site in honor of Sally Ride
A pair of NASA spacecraft crashed into a mountain near the moon's north pole on Monday, bringing a deliberate end to a mission that peered into the lunar interior.
Malaria progress falters, WHO goals unrealistic
The fight against malaria is slowing down amid a dramatic drop in efforts to reverse the epidemic, even as health officials insist they will try to meet their idealistic target of virtually eliminating deaths from the parasitic illness by the end of 2015.
Saber-toothed cat fossils found near Las Vegas
Researchers say a pair of fossils unearthed in the hills north of Las Vegas belonged to a saber-toothed cat.
AP-GfK Poll: Science doubters say world is warming
A growing majority of Americans think global warming is occurring, that it will become a serious problem and that the U.S. government should do something about it, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds.
More flooding on 2nd day of CA 'king tides'
King tides swelled again Friday along the Southern California coast but only minor flooding was reported in a few areas.
How the AP-GfK poll was conducted
The Associated Press-GfK poll on climate change was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3. It is based on landline telephone and cellphone interviews with a nationally representative random sample of 1,002 adults. Digits in the phone numbers dialed were generated randomly to reach households with unlisted and listed landline and cellphone numbers.
Meteor shower to light up night sky on Thursday
Starting at 9 p.m. on Thursday, skywatchers under a dark sky in the countryside should be able to see about 100 to 120 shooting stars each hour. The show will be bright enough that even those in the suburbs should be able to see about a dozen meteors per hour if they can find an area free of bright lights.
A look at California's very high 'king tides'
Seawater floods highways and low-lying communities near California beaches. The cause: so-called "king tides" pulling the Pacific Ocean farther ashore than normal.
Huge DNA code of the Christmas tree being revealed
To millions of people, the Christmas tree is a cheerful sight. To scientists who decipher the DNA codes of plants and animals, it's a monster.
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CBS Weekend Round-up: Suicides up in the armed forces