sh0416/ag_news · Datasets at Hugging Face

label int64 1 4	title stringlengths 6 115	description stringlengths 20 985
4	Video games 'good for children'	Computer games can promote problem-solving and team-building in children, say games industry experts.
4	Fake goods tempting young adults	Young people are increasingly happy to buy pirated goods or illegal download content from the net, a survey shows.
4	Catwoman far from perfect	The Catwoman game is a major disappointment that feels like a pointless tie-in with the film.
4	'Madden,' 'ESPN' Football Score in Different Ways	PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - Was absenteeism a little high on Tuesday among the guys at the office? EA Sports would like to think it was because "Madden NFL 2005" came out that day, and some fans of the football simulation are rabid enough to take a sick day to play it.
4	AOL to Sell Cheap PCs to Minorities and Seniors	NEW YORK (Reuters) - America Online on Thursday said it plans to sell a low-priced PC targeting low-income and minority households who agree to sign up for a year of dialup Internet service.
4	Microsoft to Introduce Cheaper Version of Windows	SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. <MSFT.O> said it will begin selling a stripped-down, low-cost version of its Windows XP operating system in the emerging markets of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in order to spread the use of computing and develop technology markets.
4	Companies Approve New High-Capacity Disc Format	LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A group of consumer electronics makers said on Wednesday they approved the format for a new generation of discs that can store five times the data of DVDs at the same cost -- enough to put a full season of "The Sopranos" on one disc.
4	Missing June Deals Slow to Return for Software Cos.	NEW YORK (Reuters) - The mystery of what went wrong for the software industry in late June when sales stalled at more than 20 brand-name companies is not even close to being solved although the third quarter is nearly halfway over.
4	Microsoft Upgrades Software for Digital Pictures	SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. <MSFT.O> released on Tuesday the latest version of its software for editing and organizing digital photographs and images to tap into widespread demand for digital cameras and photography.
4	Google to Pay Yahoo to Settle Patent Dispute	SEATTLE (Reuters) - Google Inc. <GOOG.O> on Monday again boosted the number of shares it plans to sell in its initial public offering, saying it will issue 2.7 million shares to Yahoo Inc. <YHOO.O> to settle a lawsuit over technology used to display ads.
4	A Digital Doctor Treats Computer Contamination	Unfortunately for users, computer equipment manufacturers and resellers don't adequately inform Windows users of the risks involved in accessing the Internet without proper security measures.<br><FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"><B>-The Washington Post</b></font>
4	'SP2' a Must With XP Use	Service Pack 2, "SP2" for short, aims to stop viruses, worms, browser hijackings and worse by including security features that people have to add and adjust on their own. <FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"><B>-Rob Pegoraro</b></font>
4	Putting Your Own Stamp On All Your Parcels	Fido the Stamp is here. Well, he could be -- all it takes is for one dog owner to snap a digital photo of his beloved pooch, submit it to the Stamps.com Web site and order personalized postage. <FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"><B>-Leslie Walker</b></font>
4	Internet Challenges Face-to-Face Mingling	At Bungalow Billiards in Chantilly on Wednesday, about a dozen single parents from Northern Virginia gathered at happy hour to mingle, eat and drink. All were divorced or widowed members of the Fairfax chapter of Parents Without Partners.
4	Forecast: Plenty of Activity On the Weather Blog Front	If it's possible to love something just because it could visit torrents upon the Washington region, fling hail from the skies and swell streams into rivers, then Jason Samenow is smitten.
4	Google Starts Auction	Company launched the biggest electronic auction of stock in Wall Street history Friday but warned that it could face legal liability from a Playboy magazine interview in which some aspects of the Internet search engine's performance were overstated. <FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"><B>-The Washington Post</b></font>
4	Bids Placed Despite Mixed News	Umesh Patel, a 36-year old software engineer from California, debated until the last minute.
4	Antitrust Lawyer Takes Helm at FTC	As Deborah P. Majoras takes over the Federal Trade Commission on Monday, she's expected to build on the broad agenda set by her predecessor, Timothy J. Muris.
4	GAO Calls Stryker Too Heavy for Transport	The Army's new medium-weight armored vehicle, the Stryker, weighs so much that it curtails the range of C-130 military cargo aircraft that carry it and under certain conditions make it impossible for the planes to take off, a new report for Congress found.
4	BioVeris Settles 2 Lawsuits Against Chief Executive's Son	BioVeris Corp. announced yesterday that it settled two lawsuits against Jacob N. Wohlstadter, its chief executive's son, whom the company had accused of spending millions of dollars on cars and real estate to sabotage a joint venture he ran so he could purchase it for a bargain price.
4	Google: Now Playboy's Latest Bunny	Investors in the company that's trying to come off as cute as a bunny could find themselves holding a fistful of vipers if the founders of Google Inc. continue to do things like show up in Playboy magazine around the same time their company is going public. <FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>
4	EBay Buys Stake in Craigslist	Internet auctioneer eBay Inc. said Friday it acquired a 25 percent stake in craigslist, an online community of classified ads and forums. <FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"><B>-Associated Press</B></FONT>
4	Blog Interrupted	The instant message blinked on the computer at Jessica Cutler's desk in the Russell Senate Office Building. "Oh my God, you're famous."
4	Hungry world 'must eat less meat'	People will need to eat more vegetables and less meat because of dwindling water supplies, scientists say.
4	Hopes soar for solo record plane	Richard Branson says the Virgin Global Flyer is looking good for its solo trip around the world without refuelling.
4	Arctic team reaches destination	A team of British explorers, who are retracing the steps of a Victorian pioneer, have reached Thom Bay.
4	Shuttle camera to watch fuel tank	The space shuttle's external fuel tank, implicated in the 2003 Columbia disaster, is to get its own camera.
4	Hubble peers at celestial bubble	The Hubble Space Telescope has looked into a bubble of gas and dust being inflated by a young star's particles.
4	Bacteria gives coral orange glow	Orange coral common to the Caribbean has bacteria to thank for its hue, say US marine scientists.
4	Honey bees close museum	A Worcestershire museum is forced to close for several weeks while a swarm of honey bees is removed.
4	Clouds dash Perseids show	The annual Perseid meteor shower could provide a "spectacular" show, despite a disappointing start.
4	Worms may slow Parkinson's	A protein which helps increase lifespan in worms offers hope for new Parkinson's and Alzheimer's treatments.
4	Nasa help for stem cell study	UK tissue engineering experts are teaming up with NASA to find treatments for diseases back on Earth.
4	TB test to slash infection rates	A rapid and accurate test for TB could cut infection rates around the world, say experts.
4	Scientists given cloning go-ahead	The first request by British scientists to clone human embryos has been granted by experts.
4	Vandals damage bird reserve	A disturbance free zone for nesting birds is put at risk by vandals who cut down the boundary fence.
4	Heat waves set to become 'brutal'	Heat waves in the 21st Century will be more intense, more frequent and longer, US experts say.
4	Monkeys test 'hardworking gene'	Scientists in the United States find a way to turn lazy monkeys into workaholics using gene therapy.
4	Hearing clue to whale evolution	The evolution of whales from four-legged land dwellers into streamlined swimmers has been traced in fossilised ears, Nature reports.
4	News: NASA Extends TRMM Operations Through 2004 Hurricane Season	NASA will extend operation of the Tropical Rainfall\Measuring Mission (TRMM) through the end of 2004, in light of a\recent request from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric\Administration (NOAA).
4	News: Climate Change Could Doom Alaska's Tundra	In the next 100 years, Alaska will experience a massive loss of its historic tundra, as global warming allows these vast regions of cold, dry, lands to support forests and other vegetation that will dramatically alter native ecosystems. (Oregon State University press release)
4	News: How Strongly Does the Sun Influence the Climate?	Researchers have shown that the Sun can be responsible for, at most, only a small part of the warming over the last 20-30 years. (Max Planck Society press release)
4	News: New England Forests at Greater Risk from Air Pollution	When it comes to forests, air pollution is not an equal opportunity hazard. While dirty air spreads across large areas of the New England region, it's more scattered in the southeastern part of the United States. (University of Wisconsin-Madison press release)
4	News: Warmer Weather, Human Disturbances Interact to Change Forests	While a rapidly changing climate may alter the composition of northern Wisconsin's forests, disturbances such as logging also will play a critical role in how these sylvan ecosystems change over time. (University of Wisconsin-Madison press release)
4	News: Duke Study Disputes Idea that Trees Can 'Relocate' Quickly in Response to Climate Change	In a study with implications for how North American trees might respond to a changing climate, molecular information collected by Duke University researchers refutes a widely accepted theory that many of the continent's tree species migrated rapidly from the deep South as glaciers retreated at the end of the last Ice Age. (Duke University press release)
4	News: Droughts Like 1930s Dust Bowl May Have Been Unexceptional in Prehistoric Times, New Study Suggests	Events like the great Dust Bowl of the 1930s, immortalized in "The Grapes of Wrath" and remembered as a transforming event for millions of Americans, were regular parts of much-earlier cycles of droughts followed by recoveries in the region, according to new studies by a multi-institutional research team led by Duke University. (Duke University press release)
4	News: New Study to Investigate Demise of Coral Reef Ecosystems	Scientists are embarking on a project which will explore how global warming is devastating one of the world's most diverse ecosystems, coral reefs. (University of Newcastle press release)
4	Natural Hazards: Typhoon Rananim	The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Typhoon Rananim on August 12 at 2:40 UTC.
4	Horseflies and Meteors	Like bugs streaking colorfully down the side window of a moving car, Earthgrazing Perseid meteors could put on a pleasing show after sunset on August 11th.
4	Spinning Brains	One day, astronauts could zip across the solar system in spinning spaceships. How will their brains adapt to life onboard a twirling home where strange quot;Coriolis forces quot; rule?
4	What Neil Buzz Left on the Moon	A cutting-edge Apollo 11 science experiment left behind in the Sea of Tranquility is still running today.
4	Voyager 1, Prepare for Action	At the outer limits of our solar system, a solar shock wave is about to overtake NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft.
4	Saturn Hailstorm	When Cassini reached Saturn On June 30th, it dashed through a gap in Saturn's rings, twice. One of onboard science instruments recorded a flurry of ring-dust harmlessly striking the spacecraft.\\
4	Dino-Size Spurt: T. Rex Teens Gained 5 Pounds a Day	New analysis of fossil bones indicates that adolescent <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i> dinosaurs grew extremely rapidly, quickly reaching gigantic size.
4	Fossils Show How Whales Evolved to Hear Underwater	Whale fossils found with tiny ear bones reveal for the first time how the ancestors of whales and dolphins developed their acute underwater hearing.
4	Real "Danny Deckchairs" Soar With Just a Seat and Some Balloons	In the new movie <i>Danny Deckchair,</i> a truck driver ties party balloons to a chair and flies away. It's called cluster ballooning, and believe it or not, it's a real sport.
4	"Unusually Good" Meteor Shower Expected Tonight	Tonight's annual Perseid meteor shower is likely to be a spectacular show of shooting stars zipping across the night sky, according to astronomers.
4	"Monster" Waves Suprisingly Common, Satellites Show	Rogue waves #151;eight or more stories or higher #151;are freaks of the ocean once thought to be tall tales told by sailors. But now scientists have satellite evidence that the massive upwellings are not only real but also fairly common.
4	Ancient Olympians Followed "Atkins" Diet, Scholar Says	What did the first Olympians eat? Food historians are scouring ancient texts to find out.
4	U.S. Warrior Arms Africans to Hunt Sudanese Poachers	Armed poachers from Sudan have been raiding and destroying neighboring Central African Republic's wildlife resources for years. Now, with the help of a militant U.S. conservationist, the CAR populace is arming and training itself to fight back.
4	Ancient Olympics Mixed Naked Sports, Pagan Partying	Nude athletes, performance-enhancing lizard meat, and animal sacrifices are just a few of the things that separate the ancient Olympics from the modern games, says the author of <i>The Naked Olympics.</i>
4	Travel Column: Offsetting Air Travel's Greenhouse Impact	Global warming is threatening travel destinations worldwide. What's more, travelers themselves are contributing to it. Find out what you can do about it.
4	Magma Surge Moves Nevada Mountain, Study Says	Why did a Lake Tahoe-area peak move dramatically late last year? A new report says magma deep below surged upward, forcing the mountain to rise.
4	266 Chimps From Lab Adopted by Florida Refuge	With an influx of chimps previously used as laboratory animals, Florida's Center for Captive Chimpanzee Care is transforming into the largest chimp sanctuary in the world #151;almost overnight.
4	Locusts Inspire Technology That May Prevent Car Crashes	Locusts are commonly associated with plagues, food shortages, and death. But they are also inspiring what may be the next wave in lifesaving collision-avoidance systems.
4	Progress Supply Ship Docks with Space Station	NASA -- An unpiloted Russian cargo ship linked up the International Space Station this morning to deliver almost three tons of food, fuel, oxygen, water and supplies to the residents onboard. The ISS Progress 15 craft automatically docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 12:01 a.m...
4	Building Dedicated to Space Shuttle Columbia Astronauts	By BILL KACZOR PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- A former dormitory converted to classrooms at the Pensacola Naval Air Station was dedicated Friday to two Columbia astronauts who were among the seven who died in the shuttle disaster Feb...
4	Undersea Habitat Becomes Experimental Space Hospital	NASA -- The days of doctors making house calls may seem like ancient history for most patients in North America, but in October, three astronauts and a Canadian doctor will test the latest concepts in long-distance house calls using a unique underwater laboratory. The ability to conduct long-distance health care such as telemonitoring and telerobotic surgery could be key to maintaining the wellness of future spacefarers and responding to medical emergencies on the International Space Station, the moon or Mars...
4	How Mars Fooled the World	The famous Orson Welles' radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds" is about to hit the big screen, as film moguls Spielberg and Cruise bring the H.G. Wells' classic back into the popular imagination. Are we so clever today not be duped?
4	Chandra Catches Early Phase of Cosmic Assembly	Chandra X-Ray Observatory -- A NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory image has revealed a complex of several intergalactic hot gas clouds in the process of merging. The superb Chandra spatial resolution made it possible to distinguish individual galaxies from the massive clouds of hot gas...
4	Hubble Peers Inside a Celestial Geode	Hubble Space Telescope -- In this unusual image, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures a rare view of the celestial equivalent of a geode a gas cavity carved by the stellar wind and intense ultraviolet radiation from a hot young star. Real geodes are baseball-sized, hollow rocks that start out as bubbles in volcanic or sedimentary rock...
4	Saturn's Moon Titan: Prebiotic Laboratory	by Harry Bortman In this second and final part of the interview, Lunine explains how Huygens may help scientists understand the origin of life on Earth, even if it doesn't detect life on Titan. Astrobiology Magazine -- Titan is the only moon in our solar system with an atmosphere, and it is the organic chemistry that has been detected in that atmosphere that has sparked the imagination of planetary scientists like Lunine...
4	Sharpest Image Ever Obtained of a Circumstellar Disk Reveals Signs of Young Planets	MAUNA KEA, Hawaii -- The sharpest image ever taken of a dust disk around another star has revealed structures in the disk which are signs of unseen planets. Dr...
4	Chandra Celebrates Five Years of Scientific Breakthroughs	Marshall Space Flight Center -- On August 12, 1999, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory opened its sunshade doors for the first time, allowing celestial X-ray light to reach the observatory's mirrors. This one small step for the observatory proved to be a giant leap for science as Chandra began its mission to shed new light on a violent, mysterious universe invisible to the human eye...
4	Some Globular Clusters May Be Leftovers From Snacking Galaxies	Globular star clusters are like spherical cathedrals of light -- collections of millions of stars lumped into a space only a few dozen light-years across. If the Earth resided within a globular cluster, our night sky would be alight with thousands of stars more brilliant than Sirius.
4	India Rethinks Plan for Manned Moon Mission	By S. SRINIVASAN BANGALORE, India (AP) -- India is rethinking its plan to send a man to the moon by 2015, as the mission would cost a lot of money and yield very little in return, the national space agency said Thursday...
4	Cluster Finds Giant Gas Vortices at the Edge of Earths Magnetic Bubble	European Space Agency -- ESAs quartet of space-weather watchers, Cluster, has discovered vortices of ejected solar material high above the Earth. The superheated gases trapped in these structures are probably tunnelling their way into the Earths magnetic bubble, the magnetosphere...
4	Saturn's Moon Titan: Planet Wannabe	by Henry Bortman Jonathan Lunine, professor of planetary science and physics at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, has long been fascinated by Saturn's largest moon, Titan. In this first part of the interview, Lunine explains what scientists hope to learn from Huygens...
4	Knocking on Heaven's Door	The Milky Way is a vast, diverse neighborhood. If you're hoping to find Earthlike planets that may harbor life, you'll need to narrow the search. Stars are a good place to start, because the dusty discs around stars spawn young planets.
4	China Begins Countdown for Next Manned Space Flight	By ELAINE KURTENBACH SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Chinese astronauts are in the final stages of preparing for a manned space mission that will orbit the globe 14 times before returning to Earth, a state-run newspaper reported Thursday. The launch, expected sometime this month, will initially send a manned craft, the Shenzhou 5, into an oval orbit that at its closest will be 125 miles from Earth, the Liberation Daily reported, citing "relevant channels." After circling the earth several times, the ship will enter an orbit at about 220 miles from earth, the report said...
4	Trajectory Maneuver Brings Genesis Spacecraft Closer to Home	Jet Propulsion Lab -- Thirty days before its historic return to Earth with NASA's first samples from space since the Apollo missions, the Genesis spacecraft successfully completed its twentieth trajectory maneuver. At 12:00 Universal Time (5:00 a.m...
4	Japanese Lunar Probe Mission Facing Delays	TOKYO (AP) -- A lunar orbiter that Japan had planned to launch this year could face further delays, possibly until next year or later, because of a funding shortfall and problems developing the probe's information-gathering capabilities, Japan's space agency said Wednesday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, released a report to a government-run commission explaining expected delays to the launch of the \$135 million Lunar-A probe...
4	Progress Cargo Ship for ISS Launched From Russia	MOSCOW (AP) -- A Russian cargo ship loaded with supplies and equipment blasted off from the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday headed for the international space station, a Russian space official said. The Progress M-50 ship took off at 1:03 a.m...
4	The Annual Perseid Meteor Shower	The annual Perseid meteor shower is coming, and forecasters say it could be unusually good. Like bugs streaking down the side window of a moving car, colorful Perseid Earthgrazers could put on a pleasing show after sunset this week.
4	NASA Approves Robotic Hubble Repair Mission	(AP) -- NASA's chief is urging his Hubble Space Telescope team to press ahead with plans for a robotic repair mission to the aging observatory, saying, "Let's go save the Hubble." Administrator Sean O'Keefe says he will ask Congress for money to accomplish the job. He estimates it will take about \$1 billion to \$1.6 billion to develop and launch a robot to make the needed upgrades to keep the popular telescope running and to get it out of orbit once its work is through...
4	What Is a Comet Made Of?	UC Davis -- A new method for looking at the composition of comets using ground-based telescopes has been developed by chemists at UC Davis. Remnants from the formation of our solar system, the makeup of comets gives clues about how the Earth and other planets formed...
4	Dying Star Goes Out With a Ring	A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the shimmering embers of a dying star, and in their midst a mysterious doughnut-shaped ring. The dying star is part of a "planetary nebula" called NGC 246. When a star like our own Sun begins to run out of fuel, its core shrinks and heats up, boiling off the star's outer layers.
4	Lost Sleep Leads to Health Problems	Advice on how to get a good night's slumber and avoid future heart trouble HealthDayNews -- Lack of sleep can cause more than drowsiness; it can contribute to a number of health problems. Short-term effects of lack of sleep include increases in blood pressure and levels of stress hormones, according to an article in the August issue of the Harvard Heart Letter...
4	Which Diet is Best? The One That Works for You	By Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Gather together some diners who are trying to lose weight, then sit back and listen to the debate. Almost anyone who's on a diet -- or at least one that's working -- is convinced his or her plan is the best...
4	Clouds are Cooler than Smoke	Clouds help regulate the Earths climate by reflecting sunlight into space, thus cooling the surface. When cloud patterns change, they modify the Earths energy balance in turn, and temperatures on the Earths surface.
4	Last Year's Flu Shot Imperfect But Effective	By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Last year's influenza vaccine was far from a perfect match against the virus that sickened people, but it offered more protection from the illness than experts had previously thought. In very young children, the shot was found to be 25 percent to 49 percent effective in preventing influenza-like illness, which is a suspected case of flu that wasn't confirmed in a laboratory...
4	Olympics Could Call Out the Couch Potatoes	As the 2004 Summer Olympics officially get underway Friday with an international broadcast of the opening ceremonies, health experts expect the Athens games to inspire couch potatoes to become more active. But, experts caution, amateurs, particularly sedentary ones, should not jump into a new sports activity without sufficient preparation.
4	Skateboarding Offers a Tough Workout	By KRISTA LARSON SAYREVILLE, N.J. (AP) -- While the tennis courts at Kennedy Park are bare on a hot afternoon, parents keep dropping off teenagers at the skate park, home to all the day's action...
4	Rats May Help Unravel Human Drug Addiction Mysteries	By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rats can become drug addicts. That's important to know, scientists say, and has taken a long time to prove...
4	Sting of Bug Bites Can Linger Into Adulthood	By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Contrary to popular belief, not all kids who are allergic to insect stings outgrow their sensitivity. Some people whose allergies left them in fear of bees, wasps, and the like as children still react to their stings as adults, but a new study offers relief: Allergy shots given in childhood can protect them for up to 20 years...
4	FDA Warns of Terrorist Prescription Drug Tampering	By DIEDTRA HENDERSON WASHINGTON (AP) -- "Cues from chatter" gathered around the world are raising concerns that terrorists might try to attack the domestic food and drug supply, particularly illegally imported prescription drugs, acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester M. Crawford says...
4	Scientists Probe Pacific Ocean for Dead Zones	His hand on a toggle switch and his eyes on a computer screen, Oregon State University graduate student Anthony Kirincich uses an array of scientific instruments to probe the vibrant waters of the Pacific. He is searching for the absence of life.
4	Simultaneous Tropical Storms are Very Rare	The prospect that a tropical storm and a hurricane - or possibly two hurricanes - could strike Florida on the same day is something meteorologists say they have never seen. "It's almost unheard of," state meteorologist Ben Nelson said.
4	Deaths Raise Fears Over Stomach Stapling Surgery	By LINDA A. JOHNSON (AP) -- An obese Massachusetts woman and her 8-month-old fetus died of complications 18 months after stomach-stapling surgery, an apparent first that is leading to warnings about the risks of pregancy soon after the surgery...
4	Growth and Mortality Details of T. Rex Get Clearer	T. rex was one of the largest meat-eaters ever to walk the land when it died out some 65 million years ago. At an elephant-like 6 tons, it stretched about 40 feet to 45 feet long and measured about 13 feet tall at the hip. The adult skull alone was 5 feet long, with teeth up to a foot long.

4

Video games 'good for children'

Computer games can promote problem-solving and team-building in children, say games industry experts.

4

Fake goods tempting young adults

Young people are increasingly happy to buy pirated goods or illegal download content from the net, a survey shows.

4

Catwoman far from perfect

The Catwoman game is a major disappointment that feels like a pointless tie-in with the film.

4

'Madden,' 'ESPN' Football Score in Different Ways

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - Was absenteeism a little high on Tuesday among the guys at the office? EA Sports would like to think it was because "Madden NFL 2005" came out that day, and some fans of the football simulation are rabid enough to take a sick day to play it.

4

AOL to Sell Cheap PCs to Minorities and Seniors

NEW YORK (Reuters) - America Online on Thursday said it plans to sell a low-priced PC targeting low-income and minority households who agree to sign up for a year of dialup Internet service.

4

Microsoft to Introduce Cheaper Version of Windows

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. <MSFT.O> said it will begin selling a stripped-down, low-cost version of its Windows XP operating system in the emerging markets of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in order to spread the use of computing and develop technology markets.

4

Companies Approve New High-Capacity Disc Format

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A group of consumer electronics makers said on Wednesday they approved the format for a new generation of discs that can store five times the data of DVDs at the same cost -- enough to put a full season of "The Sopranos" on one disc.

4

Missing June Deals Slow to Return for Software Cos.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The mystery of what went wrong for the software industry in late June when sales stalled at more than 20 brand-name companies is not even close to being solved although the third quarter is nearly halfway over.

4

Microsoft Upgrades Software for Digital Pictures

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. <MSFT.O> released on Tuesday the latest version of its software for editing and organizing digital photographs and images to tap into widespread demand for digital cameras and photography.

4

Google to Pay Yahoo to Settle Patent Dispute

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Google Inc. <GOOG.O> on Monday again boosted the number of shares it plans to sell in its initial public offering, saying it will issue 2.7 million shares to Yahoo Inc. <YHOO.O> to settle a lawsuit over technology used to display ads.

4

A Digital Doctor Treats Computer Contamination

Unfortunately for users, computer equipment manufacturers and resellers don't adequately inform Windows users of the risks involved in accessing the Internet without proper security measures. -The Washington Post

4

'SP2' a Must With XP Use

Service Pack 2, "SP2" for short, aims to stop viruses, worms, browser hijackings and worse by including security features that people have to add and adjust on their own. -Rob Pegoraro

4

Putting Your Own Stamp On All Your Parcels

Fido the Stamp is here. Well, he could be -- all it takes is for one dog owner to snap a digital photo of his beloved pooch, submit it to the Stamps.com Web site and order personalized postage. -Leslie Walker

4

Internet Challenges Face-to-Face Mingling

At Bungalow Billiards in Chantilly on Wednesday, about a dozen single parents from Northern Virginia gathered at happy hour to mingle, eat and drink. All were divorced or widowed members of the Fairfax chapter of Parents Without Partners.

4

Forecast: Plenty of Activity On the Weather Blog Front

If it's possible to love something just because it could visit torrents upon the Washington region, fling hail from the skies and swell streams into rivers, then Jason Samenow is smitten.

4

Google Starts Auction

Company launched the biggest electronic auction of stock in Wall Street history Friday but warned that it could face legal liability from a Playboy magazine interview in which some aspects of the Internet search engine's performance were overstated. -The Washington Post

4

Bids Placed Despite Mixed News

Umesh Patel, a 36-year old software engineer from California, debated until the last minute.

4

Antitrust Lawyer Takes Helm at FTC

As Deborah P. Majoras takes over the Federal Trade Commission on Monday, she's expected to build on the broad agenda set by her predecessor, Timothy J. Muris.

4

GAO Calls Stryker Too Heavy for Transport

The Army's new medium-weight armored vehicle, the Stryker, weighs so much that it curtails the range of C-130 military cargo aircraft that carry it and under certain conditions make it impossible for the planes to take off, a new report for Congress found.

4

BioVeris Settles 2 Lawsuits Against Chief Executive's Son

BioVeris Corp. announced yesterday that it settled two lawsuits against Jacob N. Wohlstadter, its chief executive's son, whom the company had accused of spending millions of dollars on cars and real estate to sabotage a joint venture he ran so he could purchase it for a bargain price.

4

Google: Now Playboy's Latest Bunny

Investors in the company that's trying to come off as cute as a bunny could find themselves holding a fistful of vipers if the founders of Google Inc. continue to do things like show up in Playboy magazine around the same time their company is going public. -washingtonpost.com

4

EBay Buys Stake in Craigslist

Internet auctioneer eBay Inc. said Friday it acquired a 25 percent stake in craigslist, an online community of classified ads and forums. -Associated Press

4

Blog Interrupted

The instant message blinked on the computer at Jessica Cutler's desk in the Russell Senate Office Building. "Oh my God, you're famous."

4

Hungry world 'must eat less meat'

People will need to eat more vegetables and less meat because of dwindling water supplies, scientists say.

4

Hopes soar for solo record plane

Richard Branson says the Virgin Global Flyer is looking good for its solo trip around the world without refuelling.

4

Arctic team reaches destination

A team of British explorers, who are retracing the steps of a Victorian pioneer, have reached Thom Bay.

4

Shuttle camera to watch fuel tank

The space shuttle's external fuel tank, implicated in the 2003 Columbia disaster, is to get its own camera.

4

Hubble peers at celestial bubble

The Hubble Space Telescope has looked into a bubble of gas and dust being inflated by a young star's particles.

4

Bacteria gives coral orange glow

Orange coral common to the Caribbean has bacteria to thank for its hue, say US marine scientists.

4

Honey bees close museum

A Worcestershire museum is forced to close for several weeks while a swarm of honey bees is removed.

4

Clouds dash Perseids show

The annual Perseid meteor shower could provide a "spectacular" show, despite a disappointing start.

4

Worms may slow Parkinson's

A protein which helps increase lifespan in worms offers hope for new Parkinson's and Alzheimer's treatments.

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Nasa help for stem cell study

UK tissue engineering experts are teaming up with NASA to find treatments for diseases back on Earth.

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TB test to slash infection rates

A rapid and accurate test for TB could cut infection rates around the world, say experts.

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Scientists given cloning go-ahead

The first request by British scientists to clone human embryos has been granted by experts.

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Vandals damage bird reserve

A disturbance free zone for nesting birds is put at risk by vandals who cut down the boundary fence.

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Heat waves set to become 'brutal'

Heat waves in the 21st Century will be more intense, more frequent and longer, US experts say.

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Monkeys test 'hardworking gene'

Scientists in the United States find a way to turn lazy monkeys into workaholics using gene therapy.

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Hearing clue to whale evolution

The evolution of whales from four-legged land dwellers into streamlined swimmers has been traced in fossilised ears, Nature reports.

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News: NASA Extends TRMM Operations Through 2004 Hurricane Season

NASA will extend operation of the Tropical Rainfall\Measuring Mission (TRMM) through the end of 2004, in light of a\recent request from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric\Administration (NOAA).

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News: Climate Change Could Doom Alaska's Tundra

In the next 100 years, Alaska will experience a massive loss of its historic tundra, as global warming allows these vast regions of cold, dry, lands to support forests and other vegetation that will dramatically alter native ecosystems. (Oregon State University press release)

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News: How Strongly Does the Sun Influence the Climate?

Researchers have shown that the Sun can be responsible for, at most, only a small part of the warming over the last 20-30 years. (Max Planck Society press release)

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News: New England Forests at Greater Risk from Air Pollution

When it comes to forests, air pollution is not an equal opportunity hazard. While dirty air spreads across large areas of the New England region, it's more scattered in the southeastern part of the United States. (University of Wisconsin-Madison press release)

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News: Warmer Weather, Human Disturbances Interact to Change Forests

While a rapidly changing climate may alter the composition of northern Wisconsin's forests, disturbances such as logging also will play a critical role in how these sylvan ecosystems change over time. (University of Wisconsin-Madison press release)

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News: Duke Study Disputes Idea that Trees Can 'Relocate' Quickly in Response to Climate Change

In a study with implications for how North American trees might respond to a changing climate, molecular information collected by Duke University researchers refutes a widely accepted theory that many of the continent's tree species migrated rapidly from the deep South as glaciers retreated at the end of the last Ice Age. (Duke University press release)

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News: Droughts Like 1930s Dust Bowl May Have Been Unexceptional in Prehistoric Times, New Study Suggests

Events like the great Dust Bowl of the 1930s, immortalized in "The Grapes of Wrath" and remembered as a transforming event for millions of Americans, were regular parts of much-earlier cycles of droughts followed by recoveries in the region, according to new studies by a multi-institutional research team led by Duke University. (Duke University press release)

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News: New Study to Investigate Demise of Coral Reef Ecosystems

Scientists are embarking on a project which will explore how global warming is devastating one of the world's most diverse ecosystems, coral reefs. (University of Newcastle press release)

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Natural Hazards: Typhoon Rananim

The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Typhoon Rananim on August 12 at 2:40 UTC.

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Horseflies and Meteors

Like bugs streaking colorfully down the side window of a moving car, Earthgrazing Perseid meteors could put on a pleasing show after sunset on August 11th.

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Spinning Brains

One day, astronauts could zip across the solar system in spinning spaceships. How will their brains adapt to life onboard a twirling home where strange quot;Coriolis forces quot; rule?

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What Neil Buzz Left on the Moon

A cutting-edge Apollo 11 science experiment left behind in the Sea of Tranquility is still running today.

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Voyager 1, Prepare for Action

At the outer limits of our solar system, a solar shock wave is about to overtake NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft.

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Saturn Hailstorm

When Cassini reached Saturn On June 30th, it dashed through a gap in Saturn's rings, twice. One of onboard science instruments recorded a flurry of ring-dust harmlessly striking the spacecraft.\\

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Dino-Size Spurt: T. Rex Teens Gained 5 Pounds a Day

New analysis of fossil bones indicates that adolescent Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs grew extremely rapidly, quickly reaching gigantic size.

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Fossils Show How Whales Evolved to Hear Underwater

Whale fossils found with tiny ear bones reveal for the first time how the ancestors of whales and dolphins developed their acute underwater hearing.

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Real "Danny Deckchairs" Soar With Just a Seat and Some Balloons

In the new movie Danny Deckchair, a truck driver ties party balloons to a chair and flies away. It's called cluster ballooning, and believe it or not, it's a real sport.

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"Unusually Good" Meteor Shower Expected Tonight

Tonight's annual Perseid meteor shower is likely to be a spectacular show of shooting stars zipping across the night sky, according to astronomers.

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"Monster" Waves Suprisingly Common, Satellites Show

Rogue waves #151;eight or more stories or higher #151;are freaks of the ocean once thought to be tall tales told by sailors. But now scientists have satellite evidence that the massive upwellings are not only real but also fairly common.

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Ancient Olympians Followed "Atkins" Diet, Scholar Says

What did the first Olympians eat? Food historians are scouring ancient texts to find out.

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U.S. Warrior Arms Africans to Hunt Sudanese Poachers

Armed poachers from Sudan have been raiding and destroying neighboring Central African Republic's wildlife resources for years. Now, with the help of a militant U.S. conservationist, the CAR populace is arming and training itself to fight back.

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Ancient Olympics Mixed Naked Sports, Pagan Partying

Nude athletes, performance-enhancing lizard meat, and animal sacrifices are just a few of the things that separate the ancient Olympics from the modern games, says the author of The Naked Olympics.

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Travel Column: Offsetting Air Travel's Greenhouse Impact

Global warming is threatening travel destinations worldwide. What's more, travelers themselves are contributing to it. Find out what you can do about it.

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Magma Surge Moves Nevada Mountain, Study Says

Why did a Lake Tahoe-area peak move dramatically late last year? A new report says magma deep below surged upward, forcing the mountain to rise.

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266 Chimps From Lab Adopted by Florida Refuge

With an influx of chimps previously used as laboratory animals, Florida's Center for Captive Chimpanzee Care is transforming into the largest chimp sanctuary in the world #151;almost overnight.

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Locusts Inspire Technology That May Prevent Car Crashes

Locusts are commonly associated with plagues, food shortages, and death. But they are also inspiring what may be the next wave in lifesaving collision-avoidance systems.

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Progress Supply Ship Docks with Space Station

NASA -- An unpiloted Russian cargo ship linked up the International Space Station this morning to deliver almost three tons of food, fuel, oxygen, water and supplies to the residents onboard. The ISS Progress 15 craft automatically docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 12:01 a.m...

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Building Dedicated to Space Shuttle Columbia Astronauts

By BILL KACZOR PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- A former dormitory converted to classrooms at the Pensacola Naval Air Station was dedicated Friday to two Columbia astronauts who were among the seven who died in the shuttle disaster Feb...

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Undersea Habitat Becomes Experimental Space Hospital

NASA -- The days of doctors making house calls may seem like ancient history for most patients in North America, but in October, three astronauts and a Canadian doctor will test the latest concepts in long-distance house calls using a unique underwater laboratory. The ability to conduct long-distance health care such as telemonitoring and telerobotic surgery could be key to maintaining the wellness of future spacefarers and responding to medical emergencies on the International Space Station, the moon or Mars...

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How Mars Fooled the World

The famous Orson Welles' radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds" is about to hit the big screen, as film moguls Spielberg and Cruise bring the H.G. Wells' classic back into the popular imagination. Are we so clever today not be duped?

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Chandra Catches Early Phase of Cosmic Assembly

Chandra X-Ray Observatory -- A NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory image has revealed a complex of several intergalactic hot gas clouds in the process of merging. The superb Chandra spatial resolution made it possible to distinguish individual galaxies from the massive clouds of hot gas...

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Hubble Peers Inside a Celestial Geode

Hubble Space Telescope -- In this unusual image, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures a rare view of the celestial equivalent of a geode a gas cavity carved by the stellar wind and intense ultraviolet radiation from a hot young star. Real geodes are baseball-sized, hollow rocks that start out as bubbles in volcanic or sedimentary rock...

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Saturn's Moon Titan: Prebiotic Laboratory

by Harry Bortman In this second and final part of the interview, Lunine explains how Huygens may help scientists understand the origin of life on Earth, even if it doesn't detect life on Titan. Astrobiology Magazine -- Titan is the only moon in our solar system with an atmosphere, and it is the organic chemistry that has been detected in that atmosphere that has sparked the imagination of planetary scientists like Lunine...

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Sharpest Image Ever Obtained of a Circumstellar Disk Reveals Signs of Young Planets

MAUNA KEA, Hawaii -- The sharpest image ever taken of a dust disk around another star has revealed structures in the disk which are signs of unseen planets. Dr...

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Chandra Celebrates Five Years of Scientific Breakthroughs

Marshall Space Flight Center -- On August 12, 1999, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory opened its sunshade doors for the first time, allowing celestial X-ray light to reach the observatory's mirrors. This one small step for the observatory proved to be a giant leap for science as Chandra began its mission to shed new light on a violent, mysterious universe invisible to the human eye...

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Some Globular Clusters May Be Leftovers From Snacking Galaxies

Globular star clusters are like spherical cathedrals of light -- collections of millions of stars lumped into a space only a few dozen light-years across. If the Earth resided within a globular cluster, our night sky would be alight with thousands of stars more brilliant than Sirius.

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India Rethinks Plan for Manned Moon Mission

By S. SRINIVASAN BANGALORE, India (AP) -- India is rethinking its plan to send a man to the moon by 2015, as the mission would cost a lot of money and yield very little in return, the national space agency said Thursday...

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Cluster Finds Giant Gas Vortices at the Edge of Earths Magnetic Bubble

European Space Agency -- ESAs quartet of space-weather watchers, Cluster, has discovered vortices of ejected solar material high above the Earth. The superheated gases trapped in these structures are probably tunnelling their way into the Earths magnetic bubble, the magnetosphere...

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Saturn's Moon Titan: Planet Wannabe

by Henry Bortman Jonathan Lunine, professor of planetary science and physics at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, has long been fascinated by Saturn's largest moon, Titan. In this first part of the interview, Lunine explains what scientists hope to learn from Huygens...

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Knocking on Heaven's Door

The Milky Way is a vast, diverse neighborhood. If you're hoping to find Earthlike planets that may harbor life, you'll need to narrow the search. Stars are a good place to start, because the dusty discs around stars spawn young planets.

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China Begins Countdown for Next Manned Space Flight

By ELAINE KURTENBACH SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Chinese astronauts are in the final stages of preparing for a manned space mission that will orbit the globe 14 times before returning to Earth, a state-run newspaper reported Thursday. The launch, expected sometime this month, will initially send a manned craft, the Shenzhou 5, into an oval orbit that at its closest will be 125 miles from Earth, the Liberation Daily reported, citing "relevant channels." After circling the earth several times, the ship will enter an orbit at about 220 miles from earth, the report said...

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Trajectory Maneuver Brings Genesis Spacecraft Closer to Home

Jet Propulsion Lab -- Thirty days before its historic return to Earth with NASA's first samples from space since the Apollo missions, the Genesis spacecraft successfully completed its twentieth trajectory maneuver. At 12:00 Universal Time (5:00 a.m...

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Japanese Lunar Probe Mission Facing Delays

TOKYO (AP) -- A lunar orbiter that Japan had planned to launch this year could face further delays, possibly until next year or later, because of a funding shortfall and problems developing the probe's information-gathering capabilities, Japan's space agency said Wednesday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, released a report to a government-run commission explaining expected delays to the launch of the \$135 million Lunar-A probe...

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Progress Cargo Ship for ISS Launched From Russia

MOSCOW (AP) -- A Russian cargo ship loaded with supplies and equipment blasted off from the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday headed for the international space station, a Russian space official said. The Progress M-50 ship took off at 1:03 a.m...

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The Annual Perseid Meteor Shower

The annual Perseid meteor shower is coming, and forecasters say it could be unusually good. Like bugs streaking down the side window of a moving car, colorful Perseid Earthgrazers could put on a pleasing show after sunset this week.

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NASA Approves Robotic Hubble Repair Mission

(AP) -- NASA's chief is urging his Hubble Space Telescope team to press ahead with plans for a robotic repair mission to the aging observatory, saying, "Let's go save the Hubble." Administrator Sean O'Keefe says he will ask Congress for money to accomplish the job. He estimates it will take about \$1 billion to \$1.6 billion to develop and launch a robot to make the needed upgrades to keep the popular telescope running and to get it out of orbit once its work is through...

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What Is a Comet Made Of?

UC Davis -- A new method for looking at the composition of comets using ground-based telescopes has been developed by chemists at UC Davis. Remnants from the formation of our solar system, the makeup of comets gives clues about how the Earth and other planets formed...

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Dying Star Goes Out With a Ring

A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the shimmering embers of a dying star, and in their midst a mysterious doughnut-shaped ring. The dying star is part of a "planetary nebula" called NGC 246. When a star like our own Sun begins to run out of fuel, its core shrinks and heats up, boiling off the star's outer layers.

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Lost Sleep Leads to Health Problems

Advice on how to get a good night's slumber and avoid future heart trouble HealthDayNews -- Lack of sleep can cause more than drowsiness; it can contribute to a number of health problems. Short-term effects of lack of sleep include increases in blood pressure and levels of stress hormones, according to an article in the August issue of the Harvard Heart Letter...

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Which Diet is Best? The One That Works for You

By Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Gather together some diners who are trying to lose weight, then sit back and listen to the debate. Almost anyone who's on a diet -- or at least one that's working -- is convinced his or her plan is the best...

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Clouds are Cooler than Smoke

Clouds help regulate the Earths climate by reflecting sunlight into space, thus cooling the surface. When cloud patterns change, they modify the Earths energy balance in turn, and temperatures on the Earths surface.

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Last Year's Flu Shot Imperfect But Effective

By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Last year's influenza vaccine was far from a perfect match against the virus that sickened people, but it offered more protection from the illness than experts had previously thought. In very young children, the shot was found to be 25 percent to 49 percent effective in preventing influenza-like illness, which is a suspected case of flu that wasn't confirmed in a laboratory...

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Olympics Could Call Out the Couch Potatoes

As the 2004 Summer Olympics officially get underway Friday with an international broadcast of the opening ceremonies, health experts expect the Athens games to inspire couch potatoes to become more active. But, experts caution, amateurs, particularly sedentary ones, should not jump into a new sports activity without sufficient preparation.

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Skateboarding Offers a Tough Workout

By KRISTA LARSON SAYREVILLE, N.J. (AP) -- While the tennis courts at Kennedy Park are bare on a hot afternoon, parents keep dropping off teenagers at the skate park, home to all the day's action...

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Rats May Help Unravel Human Drug Addiction Mysteries

By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rats can become drug addicts. That's important to know, scientists say, and has taken a long time to prove...

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Sting of Bug Bites Can Linger Into Adulthood

By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Contrary to popular belief, not all kids who are allergic to insect stings outgrow their sensitivity. Some people whose allergies left them in fear of bees, wasps, and the like as children still react to their stings as adults, but a new study offers relief: Allergy shots given in childhood can protect them for up to 20 years...

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FDA Warns of Terrorist Prescription Drug Tampering

By DIEDTRA HENDERSON WASHINGTON (AP) -- "Cues from chatter" gathered around the world are raising concerns that terrorists might try to attack the domestic food and drug supply, particularly illegally imported prescription drugs, acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester M. Crawford says...

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Scientists Probe Pacific Ocean for Dead Zones

His hand on a toggle switch and his eyes on a computer screen, Oregon State University graduate student Anthony Kirincich uses an array of scientific instruments to probe the vibrant waters of the Pacific. He is searching for the absence of life.

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Simultaneous Tropical Storms are Very Rare

The prospect that a tropical storm and a hurricane - or possibly two hurricanes - could strike Florida on the same day is something meteorologists say they have never seen. "It's almost unheard of," state meteorologist Ben Nelson said.

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Deaths Raise Fears Over Stomach Stapling Surgery

By LINDA A. JOHNSON (AP) -- An obese Massachusetts woman and her 8-month-old fetus died of complications 18 months after stomach-stapling surgery, an apparent first that is leading to warnings about the risks of pregancy soon after the surgery...

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Growth and Mortality Details of T. Rex Get Clearer

T. rex was one of the largest meat-eaters ever to walk the land when it died out some 65 million years ago. At an elephant-like 6 tons, it stretched about 40 feet to 45 feet long and measured about 13 feet tall at the hip. The adult skull alone was 5 feet long, with teeth up to a foot long.