Astronomers detect first Earth-size planets orbiting another star In a milestone hailed by scientists as a key step toward finding another Earth-like world, astronomers Tuesday announced the discovery of two blazingly hot planets roughly the size of Earth some 950 light years distant. The discovery “demonstrates for first time that Earth-size planets exist around other [...]
Google and Bing fight off ‘content farms’ in effort to improve online searches Survey finds improved search results after Google muffles ‘content farms’ Online search engines are meant to pick out high-quality sites amid the sea of knockoffs that repeat information produced elsewhere, but even they get overwhelmed. As recently as March, for example, the [...]
Brazil’s forest policy could undermine its climate goals Brazil, caretaker of the world’s largest rain forest, is about to enact broad new regulations that opponents say could loosen restrictions on Amazon deforestation and increase the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The move comes after two years of often roiling debates and dozens of hearings across the [...]
NIH temporarily bans new chimpanzee research The National Institutes of Health has placed a temporary moratorium on new studies using chimpanzees, it announced Thursday in response to a report that marks nearly all medical research on the great apes as scientifically unjustified. “Effective immediately, NIH will not issue any new awards for chimpanzee research” as [...]
Judge dismisses legal challenge to Plan B, may review FDA decision A federal judge Tuesday rejected a request to hold the Food and Drug Administration in contempt of court over its policy on the emergency contraceptive Plan B but said he would consider reviewing the government’s refusal to make it easier for girls and women [...]