Reuters: Science News

"Bigfoot" was rubber gorilla costume

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:20:45 -0400

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - No wonder Bigfoot failed a DNA test. Researchers said on Tuesday the hairy heap claimed by two men to be the corpse of the mythical half-ape, half-human creature was actually a full-body rubber gorilla costume.

Stem cells could allow "blood farms," company says

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:37:02 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Embryonic stem cells can be used to grow vats of red blood cells, which could lead to the creation of "farms" that could provide limitless sources of blood, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

Stem cell test to help treat bowel cancer

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:18:33 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - Stem cell scientists have developed a new and more accurate way of spotting aggressive forms of bowel cancer, allowing for tailored treatment that should improve patients' chances of survival.

Magpies are no bird-brains, mirror test shows

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:47:17 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - Magpies can recognize themselves in a mirror, highlighting the mental skills of some birds and confounding the notion that self-awareness is the exclusive preserve of humans and a few higher mammals.

Resilient storm Fay could hit Florida a third time

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:39:56 -0400

MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Fay swept into Florida from the Gulf of Mexico and soaked the state on Tuesday while growing strong enough that forecasters said it could become a hurricane before smacking Florida a third time.

For mosquitoes, DEET just plain stinks: study

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:48:19 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - DEET, the widely used mosquito repellent, does not block the insects' sense of smell but simply stinks to them, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

New minor planet helps explain comets

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:18:23 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A newly discovered "minor planet" with an elongated orbit around the Sun may help explain the origin of comets, researchers said on Monday.

Confused sea turtles march into Italian restaurant

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:10:43 -0400

ROME (Reuters) - About 60 newly hatched sea turtles lost their way during their ritual passage to the sea and marched into an Italian restaurant instead, a conservation worker said on Monday.

Bacteria a big killer in 1918 flu pandemic: study

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:56:51 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bacterial pneumonia may have killed most people during the 1918 flu pandemic, and antibiotics may be as crucial as flu drugs to fight any new pandemic, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

Portal to mythical Mayan underworld found in Mexico

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:34:06 -0400

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican archeologists have discovered a maze of stone temples in underground caves, some submerged in water and containing human bones, which ancient Mayans believed was a portal where dead souls entered the underworld.