Operating on the brain is usually seen as a last resort when drugs fail, but a new study suggests that having surgery sooner may prevent irreversible damage.

A study finds an unsettling link between the use of sleeping pills and increased risk of death.

Though there are still no large trials to prove or disprove the full worth of vitamin D, studies have linked low levels of it to risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and other diseases.

A common West Coast frog, the Pacific chorus frog, may be spreading the deadly fungal infection that is devastating other amphibians, a new study suggests.

People taking vitamins or supplements are more likely to die over a given period than people not taking them, a new study from Finland says, adding weight to recent findings from the U.S. along those lines.

Known for its distinctive "ribbit" call, the noisy Pacific chorus frog is a potent carrier of a deadly amphibian disease, according to new research published today in the journal PLoS ONE. Just how this common North American frog survives chytridiomycosis may hold clues to protect more vulnerable species from the disease.

U.S. Forest Service scientists today released an assessment that shows forest land has expanded in northern states during the past century despite a 130-percent population jump and relentless environmental threats. At the same time, Forest Service researchers caution that threats to forests in the coming decades could undermine these gains.

A novel study of honey bee genetic diversity co-authored by an Indiana University biologist has for the first time found that greater diversity in worker bees leads to colonies with fewer pathogens and more abundant helpful bacteria like probiotic species.

In response to population growth, many "new towns" or planned cities were built around the world in the 1950s. But according to Dr. Tali Hatuka, head of Tel Aviv University's Laboratory for Contemporary Urban Design (LCUD) at the Department of Geography and the Human Environment, these cities are a poor fit for modern lifestyles – and it's time to innovate.

Two new horned dinosaurs have been named based on fossils collected from Alberta, Canada. The new species, Unescopceratops koppelhusae and Gryphoceratops morrisoni, are from the Leptoceratopsidae family of horned dinosaurs. The herbivores lived during the Late Cretaceous period between 75 to 83 million years ago. The specimens are described in research published in the Jan. 24, 2012, online issue...

In the beginning – of the ribosome, the cell's protein-building workbench – there were ribonucleic acids, the molecules we call RNA that today perform a host of vital functions in cells. And according to a new analysis, even before the ribosome's many working parts were recruited for protein synthesis, proteins also were on the scene and interacting with RNA. This finding challenges a...

It's not too late to catch the spectacular Venus and Jupiter show.

An article released by Social Forces indicates that voter identification requirements have a substantially negative impact on the voting of all groups except for Asians. Particularly strong negative effects are seen for Blacks and Hispanics: a decrease in voting by 18 percent and 22 percent respectively. Even Whites show dampened turnout associated with voter ID policies. Yet for Asians,...

A study shows that branching corals that were hard-hit by bleaching 14 years ago fared less badly during another calamity in 2010.

Microsoft is hedging its bets when it comes to offering users of "Mango" smartphones running Windows Phone 7.5 an upgrade path to Windows Phone 8 when the software giant's next-generation mobile platform is finally ready for commercial release. On the other hand, Microsoft said its goal is to enable all Windows Phone 7 applications to run on Windows Phone 8. "In the case of Apple, they've...

Just in time to spoil the promise of warm-weather picnics, Harvard scientists have found that daily consumption of red meat — particularly the kind you might like to grill — may significantly increase your risk of premature death.

Opening statements are set for today (March 12) in the case of a NASA computer specialist who alleges that he was fired from his job at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory because of his belief in intelligent design.

A new study has found that red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality.

Men who drank one sugar-sweetened beverage a day had a 20 percent higher risk of heart disease compared to men who did not drink any sugar-sweetened drinks. Daily sugar-sweetened drink consumption was also linked to higher levels of harmful lipids in the blood and inflammation. Artificially sweetened beverages did not increase heart-disease risk in this...

An article in The Lancet suggests that pulling on the umbilical cord, or controlled cord traction, does not significantly reduce blood loss in women and may in fact endanger them.

Reflections on the death of F. Sherwood Rowland, a chemist who helped identify an atmospheric threat.

As the waves of a tsunami approach a coastline, the topography of the seafloor near the coast plays a major role in determining how large those waves become and what places get hit harder than others.

A new analysis found that each daily increase of three ounces of red meat was associated with a 16 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death and a 10 percent increased risk of cancer death.