(PhysOrg.com) -- Restaurants could play an important role in helping to reduce the growing obesity epidemic by creating reduced-calorie meals, according to Penn State researchers.

Nine years after beginning its unprecedented look at the gateway between Earth's environment and space, not to mention collecting more data on the upper atmosphere than any other satellite, NASA's Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) mission has been extended again.

(PhysOrg.com) -- Wine grapes that flourish in certain parts of Europe just might excel in West Texas.

With the launch of the Windows Phone 7 platform, Microsoft is entering a smartphone race that started in earnest more than three years ago.

(PhysOrg.com) -- If you name it, they will use it, according to a team of international researchers who investigated how people perceive the trustworthiness of online technology. In an experiment, participants said they trusted websites, recommendation-providing software and even computers labeled to perform specific functions more than the same Internet tools with general designations, according...

Jupiter will be easy to see in the south as night falls in November. The best time to observe this bright planet with a telescope will be from dusk to midnight as it travels high across the sky from southeast to southwest. Jupiter's four brightest moons will be visible with binoculars.

(PhysOrg.com) -- With growing concern about college students drinking stimulant-enhanced alcoholic beverages, the University of Rhode Island banned such drinks from campus.

(PhysOrg.com) -- As winter approaches, northern dwellers will get assistance from space to help them face the harsh weather. Satellite information on snow cover is now available through ESA's GlobSnow project soon after it snows.

Some people's voices seem to have been made for the radio. Others grate on our nerves.

New index would track antibiotic resistance patterns using a single number

Eighty-five young scientists and engineers were singled out today by the White House. They...

Long term exposure to low-level air pollution may increase the risk of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to researcher s in Denmark. While acute exposure of several days to high level air pollution was known to be a risk factor for exacerbation in pre-existing COPD, until now there had been no studies linking long-term air pollution exposure to the development or progression...

Existing headgear and mouth guards have limited or no benefit in reducing concussions in rugby players, according to a Canadian neurosurgeon.

Since launching in preview mode, Hulu has been continually adding more devices and content to woo subscribers to its invitation-only premium service. Now its Hulu Plus streaming-TV service has been opened to the masses. In June, Hulu unveiled its subscription service that offers viewers access to full seasons of TV shows on a slew of devices. Hulu Plus costs $9.99 a month to watch shows...

Apple's Xserve has been xx'd out. In an announcement Friday, the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer maker announced the server will only be available through Jan. 31 as the company transitions "away from Xserve" to Mac Pro or Mac mini systems running Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard. The company added that it will honor all Xserve warranties and extended support programs. Mac Pro Server...

Shares in Research In Motion took a hit on Wall Street Friday due to investors' concerns that enterprises are starting to look to other mobile platforms. Dell's 25,000 employees are abandoning RIM's BlackBerry, and several major financial institutions are rumored to be considering a similar switch. BlackBerry remains a formidable player in the enterprise market with assets and an installed...

This stunning insectivorous neotropical bird gets its brilliant pink coloration from its dietScissor-tailed flycatcher, Tyrannus forficatus, photographed at Smith Point, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Texas, USA. Image: Joseph Kennedy, 28 October 2010 [with binoculars].Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400 Question: This stunning neotropical...

Listen to a roundup of some of our favorite stories from this week

The bottom line of a new analysis suggests that votes on the Waxman-Markey House climate billl mattered not at all in most congressional races and only a little in a few.

Initial pictures from the EPOXI mission to comet Hartley 2 show an odd "peanut" spewing jets of carbon dioxide and cyanide gas....

A NASA research center was locked down Friday because a misdirected phone call during an emergency notification system test at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida led workers in Ohio to believe there was a gunman on campus. There was no shooting, but a NASA Glenn Research Center employee thought there was, said center spokeswoman Lori Rachul. A Glenn center employee has the same last name as...

AP - Scientists say an excavation site in western Colorado is revealing an entire Ice Age ecosystem.

Reuters - Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced his resignation on Thursday, saying he will leave the high-profile government post for a senior position at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

Space shuttle Discovery's final voyage is off until at least the end of the month because of a large hydrogen gas leak that forced yet another launch delay. It's the fourth postponement in a week for Discovery's mission to the International Space Station with six veteran astronauts and the first humanoid robot bound for orbit. NASA tried to launch Discovery on Friday, but a potentially...