Science News

Hackers break into the electronic files of a prominent climate research center, revealing private e-mail exchanges from leading scientists on global warming. Some skeptics say the messages show that scientists rigged data to overstate their case on climate change.

While he and his fellow astronauts carry out their mission at the International Space Station, Randolph Bresnik anxiously awaits the birth of a baby daughter back on Earth. Since there is no smoking aboard NASA spacecraft, cigars are forbidden -- but the astronauts may celebrate with chewing gum.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists releases new guidelines that advise women in their 20s to receive a Pap smear every two years. Previously, the organization advised women to get the test, which can detect cervical cancer, every year. The new recommendations come in the same week that U.S. women received new (and more lax) mammogram guidelines.

Scientists unearth the remains of three previously unknown crocodile species in the Sahara Desert, each of them strikingly bizarre. One has a rat-like snout for digging up food, while another boasts a 3-foot-long, pancake-shaped head. The crocs lived about 100 million years ago, when parts of the Sahara were still covered by water.

The poultry industry typically keeps hens in small cages, a practice lambasted by animal rights groups. Now scientists are objectively studying the issue to learn whether keeping chickens in small cages leads to crazy birds, or if they survive just fine.