Science News

Astronomers find a water-rich planet that's similar in size to our own -- and a mere 40 light-years away. While the so-called "Super Earth" is far too hot to support human beings or other terrestrial animals, the discovery is being heralded as a major breakthrough in humanity's search for life on other planets.

A new study says that Americans now spend three out of every four waking hours being bombarded by some form of information. The report adds that the average American consumes 34 gigabytes and 100,000 words over the course of about 12 hours every day.

Australian and Chinese officials urged two bamboo-munching giant pandas on Sunday to consider reproducing during their 10-year residency Down Under.

Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through the chilly Danish capital and nearly 1,000 were detained in a mass rally to demand an ambitious global climate pact, just as talks hit a snag over rich nations' demands on China and other emerging economies.

As negotiators grapple in Copenhagen over how to curtail carbon emissions, Europe's own system turns out to be an ATM for organized crime. According to officials, criminals have gamed the EU's Emissions Trading System for a cool $7.4 billion in purloined tax revenues over the last 18 months.

Engineers trying to save one of the world's most beloved robots turn for help to a high-tech version of a kiddie plaything: the sandbox. The famed Mars rover Spirit has been stuck since spring in a patch of slippery Martian soil. To help plot the rover's escape, scientists concoct some faux-Martian sand, and are running tests with a duplicate robot in the sandbox.