By Janet Raloff, Science News Children exposed in the womb to substantial levels of neurotoxic pesticides have somewhat lower IQs by the time they enter school than do kids with virtually no exposure. A trio of studies screened women for compounds in blood or urine that mark exposure to organophosphate pesticides such as chlorpyrifos, diazinon […]

 The operators of the stricken Fukushima I nuclear power plant in northeast Japan have been ordered to pay compensation to families affected by the ongoing crisisat the site, amid calls for the resignation of the Japanese prime minister over how he is handling the crisis, which has now been designated on par with the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Japanese officials ordered TEPCO to pay ¥1 million (US$12 thousand, £7.35 thousand) to […]

 A slew of food scandals have occurred in China in recent weeks, highlighting the country's ongoing challenge with maintaining levels of food safety.Most recently, a report on broadcaster CCTV2 revealed that a Shanghai producer of steamed buns (mantou) used contained dye and excessive amounts of artificial sweetener in the ...

The role of social networking site Facebook in facilitating protest actions has been affirmed in the Tunisia and Egypt uprisings; governments in many countries, including China, are wary of the political activities of their citizens on Facebook. But in Cambodia, Facebook is not yet considered a threat by the government. Politicians led by Prime Minister Hun Sen (who has been in […]

By Laura Zuckerman, Reuters A federal judge on Saturday rejected a plan negotiated between the government and wildlife advocates to remove most wolves in the Rockies from the Endangered Species List. The deal struck earlier this month between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 10 conservation groups would have lifted federal protections from an […]

  Police in Suffolk County, New York suspect that a serial killer may be on the loose in the area, following the discovery of eight bodies on beaches near the New York City area since December 2010. The latest discovery of three corpses was made by investigators on Gilgo Beach, which is a barrier island […]

A team from the China Agrcultural University is reporting success after transfering human genes into a herd of 300 dairy cows. The cows now produce milk containing proteins associated with human breast milk. Human milk is beneficial to infants due to its high nutrient concentration. Formula milk offers an alternative to breastfeeding, but critics feel it is inferior and […]

By Marian Wang in ProPublica   As the Obama administration grapples with whether to arm the Libyan rebels, it has several things to consider—not least of which is the question of if doing so would be legal. The State Department had been pretty clear about the matter earlier this month, with then-spokesman P.J. Crowley telling […]

 Hundreds of thousands of people joined marches in London on Saturday against public sector cuts by the British government. One union estimated up to half a million people travelled from across the country to demonstrate as the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition implements wide-ranging spending cuts. According to reports, a small group of protesters dressed in black threw paint and smoke bombs […]

By causing the mutation of one specific gene, researchers have produced mice with two frequently encountered behavioral traits of persons diagnosed with autism. Autism commonly affects the ability to interact socially and is associated with repetitive behavior. The finding was reported in the March 20 on line edition of Nature.   Using mice, researchers at […]