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Ray Sanderson of Laurel, Mississippi fills two 55-gallon drums with gasoline at Sam's Club in Meridian, Mississippi. Tropical Storm Gustav regained hurricane strength as it churned toward Cuba Friday, leaving 78 people dead in its wake, as New Orleans began voluntary evacuations ahead of the storm's projected arrival next week.(AFP/Getty Images/Marianne Todd)

Hurricanes: Our 5 Worst Fears

Fri Aug 29, 11:41 AM ET

On the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastating landfall in New Orleans, residents all along the U.S. coastline today cast a wary eye out to Tropical Storms Gustav and Hanna, both predicted to ramp up to hurricane strength and possibly strike the United States early next week. The 2005 season - the busiest season on record - was an obvious wake-up call for emergency officials and coastal residents. Yet three years later, fears linger that history will repeat. ...

  • The Power of Positive Thinking: Truth or Myth? Fri Aug 29, 9:21 AM ET

    You might call Maarten van der Weijden the anti-Lance Armstrong. Last week, the Dutch Olympic long-distance swimming champion and cancer survivor told the British newspaper The Telegraph that he didn't want to be compared to the American cycling star.

  • Now Hear This: Don't Remove Earwax Fri Aug 29, 12:10 AM ET

    The gooey, golden stuff that builds up inside your ears should stay there, according to national guidelines on earwax removal released today.

  • Why Do Lizards Do Push-Ups? Thu Aug 28, 5:10 PM ET

    Lizards work out for the same reason a guy at the gym might: as a display of strength. And with lizards, as can be the case with men, the push-ups also mean "get out of my territory."

  • Changes to Endangered Species Act Called Bad Science Thu Aug 28, 2:41 PM ET

    Changes that the Bush administration is proposing to make to Endangered Species Act regulations just aren't sound science, various scientists and conservation groups say. They're concerned that the loss of scientific oversight resulting from the changes will leave some species vulnerable to federal projects that could damage habitats. The Endangered Species Act (ESA), signed into law by President Nixon on Dec. 28, 1973, does more than just provide for the creation of the Endangered Species List. ...

  • Threatened Monkey Populations Surprisingly Large Thu Aug 28, 1:10 PM ET

    A new census in Cambodia reveals remarkably large populations of two monkey species that are threatened with extinction.

  • Giant Clams Fed Early Humans Thu Aug 28, 12:10 PM ET

    Giant clams two feet long might have helped feed prehistoric humans as they first migrated out of Africa, new research reveals.

  • Origin of Nerves Traced to Sponges Thu Aug 28, 10:32 AM ET

    Sponges are very primitive animals. They don't have nerves cells (nor muscles nor eyes nor a lot of other things we commonly associate with animals). So scientists figured sponges split from the tree of life before nerves evolved.

  • Live Architecture: Grow Your Own Home Thu Aug 28, 8:25 AM ET

    Tolkien's hobbits would feel right at home in new dwellings made out of living tree roots and designed to protect inhabitants from earthquakes. The homegrown architecture is just one of many eco-structures a new company hopes to roll out worldwide.

  • The Key to Fundraising: Guilt Trips Thu Aug 28, 2:31 AM ET

    This will come as no surprise to anyone who has donated to public radio or television: Pledge drives do best when laden with guilt-trips, a new study finds.

  • Fossil of Ancient Pregnant Turtle Discovered Wed Aug 27, 2:33 PM ET

    A turtle that toddled alongside the dinosaurs died just days before laying a clutch of eggs. Now, about 75 million years later, paleontologists are announcing their find of the fossilized mother-to-be and the eggs tucked inside her body.

  • This image provided by the Byrd Polar Research Center, Columbus, Ohio, taken July 25, 2008, shows a growing giant crack and an 11-square-mile chunk of ice hemorrhaging off a prominent glacier in northern Greenland. The crack, at center, right,  is seven miles long and about half a mile wide. It is about half the width of the 500 square mile floating part of the glacier. If the cracking continues, the floating part of the glacier could lose up to one third of its size. (AP Photo/Byrd Polar Research Center)
    Mystery of Greenland's Ice Lingers as Sheet Shrinks Wed Aug 27, 2:11 PM ET

    Scientists have cautioned that a warming planet could melt Greenland's vast ice sheet, a potentially catastrophic event that would raise sea levels and inundate coastal communities around the globe.

  • Vast Amount of Arctic Carbon Could Be Released Wed Aug 27, 12:41 PM ET

    As global warming thaws the frozen soils of the Arctic, more stored-up carbon could potentially be released into the atmosphere than previously thought, a new study suggests. Much of the frigid Arctic's soil is permafrost, or permanently frozen ground. Seasonal freeze-thaw cycles can mix up the soil layers, a process called cryoturbation, forcing organic (carbon-based) material into the subsurface layers and storing it in the permafrost. With Arctic temperatures projected to rise up to 10. ...

  • Actress Melissa Joan Hart, left, holds up her son Braydon Wilkerson on the press line at the 'Baby Einstein 10th Anniversary Celebration' at the Walt Disney Concert Call in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
    Why Are 'Mama' and 'Dada' a Baby's First Words? Wed Aug 27, 10:25 AM ET

    A baby's first words are often "mama" and "dada," much to the delight of parents. Now scientists think they know why.

  • Shoppers in central London. The Bank of England's new deputy governor Charles Bean has warned that the global financial slowdown could "drag on for some considerable time".(AFP/File/Carl de Souza)
    Consumers Predict Inflation as Accurately as Economists Wed Aug 27, 8:25 AM ET

    Consumers are just as good as professional economists at predicting the rate of inflation, a new survey finds.

  • How Tiny Life Could Power the Future Wed Aug 27, 12:15 AM ET

    Editor's Note: Each Wednesday LiveScience examines the viability of emerging energy technologies - the power of the future.

  • Scientists Learn How Nemo Finds His Way Home Tue Aug 26, 7:05 PM ET

    How does the orange clownfish - aka Nemo from the movie "Finding Nemo" - really find its way home?

  • Why Do We Get Baggy Eyes? Tue Aug 26, 4:35 PM ET

    As we age, our eyes inevitably take on a baggy look. Now scientists think they know why.

  • FDA Allows Irradiation of Your Vegetables Tue Aug 26, 2:51 PM ET

    The Food and Drug Administration announced last week that it will allow food producers to irradiate spinach and iceberg lettuce to extend shelf life and limit the growth of food-borne pathogens, such as Salmonella and E. coli.

  • Extreme Recycling: Zoo Doo Tue Aug 26, 12:32 PM ET

    Some zoos in the U.S. offer an exotic way to fertilize their gardens through a unique method of recycling waste from zoo animals.

  • Wading birds, including the Great Egret, left, Wood Ibis, second from left, and the Snowy Egret, center, gather at a pond in Gainesville, Fla. Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008. They might appear to be old friends passing the time but actually are taking advantage of low water to have quick access to their food source. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)
    Animal Chatter More Varied Than Thought Tue Aug 26, 11:11 AM ET

    Animals know how to speak up, pipe down, cut to the chase or spin a long yarn in order to stand out amidst the din when it comes to communicating with peers, a new set of studies suggests.

  • Science Has No Place in Politics Tue Aug 26, 8:50 AM ET

    Recently, the two men who want to be next president of the United States appeared in a televised two-hour forum on faith, hosted by megachurch minister Rick Warren.

  • Why We Are All Insane Tue Aug 26, 1:10 AM ET

    Natural selection wants us to be crazy - at least a little bit. While true debilitating insanity is not nature's intention, many mental health issues may be byproducts of the over-functional human brain, some researchers claim.

  • Cattle graze on land charred by a wildfire near Harrison, Nebraska August 3, 2006. Grazing cattle and sleeping deer tend to align their bodies along the North-South axis of the Earth's magnetic field, European researchers said on Monday, giving new meaning to the phrase animal magnetism. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
    Cows Have Strange Sixth Sense Mon Aug 25, 5:05 PM ET

    A study of Google Earth satellite images has revealed that herds of cattle tend to face in the north-south direction of Earth's magnetic lines.

  • Bats Shut Traps When Flying in Groups Mon Aug 25, 5:05 PM ET

    Bats are known, in part, for making an infernal racket that helps them navigate, but it turns out they may actually flap around in relative silence when traveling in groups.

  • Survey: Women Leaders Smarter, More Honest Mon Aug 25, 2:16 PM ET

    In a finding that will be bittersweet for Hillary Clinton supporters, a new Pew survey finds that when it comes to honesty, intelligence and a handful of other key traits valued in leaders, the public rates women as superior to men.

  • Falling With Style: Geckos Count on Tails Mon Aug 25, 11:21 AM ET

    For a long time, biologists thought a main function of geckos' tails was to store fat, but a new study gives that couch-potato image a makeover.

  • Political Flip-Flops: From Lies to Legitimate Change Mon Aug 25, 10:21 AM ET

    When politicians "flip-flop," or alter their stance on issues, charges of hypocrisy often follow.  But changing one's mind is part of being human and is not always a hallmark of dishonesty, social scientists say.

  • Small Packages Trick People to Eat More Sun Aug 24, 9:51 PM ET

    If you think buying junk food in small packages will help you eat less, look out -marketers know the truth.