SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Three men, including a small-town police chief, were indicted Thursday on charges of involuntary manslaughter in the gun-fair death of an 8-year-old who accidentally shot himself in the head with a submachine gun that a prosecutor said he never should have been allowed to...

The Center for International Forestry Research today released a comprehensive analysis clarifying major challenges and offering an assortment of options that could help negotiators reach a global agreement on reducing carbon emissions tied to forest destruction and degradation.

AP - Conservation groups filed formal protests Thursday against what they call a "fire sale" of oil-and-gas drilling leases in Utah being conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]Want to live a happier life? Try surrounding yourself with happy friends or at least find friends with happy friends. A study published online December 4th in the British Medical Journal says happiness can quickly go viral within your social network. [More]

More than five and a half years into the Iraq War, the condition of archaeological sites and antiquities in Iraq remains a frustrating and contentious topic among archaeologists and art historians. Two surveys in the past year--one in northern Iraq in May, the other in the south in June--have persuaded some that the ongoing damage is far less extensive than most observers had believed. Yet with more than 10,000 registered sites and numerous other mounds of earth that may still conceal uncatalogued treasures from the “cradle of civilization,” many archaeologists question whether the surveyed sites are representative of conditions elsewhere.The report of the May survey, conducted by U.S. and Iraqi investigators, stated that “none of the sites showed signs of looting or extensive vandalism.” Likewise, the June report, by a team of Iraqi and British archaeologists who visited eight southern sites, found little evidence of looting since the war began. [More]

This year 2.25 million Americans will get married--and a million will get divorced. Could birth control be to blame for some of these breakups? Recent research suggests that the contraceptive pill--which prevents women from ovulating by fooling their body into believing it is pregnant--could affect which types of men women desire. Going on or off the pill during a relationship, therefore, may tempt a woman away from her man.It’s all about scent. Hidden in a man’s smell are clues about his major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, which play an important role in immune system surveillance. Studies suggest that females prefer the scent of males whose MHC genes differ from their own, a preference that has probably evolved because it helps offspring survive: couples with different MHC genes are less likely to be related to each other than couples with similar genes are, and their children are born with more varied MHC profiles and thus more robust immune systems. [More]

The Big Three were looking awfully small as they rolled into the Senate yesterday for their second attempt to beg money from the federal government.

Early detection of lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF), combined with aggressive treatment in infants, may be the key to controlling the progression of the disease, according to a recent study. New research shows that contrary to previous scientific opinion, progressive lung damage in CF patients can begin as early as infancy even though lung function shortly after diagnosis is normal.

Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are three times as likely to experience severe coronary events -- including heart attacks -- than people without the disease, according to a recent study that analyzed the risk of cardiovascular disease in nearly 1,000 patients with IPF and more than 3,500 matched controls.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Seven Western states will face more water shortages in the years ahead as climate change exacerbates the strains drought and a growing population have put on the Colorado River, scientists say....