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It seems unlikely that the maker of hundred-million-dollar Hollywood blockbusters such as Armageddon and The Transformers could inspire scientists to develop an ultralow-cost tool for quickly sensing airborne chemical weapons . Yet one former University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (U.M.) researcher says his idea to use a nerve-gas antidote to create an inexpensive litmus paper–like nerve-gas sensor emerged shortly after watching The Rock on DVD a few years ago.

By Nina Chestney LONDON (Reuters) - Global greenhouse gas emissions could rise 50 percent by 2050 without more ambitious climate policies, as fossil fuels continue to dominate the energy mix, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Thursday. "Unless the global energy mix changes, fossil fuels will supply about 85 percent of energy demand in 2050, implying a 50 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions and worsening urban air pollution," the OECD said in its environment outlook to 2050.

Many membrane proteins serve as gateways in and out of the cell. Because they act as “traffic control” for infectious agents and disease-fighting drugs, they are the targets of more than 60 percent of all drugs on the market. Yet of the estimated 30,000 membrane proteins in the human body, scientists understand the detailed structures of only 18.

(PhysOrg.com) -- Using the world’s fastest light source -- specialized X-ray lasers -- scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have revealed the secret inner life of magnets, a finding that could lead to faster and “smarter” computers.

(PhysOrg.com) -- A group of scientists led by researchers from the University of Rochester and North Carolina State University have for the first time sent a message using a beam of neutrinos – nearly massless particles that travel at almost the speed of light.

The average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S.

Yoga and relaxation practices have been around for thousands of years. And modern research suggests that yoga could have a very real impact on many stress-related illnesses, including anxiety, depression and heart disease. [More]

AUSTIN, Texas Just two companies Verizon Wireless and AT&T control 60 percent of the U.S. wireless market. Four companies control 90 percent.

Previous studies have vastly underestimated the carbon footprint of the Canadian oil sands by not considering the industry's impact on peatlands, according to new research. [More]

It’s been a rough year for Western Australia’s iconic but endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoos ( Calyptorhynchus latirostris ), which are endemic to the state and live nowhere else in the world.

By Eric Hand of Nature magazine Who would have thought that a ringside seat at some of the Universe's most extreme events could come cheap? But by the standards of space-based astronomy, the NuSTAR telescope that NASA plans to launch as early as this month has a modest budget, US$165 million. [More]

An active severe weather season is anticipated in the U.S. during spring of 2012 with the most widespread warmth since 2004. [More]

Women who are fed up with their jobs may be more likely to turn to food for comfort in times of stress, according to a Finnish study.

Jason Egan does not walk, talk or eat like most nine-year-olds. He gets around in a wheelchair and depends on a feeding tube threaded into his stomach.

The EPA is offering $125,000 for citizen science projects in New York City [More]