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From the outlook of a planet that resides next to a quiet, relatively predictable star, the circumstances that lead to dramatic stellar explosions elsewhere in the universe can sound somewhat improbable. Some such blasts, known as type Ia supernovae, occur when a small, dense star known as a white dwarf--roughly the diameter of Earth, but hundreds of thousands of times more massive--grows too large by siphoning material off a neighboring star, igniting a thermonuclear explosion.

By Marian Turner of Nature magazine Time might heal metaphorical heartbreak, but an injured heart can rarely repair itself. [More]

* No injuries reported so far * Fire 'very large, very intense' [More]

BONN, Germany (Reuters) - Canada confirmed on Wednesday that it would not support an extended Kyoto Protocol after 2012, joining Japan and Russia in rejecting a new round of the climate emissions pact. The current Kyoto Protocol binds only the emissions of industrialized countries from 2008-2012. Poor and emerging economies want to extend the pact, creating a deadlock at U.N.

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. And you shouldn’t judge a species by its place of origin

In the last five years or so, weather changes have taken a toll on Michigan's roads. Heavy rains have overpowered drains, causing water to spill onto the road and wash whole sections away

Dear EarthTalk : Is it true that only a handful of outdated coal-burning power plants emit a sizable amount of the mercury pollution generated in the U.S.? If so, is anything being done to clean these sites up or shut them down? --Frank Pearson, Wichita, Kans

* Power lines connect Tucson to coal-fired power plants * Utility has plans to maintain power if lines go down [More]

It's time for an updated guide to protecting your data on Facebook. Here's how to turn Face Recognition off, and make your profile as safe as you'd like it to be. Facebook seems to be forever pushing the boundaries of what "online privacy" means

Sitting in a darkened lab at the National Institutes of Health in 1999, my

(Updates death toll, adds details) BEIJING, June 8 (Reuters) - Heavy rain drenched a [More]

The 61st Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany, is taking place from June 26 to July 1. At the event, about 20 past laureates in physiology or medicine will mingle with more than 550 young scientists. In honor of the meeting Scientific American has collected articles that Nobel Prize winners have published in the magazine recently as well as more than 60 years ago.

Erez Lieberman Aiden is a talkative, witty fellow who will bend your ear on any number of intellectual topics. Just don’t ask him what he does.

By Nina Chestney LONDON (Reuters) - China's carbon dioxide emissions rose 10.4 percent in 2010 compared to the previous year as it surpassed the United States as the world's biggest energy consumer, data released by BP on Wednesday showed. [More]

By Michael Taylor JAKARTA (Reuters) - Greenpeace said on Wednesday it had evidence that Barbie doll packaging comes from Indonesian rainforests, accusing toy manufacturers such as Mattel and Walt Disney Co of contributing to the country's rapid deforestation.