As many as 50 million Americans are living sedentary lives, putting them at increased risk of health problems and even early death, a leading expert in exercise science says.

A study of oyster reefs in a once-pristine California coastal estuary found them devastated by invasive Atlantic Coast crabs and snails, providing new evidence of the consequences when human activities move species beyond their natural borders.

The structure of a protein in days -- not months or years -- ushers in a new era in genomics research. Scientists have developed a high-throughput protein pipeline that could expedite the development of biofuels, and elucidate how proteins carry out life's vital functions.

Peering into the DNA of tiny yeast, researchers have pinpointed a large number of genes that can prevent a type of genetic rearrangement that may lead to cancer and other diseases.

Scientists have developed a new kind of "molecular condom" to protect women from AIDS in Africa and other impoverished areas. Before sex, women would insert a vaginal gel that turns semisolid in the presence of semen, trapping AIDS virus particles in a microscopic mesh so they can't infect vaginal cells.

For the past eight years, scientists who wanted to use federal funds for research on human embryonic stem cells had to restrict their studies to 21 cell lines approved by the National Institutes of Health. But an analysis suggests that only two of those lines have been used routinely.

Justin Birch lost his ability to speak in 2003 as the result of a brain aneurysm , but these days he is such a facile conversationalist he can ask for his favorite dinner--Ruby Tuesday Minis with fries and a raspberry iced tea--as well as harass his opponents after he defeats them at Texas Hold 'em. [More]

Justin Birch lost his ability to speak in 2003 as the result of a brain aneurysm , but these days he is such a facile conversationalist he can ask for his favorite dinner--Ruby Tuesday Minis with fries and a raspberry iced tea--as well as harass his opponents after he defeats them at Texas Hold 'em. [More]

Women tend to choose foods with a lower caloric value when dining with men, but not when they dine with other women.

A period of global warming from 53 million to 47 million years ago strongly influenced plants and animals, spurring a biodiversity boom in western North America, researchers report.