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The Bullpen

Dana Liebelson

CHART: 40 years later, Roe v. Wade is still under siege

Dana Liebelson

CHART: 40 years later, Roe v. Wade is still under siege

Edward Morrissey

Can the 113th Congress get anything done?

Matt K. Lewis

In four years, we'll be inaugurating President Marco Rubio

Paul Brandus

Why the GOP should embrace Obama

White snowy owls, just like Harry Potter's pet Hedwig, will be swooping through American skies for much of the winter.

America's newest immigration wave: Harry Potter owls?

January 11, 2012, at 4:11 PM

White snowy owls that look an awful lot like Hedwig are being spotted above the continental U.S., sending birdwatchers and Potter fans into a frenzy

The current concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could prevent a build up of ice sheets over time, according to a new report.

Has climate change 'blocked' the next ice age?

January 11, 2012, at 8:00 AM

Carbon dioxide emissions might warm the planet enough to keep Earth from once again becoming a frozen wasteland

Rare "supersoldier" ants have giant heads that dwarf those of their fellow soldier ants, a handy mutation when it's time to block a tunnel during enemy ant raids.

New York's 'horrific' supersoldier ants

January 9, 2012, at 1:12 PM

Scientists are fascinated by the sudden appearance of monstrous ants with giant, mutated heads in Long Island

A never before seen species of octopus, among other creatures, was discovered off the coast of Antarctica.

Discovered: Antarctica's underwater 'lost world'

January 6, 2012, at 6:35 AM

Using automated submersibles outfitted with cameras, explorers were able to snag a rare glimpse of sunless life surrounding the deep ocean's hydrothermal vents

A black tip shark: A rare hybrid of two species of black tip sharks has been found in Australia, and researchers say rising ocean temperatures may be driving interbreeding.

Are sharks interbreeding to survive climate change?

January 4, 2012, at 6:02 PM

Scientists discover 57 rare hybrid sharks swimming off the Australian coast — and suggest two species mated to give their offspring a better shot at survival

A silkworm cocoon: Scientists have placed spider silk genes into the glands of silkworms for an improved hybrid of spider and worm silk.

The miracle 'spider silk' spun by genetically altered silkworms

January 4, 2012, at 2:30 PM

Humans have long coveted the ultra-strong webbing of spiders — but it took a scientific breakthrough to actually harvest the stuff

For the second New Year's in a row, flocks of blackbirds, disoriented by local fireworks, flew into buildings and trees, their dead bodies littering an Arkansas town.

The return of Arkansas' mass bird deaths

January 2, 2012, at 4:28 PM

Ominously, scores of blackbirds once again fell from the sky above a small southern town on New Year's Eve. But this time, intentional mischief may be to blame

Using a compound already used in a number of self-cleaning materials, researchers have developed fabric that cleans itself when exposed to sunlight.

The clothes that clean themselves in sunlight

December 20, 2011, at 2:20 PM

Forget washing machines. Scientists have created a fabric that kills germs and sheds dirt with the aid of sunlight

A young chimp awaits its turn in medical experiments: Recent studies found that a majority of retired lab chimps exhibit depression.

Should we limit medical testing on chimps?

December 19, 2011, at 3:38 PM

The Institute of Medicine finds most experimentation on chimpanzees to be "unnecessary" — putting the onus on science to adapt

A new species of cockroach can jump like a grasshopper and travel distances fifty time its own length.

Discovered: The 'horrible' jumping cockroach

December 16, 2011, at 6:45 AM

A new species of roach found in South Africa can cover 50 times its body length in a single bound

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at December's climate change conference in South Africa: World leaders salvaged a last-minute compromise, but critics say it's not nearly enough.

The U.N.'s last-minute climate deal: 'Pitiful'?

December 12, 2011, at 9:53 AM

After several days of tense negotiations in South Africa, Ban Ki-moon and Co. avoid going home empty-handed. But what did they really accomplish?

In 2009, a male polar bear carries the head of a polar bear cub it killed about 200 miles north of the Canadian town of Churchill.

Climate change: Forcing polar bears to become cannibals?

December 12, 2011, at 6:45 AM

Shocking new photographs of an adult polar bear feasting on a juvenile are raising red flags for environmentalists

A pair of Adelie penguins: Chinese zookeepers have allowed two "gay" penguins to adopt a chick from a female penguin who was struggling to care for both of her twins.

The 'adorable' gay penguins who adopted a baby chick

December 9, 2011, at 12:35 PM

A Chinese zoo creates an unusual family by fulfilling the apparent dream of two male penguins who just wanted a kid

Chunzi the deer licks its love Changmao the ram. Their unlikely romance has stayed strong despite a Chinese zoo's attempt to split them up.

The 'unconventional' romance between a ram and a deer

December 9, 2011, at 6:45 AM

The unlikely soulmates spice up life at a Chinese zoo with their interspecies love story

A coal power plant in Germany: 2010 saw the largest jump in C02 emissions in years, with coal among the biggest contributors.

The record jump in global carbon emissions: By the numbers

December 5, 2011, at 4:08 PM

After a brief decline in CO2 production at the height of the recession, global carbon output is higher than ever

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