Science News

The state's corn harvest for this year may not break any records as once anticipated, but it's still likely to be most bountiful crop produced in Kansas this season, a new report shows.

The Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported Friday that corn production in the state is now expected to be 6 percent lower than last month's forecast. The new estimate of 493.2 million bushels is 5 percent below last year's crop.

In its monthly crop production forecast, the agency said corn yields are expected to average 137 bushels per acre, an average of a 3 bushels per acre less than a year ago.

An Ethiopian minister says his country urgently needs US$265 million to feed 6.4 million people affected by drought.

State Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mitiku Kassa says Ethiopia needs US$225.9 million to buy food through December. The rest of the money is needed to buy seeds, provide training and toilets, among other things, says Mitiku.

The minister disputes a figure the U.N. food agency released in September stating 9.6 million people are affected by the drought.

Mitiku says experts believe November's harvest will be plentiful and put an end to the crisis.

Commodities surge on huge Wall Street rally Comments NEW YORK - Commodities prices shot up Monday as U.S. and European governments intensified their efforts to revive the global banking sector - prodding ...

An observatory in Sunspot has received a $9 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Farmers in 20 Indiana counties now are eligible for low-interest emergency farm loans from the federal Farm Service Agency because of severe storms from remnants of Hurricane Ike last month.

Children's holiday wish lists are expected to include robotic dinosaurs, video dance games and the latest Bratz dolls this year, according to the "Hot Dozen" list compiled by Toy Wishes Magazine.

North Dakota barley production jumped in 2008, thanks in large part to weather during the growing season in the east that one farmer described as 'perfect.'

'It was cool all summer. We really had only one real hot day,' said Louis Arnold, who farms in the Esmond area. 'Barley likes 80 degree weather and some moisture, and it was all perfect this year.'

Arnold, who has been farming nearly half a century, said he has had good fields of barley through the years but never an overall crop like he had this year.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 12-year-old, and I’m not pretty. I just started seventh grade, and I have noticed that people date each other based completely on looks.

Gene detectives on Sunday said they had netted two genetic variants that, together, boost the risk of male baldness sevenfold.

Computers argued, cracked jokes and parried trick questions Sunday, all part of an annual test of artificial intelligence carried out at the University of Reading.

Typing away at split-screen terminals, a dozen volunteers carried out two conversations at once: one with a chat program, the other with a human. After five minutes, they were asked to say which was which. Some were not sure who _ or what _ they were talking to.

'There was one time when I was speaking to the two, and there was an element of humor in both conversations. That's the one that stumped me more than others,' said Ian Andrews, one of the judges in Reading, just west of London.

When Queen Latifah feels stressed, she hops in her car and heads to the cemetery where her brother, Lancelot Owens, is buried.

A farmer watches his goat in a field near Tianshui in China's northern Gansu province Sunday, Oct.

It is the ultimate story of what might have been. Douglas Prasher was preparing breakfast before leaving for work at a car dealership in Huntsville, Alabama, when he heard a report on the radio about this ...

Pick up a Mississippi gopher frog and it covers its eyes with its forefeet, like someone afraid to see what's coming next.

Leonardo Patterson is shown in his apartment in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept.

A strong earthquake jolted people awake Saturday in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and nearby Puerto Rico. There were no immediate reports of damages.

The magnitude 6.1 quake was the strongest to hit Puerto Rico in 20 years, according to Christa von Hillebrandt, director of the seismic network on the Mayaguez campus of the University of Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck was centered about 70 kilometers (43 miles) northwest of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands.

The text message from the elephant flashed across Richard Lesowapir's screen: Kimani was heading for neighboring farms.

The huge bull elephant had a long history of raiding villagers' crops during the harvest, sometimes wiping out six months of income at a time. But this time a mobile phone card inserted in his collar sent rangers a text message. Lesowapir, an armed guard and a driver arrived in a jeep bristling with spotlights to frighten Kimani back into the Ol Pejeta conservancy.

Kenya is the first country to try elephant texting as a way to protect both a growing human population and the wild animals that now have less room to roam. Elephants are ranked as 'near threatened' in the Red List, an index of vulnerable species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Officials say a strong earthquake has hit Russia's North Caucasus region, an uncommon occurrence for the region. No reports of damage or injuries have been immediately reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake hit around 1 p.m. Saturday and registered as a preliminary magnitude of 5.9. It was centered northeast of the Chechen capital, Grozny.

Russian news agencies say it was felt throughout the North Caucasus. Interfax says the quake rattled Grozny for more than 30 seconds.

Russia's Caucasus Mountain region sees occasional earthquakes. Most buildings are not reinforced against severe structural shocks and even small quakes can cause serious damage.

The entire Oregon coast has been closed to mussel harvesting due to marine toxins.

The booming prices for Venezuelan oil, Brazilian soy beans and Chilean copper that brought prosperity to Latin America are heading for a bust that threatens to erode the hard-won gains of its poor and newly ...