Track-It Science

LOS ANGELES — A Seattle team has collected a $900,000 prize in a NASA-backed competition to develop the concept of an elevator to space -- an idea spurred by science fiction novels. Read more

BEIJING — A Chinese scholar persecuted during the Cultural Revolution for smuggling a rare collection of mushrooms out of China before World War II was honored Saturday when the collection was returned more than 70 years later. Read more

BARCELONA, Spain — After two years of tough U.N. climate talks often pitting the world's rich against the poor, negotiators said Friday a new global agreement now rides on industrial nations pledging profound emissions cuts next month in... Read more

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Lower-than-feared sea temperatures this summer gave a break to fragile coral reefs across the Caribbean and the central Gulf of Mexico that were damaged in recent years, scientists said Thursday. Read more

DENVER — Airborne nitrogen pollution from vehicle exhaust and farm fertilizer is turning algae in the alpine lakes of Rocky Mountain National Park into junk food for fish, a study says. Read more

LONDON — Britain is using genetic tests on some African asylum seekers in an effort to catch those who are lying about their nationality, drawing criticism from scientists and provoking outrage from rights groups. Read more

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — A robot powered by a ground-based laser beam climbed a long cable dangling from a helicopter on Wednesday to qualify for prize money in a $2 million competition to test the potential reality of the science fiction... Read more

Nov. 4--Rare snails and a species of tree that can be used to make beer are among the discoveries made on lands recently added to Great Smoky Mountains National Park through a re-licensing agreement with Alcoa Inc. and The Nature Conservancy. Read more

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- How blind to their surroundings can people be when they're talking on their cell phones? Read more

pThe University of California-Santa Cruz could someday house the world's largest zoo -- holding not live animals, but the genetic codes of 10,000 creatures, many of them exotic or extinct. This ambitious quest would cost $50 million and take a... Read more