Top headlines:
Cosmic Log: Good times in ancient times: Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Ancient peoples could get just as high and indulge in humor just as low as your typical contemporary college crowd. ›23:58 7 Jan, Wed
Flood-control dams eyed for energy: America's search for cleaner electricity has developers studying dozens of government flood-control dams to see if it makes financial sense to retrofit them with hydroelectric turbines. ›17:28 31 Dec, Wed
Its another girl for Garner and Affleck: This is the second child for the couple, who already have a daughter, Violet ›02:01 7 Jan, Wed
U.S. admiral to head anti-pirate patrols: A U.S. Navy commander will lead a new international force to battle pirates off the coast of Somalia, officials said Thursday. ›12:02
PBS chief pushes for digital conversion action: Public television president Paula Kerger says she's disheartened that the government has run out of money to help TV viewers buy converter boxes for the looming transition to digital conversion. ›21:04 7 Jan, Wed
U.K. slashes interest rates to historic low: The Bank of England cut official interest rates by a half a percentage point to 1.5 percent on Thursday, the lowest level in its 315-year history. ›16:49
Obama: Pass stimulus or recession lasts years: President-elect Barack Obama warned Thursday that the nation's recession could "linger for years" unless Congress acts to pump huge sums from Washington into the U.S. economy. ›17:17
Horrid holiday sales capped by dismal Dec.: Retailers are reporting dismal sales for December, confirming fears that the holiday season was the weakest in four decades. ›16:01
Madoff said to have stashed $173 million: Prosecutors say Bernard Madoff had $173 million in signed checks in his office desk that he was ready to send out at the time of his arrest last month. ›18:00
Christie Brinkley, Peter Cook back in court: Though they reached a divorce settlement last July, legal problems between Christie Brinkley and her ex, Peter Cook, are heating up again. ›02:13
Panda attacks zoo visitor for third time: For the third time, Gu Gu the panda has attacked someone who climbed into its space, prompting officials at the Beijing Zoo to consider changes to keep visitors away from 240-pound animal. ›17:27
TV listings:
Bangkok inferno puts spotlight on police payoffs: ›18:59 7 Nov, Fri
Engineer: Ash spill warning signs ignored: The nation's largest government-run utility ignored two small leaks that could have provided a warning years before a Tennessee coal ash pond collapsed, a former federal regulator contends. ›23:35 6 Jan, Tue
Pelicans dying from Bay Area to Baja: Wildlife experts are trying to figure out why sick, disoriented and bruised California brown pelicans are being found in record numbers along more than 1,000 miles of coastline. ›22:12 7 Jan, Wed
Johansson learned lesson with Obama e-mail: Scarlett Johansson says shes learned a lesson or two from the controversy that erupted last June when she said publicly she had exchanged personal e-mails with then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama. ›16:01
Police: Woman in wheelchair flees on foot: Police say a woman who begged from a wheelchair was caught running from a crime scene on foot in Monterrey, Mexico. ›23:22 5 Jan, Mon
Sony rolls out world's lightest 8-inch laptop: Japan's Sony Corp plans to launch the world's lightest 8-inch notebook PC, taking aim squarely at a rapidly growing market for ultra-portable personal computers. ›01:38
Airlines fly into new year with wave of fare sales: A wave of fare sales has spread across the airline industry in the early days of the new year as the weak economy continues to put pressure on carriers to fill seats even after they drastically reduced capacity and some expressed willingness to cut more. ›23:31 6 Jan, Tue
Low times for high tech as CES opens: Bill Gates isn't at the International Consumer Electronics Show. Steve Jobs isn't at Macworld. One way or the other, 2009 will be a turning point for the consumer technology industry. ›15:22
Disney's Space Mountain to close for renovations: Space Mountain one of Walt Disney World's most iconic attractions will be closing this spring for a makeover. ›15:53
Boy, 6, misses bus, tries to drive to school: Having missed his bus, a 6-year-old Virginia boy tried to drive to school in his family's sedan and crashed. ›18:27 6 Jan, Tue
Scientists hear mystery boom from space: Astronomers have detected a strange radio noise from the far reaches of the cosmos that booms six times louder than expected. ›01:42
Endangered right whales reveal key secret: Scientists think they have identified a new wintering area and a possible breeding ground in the Gulf of Maine for the endangered North Atlantic right whale. ›18:33 31 Dec, Wed
