Experiments

Physicists around the world, some in pajamas and others with champagne, celebrated the first tests Wednesday of a huge particle-smashing machine they hope will simulate the Big Bang, which scientists believe created the universe. Experiments using the underground Large Hadron Collider, the biggest and most complex machine ever made, could revamp modern physics and unlock secrets about the universe and its origins.

Rapidly rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are driving noxious poison ivy and those annoying patches of dandelion to grow taller, lusher and more resilient, according to two new studies.

The world's leading center for research into the origins of matter has taken a giant step toward a 15-year experiment that could unlock secrets of the universe.

ON NBC's whip-'em-into-shape weight-loss show, "The Biggest Loser," the contestants spill an ocean of tears. Tears of frustration and tears of joy. Lips quiver.

Surrounded by cornfields and cows, this gas-and-go exit off Interstate 5 south of Sacramento seems an unlikely place to solve global warming. But for months, researchers have been quietly negotiating with a local farming family to bury carbon dioxide -- the world's leading greenhouse gas -- below their tomato fields northeast of town.

Boldly innovative if a bit unstructured, "Hotel C'est l'Amour" at the Blank Theatre's 2nd Stage consists of more than two dozen songs from various musicals, including "The Wild Party" and "Hello Again.

An experiment combining bird flu with a common human strain failed to create a pandemic virus, suggesting that it may be more difficult for bird flu to mutate into a form that is easily transmissible among humans, federal scientists said Monday.

Scientists at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla have developed an experimental anti-obesity vaccine that allowed rats to feast on dry pet chow without getting fat.