Anchorage Daily News

Lawmaker wants probe of E. coli and school lunches

The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee wants an investigation into the risk of deadly E. coli getting into school lunches.

House Education and Labor Committee

Background on E. coli

W. Africa's last giraffes make surprising comeback

A crisp African dawn is breaking overhead, and Zibo Mounkaila is on the back of a pickup truck bounding across a sparse landscape of rocky orange soil.

Giraffe Conservation Foundation

Prized mushroom collection returns to China

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.

Seattle team wins $900,000 in Space Elevator Games

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.

NASA Dryden

World leaders needed at talks to cut climate deal

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 Copenhagen.

In Europe, most swine flu shots by invitation only

In Britain, there are no long lines of people seeking swine flu vaccine. Doctor's offices aren't swamped with desperate calls. And there are no cries of injustice that the vaccine is going to wealthy corporations or healthy people who don't really need it.

Poll: One-third able to get swine flu vaccine

Only about a third of adults who have tried to get a swine flu vaccine have been able to get it, according to a new national poll released Friday.

CDC swine flu web site

New gene therapy halts 2 boys' rare brain disease

French scientists mixed gene therapy and bone marrow transplants in two boys to seemingly halt a brain disease that can kill by adolescence. The surprise ingredient: They disabled the HIV virus so it couldn't cause AIDS, and then used it to carry in the healthy new gene.

_ Science

Study: Nitrogen pollution worsens in Rockies lakes

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.

_ Science

_ Rocky Mountain Park

Caribbean, Gulf spared widespread coral damage

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.

NOAA's Coral Reef Watch home page

Goldman Sachs, Citigroup got swine flu vaccine

Some of New York's biggest companies, including Wall Street giants Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, received doses of swine flu vaccine for at-risk employees, drawing criticism that the hard-to-find vaccine is going first to the privileged.

WHO: Swine flu virus is top strain worldwide

The World Health Organization's flu chief said the swine flu virus has now become the predominant flu strain worldwide.

http://www.who.int

Medical aid group raises alarm about AIDS funding

The global recession and pressure to divert funds to other health crises are hurting the fight against AIDS, a medical group warned Thursday, with one health worker saying he feared a return to the days when the AIDS virus was a death sentence in Africa.

Genetic tests for UK asylum seekers draw criticism

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.

Old method of heart bypass better than 'off-pump'

It seemed like a great idea - doing bypass surgery while the heart is still beating, sparing patients the complications that can come from going on a heart-lung machine. Now the first big test of this method has produced a surprise: Bypass has fewer problems and is more successful done the old way.

New England Journal

Family doctors group loses members over Coke deal

Advice about soft drinks and health from one of the nation's largest doctors groups will soon be brought to you by Coke.

http://www.FamilyDoctor.org

Commercial pigs in Ind. test positive for H1N1

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that pigs in a commercial herd in Indiana have tested positive for swine flu, making it the first time the virus has been found in such hogs.

Officials: Swine flu confirmed in Iowa cat

A 13-year-old Iowa cat has been infected with swine flu, veterinary and federal officials said Wednesday, and it is believed to be the first case of the H1N1 virus in a feline.

Health care dispute: Costs of defensive medicine

Dr. James Wang says he tries to tell his patients when extra medical procedures aren't necessary. If they insist, though, he will do it - not so much to protect their health as his own practice.

Smart Rx: Drugs that work and won't break the bank

Last year pharmaceutical companies spent more than $4 billion urging patients like you to "ask your doctor" about their drugs. But if you want a prescription that won't empty your wallet, while still keeping you well, you might start asking your doctor about drugs you don't see on TV.

Success in 'space elevator' competition

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 concept of space elevators.