(AP / AP)

As NASA looks to go boldly, its budget’s not as ambitious

Space scientists feel they are facing a new era of limits even as the universe itself is screaming to be explored.

Love animals? Now you can ‘friend’ one on Facebook.

Stumpy the whale and others on Wild Me are part of new social media trend for animal conservation and study.

Parents of ‘naughty’ kids get a new playbook

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy offers a kind of personal trainer to help parents manage wild kids.

More Health and Science news

As NASA looks to go boldly, its budget’s not as ambitious

As NASA looks to go boldly, its budget’s not as ambitious

Space scientists feel they are facing a new era of limits even as the universe itself is screaming to be explored.

Study finds confusion over health insurance terminology

Fewer than one in four uninsured Americans felt confident they understood nine basic terms.

Going to extreme efforts to reach ‘young invincibles’

Going to extreme efforts to reach ‘young invincibles’

Exchanges try to sign up younger enrollees, through edgy ads and other campaigns.

Was James Bond an impotent binge drinker with a tremor?

Was James Bond an impotent binge drinker with a tremor?

“Shaken, not stirred” may have covered an alcoholic tremor, while drinking may have hurt his sex life.

My patient has dementia. He’s more than a statistic.

My patient has dementia. He’s more than a statistic.

New federal rules on electronic health records may be good for future research — not so much for care now.

The benefits of a dirty dog

The benefits of a dirty dog

Research suggests that exposure to doggy dust imparts immune protection to infants.

Snowfall: Half the U.S. was covered by mid-December

Snowfall: Half the U.S. was covered by mid-December

A significantly higher portion was snowy by mid-December than has been the case in recent years.

Multimedia

An artist's impression shows Gaia mapping the stars of the Milky Way in this handout image received by Reuters December 19, 2013. The European Space Agency's Gaia mission will map the position and motion of a billion stars to produce an unprecedented 3D map of our galaxy. REUTERS/ESA/ATG medialab/ESO/S. Brunier/Handout via Reuters (Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY)  ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Europe launches Gaia, star-surveying satellite

The satellite is tasked with producing an unprecedented three-dimensional map of our Milky Way galaxy.

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Other news

Five reasons to stop avoiding that — ugh — colonoscopy

HECUhealth1224

Only half of Americans 50 and older get any kind of screening, yet the test really does save lives.

Creators of ‘The Simpsons’ were math geeks

*** FILE *** This undated frame from the Fox series 'The Simpsons,' shows the popular cartoon family posing in front of their home, from left, Lisa , Marge , Maggie, Homer and Bart Simpson. Springfield, the Oregon one, is on a list of like-named towns competing for the big-screen debut of Homer, Bart and the rest of the TV Simpson family this summer. City officials accepted an invitation from 20th Century Fox to compete for the honor of hosting the premier screening of 'The Simpsons Movie' in July. Fox has asked 16 Springfields from Oregon to Massachusetts to participate. (AP Photo/Fox Broacasting Co.) 1998 FOX BROADCASTING

How the writers have smuggled math onto the hit show. Also: A book makes teaching astrophysics easy.

Study questions the benefit of multivitamins for men

HEquick1224

Research shows no improvement in cognitive ability in older men who take the supplements.

Magazine reports on alleged dangers of a contraceptive

LA JOLLA, CA - SEPTEMBER 12:  Organon representetive Sandy Wingfield shows-off a NuvaRing contraceptive September 12, 2003 at the Association of Reproductive Health Professional convention in La Jolla, California.  The NuvaRing is monthly vaginal insert that slowly releases Estrogen.  The convention showcased the newest innovations in contraceptive drugs and devices and had lectures on reproductive health issues by prominent scientists.(Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

Also: Website offers hundreds of free streaming videos of yoga classes.

The challenges of diagnosing ADHD in adults

A psychiatrist says its symptoms are also found in other problems. Also: The inspiration of Jack Lalanne.

COLUMNS

AnyBODY

How long should a post-cold cough last?

HEanybody1224

Hint: Longer than you might think.

Feeling addled? Don’t rush to get a dementia test.

HEAnybody1217

Diagnosis can be slippery, and a little bit of information can lead to an array of avoidable problems.

BPA: It’s still everywhere, and its effects are unclear

ATM machine

Mounting evidence suggests we may have more to worry about than once thought.

How & Why/EcoLOGIC

Is a ‘Silent Night’ possible?

An aerial view at night of the downtown Chicago skyline is seen Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013. An Arctic air mass is expected to chill much of the Central Plains and the East Coast through Monday with wind-chill temperatures dropping into the single digits overnight in some places. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Not really. It’s pretty hard to escape sound, even in outer space.

What’s the greenest way to decorate for the holidays?

HEecologic1210

Hint: It’s more efficient than popcorn — and brighter.

Turkeys: Funny-looking and tasty, but can they fly?

Some can, but probably not the one you will be eating for Thanksgiving. How domestication impeded flight.

Urban Jungle

Arriving juncos

Arriving  juncos

Males hang back while females and young birds migrate first.

Medical Mysteries

Intractable depression — or something else?

HEMedMysteries1224

Drugs and shock treatments failed to treat a woman’s worsening mental illness.

A wasting-away mystery

MedMysteries 1119

Why did a 14-year-old girl develop sudden weakness and apparent anorexia?

Dripping wet

Janet Ruddock Medical Mystery 1015

A woman couldn’t stop sweating, and the problem wasn’t hot flashes. What was going on?

Read more Medical Mysteries

Health, Science & Environment Videos

Obamacare's silver lining?

Obamacare's silver lining?

For all of the issues surrounding the rollout of the President's signature health care law, one part seems to be working pretty well—the expansion of Medicaid. Close to 400,000 Americas have learned they are now eligible to enroll, but some states haven't embraced the expansion.
Can a November surge help Obamacare?

Can a November surge help Obamacare?

The Affordable Care Act saw a surge in the month of November with 173,000 people signing up in their state-run marketplaces. But will young people sign up in the numbers needed to support the program?
Three Obamacare fixes explained

Three Obamacare fixes explained

Wonkblog’s Sarah Kliff breaks down three proposals that would help Obama make good on his promise.
Obamacare’s uniting number

Obamacare’s uniting number

Do Americans think the government can recover from Obamacare's disastrous rollout, or is it too late?
Kliff Notes: How did Obamacare change?

Kliff Notes: How did Obamacare change?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains how Obamacare is changing after many insurance policies were canceled, and how the president plans to un-cancel some of them.
Kliff Notes: Will Obamacare cancel my plan?

Kliff Notes: Will Obamacare cancel my plan?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains why a lot of people's health insurance policies might get cancelled.
Kliff Notes: HealthCare.gov's 3 problems

Kliff Notes: HealthCare.gov's 3 problems

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff walks through the three main problems bogging down the Affordable Care Act's online marketplace.
Kliff Notes: Obama's health care speech

Kliff Notes: Obama's health care speech

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff shares her "Kliff Notes" for President Obama's remarks defending his signature health care law.
Obamacare Q&A: Are all marketplaces created equal?

Obamacare Q&A: Are all marketplaces created equal?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains why the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces are different from state to state.
Obamacare Q&A: Who doesn't have to enroll?

Obamacare Q&A: Who doesn't have to enroll?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains the exceptions to the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate.