Newser - Science & Healthhttp://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorWed, 19 Nov 2008 12:08:26 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/43053/epa-to-loosen-clean-air-rules-in-national-parks.html?refid=rss_all_defaultPolluting facilities like coal-fired power plants could soon be allowed to operate closer to national parks, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post . Rules being finalized by the EPA—against strong objections from several officials—will weaken Clean Air Act protections by averaging out emission counts over a year, meaning pollution spikes at peak times will soon be legal.http://www.newser.com/story/43053/epa-to-loosen-clean-air-rules-in-national-parks.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 19 Nov 2008 6:29:31 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/43045/mom-gets-trachea-grown-from-own-stem-cells.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIn a frontier-busting surgery, transplant doctors have given a young woman a trachea developed in a lab using the patient's own stem cells. Stem cells from the patient's trachea and bone marrow were used to create a new rejection-proof organ in the surgery, performed in Spain in June, reports the BBC. The trachea developed its own blood supply a month after the operation.http://www.newser.com/story/43045/mom-gets-trachea-grown-from-own-stem-cells.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 19 Nov 2008 4:49:49 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/43047/oops-tools-lost-in-space.html?refid=rss_all_defaultA shuttle astronaut performing repairs during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station yesterday faced a slippery dilemma when a grease gun spurted lubricant inside her tool bag. As Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper cleaned the lubricant from her gloves, her bag full of tools floated away, boldly going where no tools have gone before, reports the Houston Chronicle.http://www.newser.com/story/43047/oops-tools-lost-in-space.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 19 Nov 2008 3:10:56 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/43060/toxic-toads-wiping-out-aussie-crocs.html?refid=rss_all_defaultPoisonous cane toads are proving more than a match for Australia's freshwater crocodiles, AFP reports. The toads are hopping their way into the crocs' northern Australia territory in huge numbers, killing off all who opt to make a meal of the invaders. Toad poisoning has already cut the numbers of crocodiles in some rivers by half.http://www.newser.com/story/43060/toxic-toads-wiping-out-aussie-crocs.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 19 Nov 2008 1:53:15 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/43027/our-not-so-distant-relatives-kangaroos.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe kangaroo genome has much in common with that of humans, the Telegraph reports. Scientists in Australia, under the auspices of the Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics, have completed mapping the marsupial’s genetic code. “There are a few differences, we have a few more of this, a few less of that,” one researcher said, “but they are the same genes and a lot of them are in the same order.”http://www.newser.com/story/43027/our-not-so-distant-relatives-kangaroos.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 18 Nov 2008 16:26:02 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/43033/obama-vows-to-engage-vigorously-in-climate-fight.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIn an unexpected video appearance today at a conference on climate change, President-elect Barack Obama promised to fight global warming, saying the stakes are too high to continue delaying action and denying global warming. He vowed to usher in a “new era of global cooperation” come January and says he'll “engage vigorously” in international negotiations, AFP reports.http://www.newser.com/story/43033/obama-vows-to-engage-vigorously-in-climate-fight.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 18 Nov 2008 15:30:01 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/43002/warning-labels-can-be-hazardous-to-your-health.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIgnorance truly is bliss when it comes to prescription drugs. The side effects listed on warning labels have a self-fulfilling quality, researchers tell the Wall Street Journal . People sensitive to this "nocebo effect" should think twice before reading that their pills can cause nausea, vomiting, irritability, or difficulty concentrating. For many, merely knowing about those symptoms can prompt them.http://www.newser.com/story/43002/warning-labels-can-be-hazardous-to-your-health.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 18 Nov 2008 13:59:43 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/43006/ravenous-beetles-decimate-wests-pines.html?refid=rss_all_defaultPeanut-sized bark beetles have drilled into and killed millions of acres of green pines from New Mexico to British Columbia, threatening the Rockies’ iconic lodgepoles with extinction, reports the New York Times . With only costly and temporary fixes available, preservationists are hoping for an atypically frigid winter to contain the pests, which are moving steadily eastward.http://www.newser.com/story/43006/ravenous-beetles-decimate-wests-pines.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 18 Nov 2008 13:48:00 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/42976/rule-protecting-anti-abortion-staffers-sparks-furor.html?refid=rss_all_defaultA host of hospitals, pharmacists, state officials and lawmakers—including President-elect Barack Obama—have slammed a last-minute Bush administration rule to protect health care providers from having to perform procedures they find morally objectionable, the New York Times reports. The plan would block federally funded hospitals, drugstores, and other organizations from requiring workers to perform or assist in abortions, and would prevent them from discriminating against those who refuse to do so.http://www.newser.com/story/42976/rule-protecting-anti-abortion-staffers-sparks-furor.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 18 Nov 2008 9:03:00 CST