Anyone who has bonded with a puppy madly sniffing with affection gets an idea of how scents, most not apparent to humans, are critical to a dog's appreciation of her two-legged friends. Now new research suggests that humans also pick up infinitesimal scents that affect whether or not we like somebody. The smells elicited psychological and physiological changes suggesting that humans get much more information from barely perceptible scents than previously realized.

  Astronomers have identified the point at which a star causes the atmosphere of an orbiting gas giant to become critically unstable. Depending upon their proximity to a host star, giant Jupiter-like planets have atmospheres which are either stable and thin, or unstable and rapidly expanding. The research enables us to work out whether planets in other systems are stable or unstable by using a 3-D model to characterize their atmospheres.

  The age-old refrain, "Eat your vegetables!"gets scientific support as researchers present the latest findings on cancer prevention at the American Association for Cancer Research's Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention.

  More than 200 leading climate scientists have warned the United Nations Climate Conference of the need to act immediately to cut greenhouse gas emissions, with a window of only 10-15 years for global emissions to peak and decline, and a goal of at least a 50 percent reduction by 2050.

  MRI, which is not routinely administered to women who plan to undergo a lumpectomy, can find additional cancerous areas in the breast that previously evaded detection, discover cancer in the opposite breast that standard imaging tests such as mammography and ultrasound missed, or determine a tumor is actually larger than expected.

  After grabbing headlines for years as the ultimate solution to world energy problems, the "hydrogen economy"has an emerging but lesser-known competitor called the "methanol economy,"according to a new article. Methanol, an alcohol like ethanol, shows increasing promise as an alternative energy source with advantages over both ethanol and hydrogen.

  As food prices rise, the costs of lower-calorie foods are rising the fastest, according to a new study. As the prices of fresh fruit and vegetables and other low-calorie foods have jumped nearly 20 percent in the past two years, the researchers say, a nutritious diet may be moving out of the reach of some American consumers.

  A new species of hardy methane-eating bacteria has been discovered in hot springs in New Zealand. Scientists discovered the methane-eating microorganism in the geothermal field known as Hell's Gate, near the city of Rotorua in New Zealand.

  Caffeine appears to have the novel benefit of slenderizing thighs. Researchers studied 99 women treated with a cream consisting mostly of a 7 percent caffeine solution. More than 80 percent of the women had a reduction in the circumference of their upper and lower thighs. Nearly 68 percent also reduced their hip measurements.

  Flying fish were the inspiration for an unmanned seaplane with a 7-foot wingspan just developed. The autonomous craft is believed to be the first seaplane that can initiate and perform its own takeoffs and landings on water.

  Using neuroimaging, researchers have identified that among older individuals, brain systems are less likely to be in sync with one another, even in the absence of Alzheimer's disease. Normal aging disrupts communication between different regions of the brain.

  A newly released software program will let health authorities at the site of an infectious disease outbreak quickly analyze data, speeding the detection of new cases and the implementation of effective interventions.

  Loud commentary and cell phone fumbling may be distracting, but new research suggests that the presence of other people may enhance our movie-watching experiences. Over the course of the film, movie-watchers influence one another and gradually synchronize their emotional responses. This mutual mimicry also affects each participant's evaluation of the overall experience -- the more in sync we are with the people around us, the more we like the movie.

  This is the first proof of principle for using adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, combined with gene and cell therapy, for successful disease treatment in mice. Similar "induced pluripotent stem cells"were recently derived with human cells.