PhysOrg.com

First floods, now pesky mosquitoes for Midwest
(AP) -- First came the floods - now the mosquitoes. An explosion of pesky insects are pestering clean-up crews and just about anyone venturing outside in the waterlogged Midwest. In some parts of Iowa there are 20 times the normal number, and in Chicago up to five times more than usual.

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Microsoft and Yahoo rise on deal talks report
(AP) -- Yahoo Inc. shares rose more than 5 percent Wednesday as The Wall Street Journal reported Microsoft Corp. has talked to other media companies about teaming up to buy Yahoo's search business.

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Planets Align for the 4th of July
News Flash: On 4th of July weekend, NASA forecasts lights in the sky. No, not those lights. Look beyond the fireworks. Almost halfway up the western sky, just above the twilight glow of sunset, a trio of worlds is gathering: Saturn, Mars and the crescent Moon.

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Microsoft seeks partners for new bid for Yahoo: WSJ
Microsoft is considering a new attempt to buy part of Yahoo in a deal with other media companies that would likely see a break-up of the Internet firm, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

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The Day the World Changed
Twenty years ago, a network engineer named Hans-Werner Braun started an e-mail message to the users of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) fledgling NSFNET project with that sentence to announce that the network's main lines, or backbone, had been upgraded. Although they received little notice at the time, those simple words announced the birth of the modern Internet.

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Monster founder sets sights on online obituaries
(AP) -- Fourteen years ago, Jeff Taylor helped set off a tectonic shift in recruitment advertising by founding Monster.com, one of the first online companies to challenge a big profit source of newspapers.

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Ice creamier: 'Edible antifreeze' puts the smooth in smoothie
It's Friday night, and the movie's already spinning in the DVD player. You run to the kitchen to grab a gallon of ice cream and a spoon, but you find the tub nearly empty.

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Genomics Research Focuses on Rice Variety Improvement
Crop varieties can be improved through the study of genomics without creating genetically transformed varieties. That is the mission of a multistate research project led by the University of Arkansas System`s Division of Agriculture.

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Population-based approach needed to reduce obesity in United States
A comprehensive, population-based strategy is needed to reduce the alarming prevalence of obesity in the United States, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

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A healthier July Fourth: Eco-friendly fireworks and flares poised to light up the sky
From the rockets' red glare to bombs bursting in air, researchers are developing more environmentally friendly fireworks and flares to light up the night sky while minimizing potential health risks, according to an article scheduled for the June 30 issue of Chemical & Engineering News. Some eco-friendly fireworks may soon appear at a Fourth of July display or rock concert near you.

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