Dead aristocrat may hold key to bird flu (AP)

   AP - Scientists want to exhume the body of a British diplomat who died of Spanish flu during the 1919 pandemic in hopes of discovering clues to fight a possible future global outbreak sparked by the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.
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NASA space probe swings by Jupiter (AP)

   AP - NASA's New Horizon's space probe was pointed toward Pluto and the frozen, sunless reaches of the solar system on a nine-year journey after getting a gravity boost Wednesday from Jupiter.
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Developing major storm (weather.com)

   weather.com -
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London announces plan to cut emissions (AP)

   

AP - The mayor of London on Tuesday announced the city's first comprehensive plan to cut carbon emissions, stressing that global warming must be tackled locally.

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Study: Pygmy owl numbers down in Mexico (AP)

   AP - A university study shows the population of a tiny endangered owl in northern Mexico has declined by an estimated 26 percent over the last seven years, a finding that environmentalists said bolsters their arguments for greater protection for the bird in Arizona.
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Hail forces launch delay for Atlantis (AP)

   

AP - Golf ball-size hail that pelted space shuttle Atlantis earlier this week, dimpling its fuel tank, did enough damage that NASA has decided to cancel its March launch plans and send the shuttle back inside for repairs.

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S. Africa plans to curb elephant numbers (AP)

   

AP - The environment minister proposed a package of measures Wednesday to slow rampant elephant population growth — including limited killing and contraception — but stressed there would be no mass slaughter. The elephant population of 20,000 is growing at a rate of more than 6 percent per year, disrupting the delicate biodiversity in the flagship Kruger National Park and other wildlife parks, Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said.

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20 new ocean species found in Indonesia (AP)

   

AP - Twenty new species of sharks and rays have been discovered in Indonesia in a five-year survey of catches at local fish markets, Australian researchers said Wednesday.

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La Nina's brewing, forecasters warn (AP)

   AP - Forecasters warned Tuesday that a La Nina weather pattern — the nasty flip side of El Nino — is brewing, bringing with it the threat of more hurricanes for the Atlantic.
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Nasa probe makes flyby of Jupiter

   Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft, launched from Earth just over a year ago, has flown past the giant planet Jupiter.
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Japanese whale hunt ended early

   Japan's whaling fleet cuts short its annual hunt after a fire two weeks ago crippled the main boat.
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Milestone for giant physics lab

   Construction on a major underground physics experiment reaches a major milestone at Cern.
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