Potty humor just got prehistoric. A new study suggests that dinosaurs may have helped keep an already overheated world warmer with their flatulence and burps 200 million years ago. The research published Monday in Current Biology suggests that large dinosaurs made a significant contribution to the greenhouse effect back then. Study author David Wilkinson of Liverpool John Moores University in England estimated that about 570 million tons of methane …

Scanning the horizon on his solar-powered catamaran, Swiss electrical engineer Raphael Domjan counts down the hours to the completion of his record-breaking world tour. "The idea was not to perform a feat but an eco-adventure with the aim of passing on the message that change is possible," Domjan told AFP-TV as his boat furrowed through choppy waves from Italy's Elba Island to Corsica in France. Domjan began his journey from Monaco in September …

Three people were killed and five missing Wednesday after floods carrying volcanic debris swept through a town in eastern Indonesia, a government official said. "Following heavy rains during the night, volcanic floods hit early morning at 2:00 am (1700 GMT)," national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Two people were also injured as the floodwaters rampaged, damaging at least 20 homes in Ternate City in North …

China's high court overturned the death sentence on a former tycoon Friday, in a case that caused an uproar over the nation's use of capital punishment for economic crimes. The State Supreme Court ordered the high court in eastern China's Zhejiang province to retry the case of Wu Ying. It recommended that any death sentence should come with a two year reprieve -- a penalty almost always commuted to life in prison. "The State Supreme Court …

The US company SpaceX on Wednesday said it was unlikely to meet a planned May 7 launch to send its Dragon space capsule to the International Space Station, but did not set a new date for the attempt. "At this time, a May 7th launch appears unlikely," spokeswoman Kirstin Grantham said in a statement. "SpaceX is continuing to work through the software assurance process with NASA. We will issue a statement as soon as a new launch target is set." …

An Australian study of ocean salinity over the past 50 years has revealed a "fingerprint" showing that climate change has accelerated the rainfall cycle, a researcher said Friday. The study published in the journal Science and conducted by Australian and US scientists looked at ocean data from 1950 to 2000 and found that salinity levels had changed in oceans around the world over that time. Co-author Susan Wijffels said the figures were revealing …

A team of Russian scientists say they will embark on a quest next week to observe the only all-white, adult killer whale ever spotted - a majestic and elusive bull they have named Iceberg. The researchers from the universities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg first spotted the orca's towering, two-metre dorsal fin break the surface near the Commander Islands in the North Pacific in August 2010. Living in a pod with 12 other family members, …

Pakistan has successfully test-fired long-range Hatf IV (Shaheen 1A) ballistic missile, Geo News reported Wednesday. According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan successfully conducted the launch of the intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Hatf IV Shaheen-1A Weapon System. The missile is an improved version of Shaheen-1 with improvements in range and technical parameters. It is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads. …

WASHINGTON: SpaceX said Monday it is pushing back by a week a bid to become the first private company to attempt to launch a spacecraft to the International Space Station on an unmanned cargo mission. "After reviewing our recent progress, it was clear that we needed more time to finish hardware-in-the-loop testing and properly review and follow up on all data," said SpaceX spokewoman Kirstin Brost Grantham. "While it is still possible that …

A powerful booby trap bomb wounded 22 Philippine soldiers, seven of them critically, as they patrolled a former stronghold of Al-Qaeda-linked militants Tuesday, the military said. The soldiers were patrolling the outskirts of a remote camp captured last month from Abu Sayyaf extremists when the device went off, local army commander Colonel Ricardo Visaya told AFP. The Abu Sayyaf had formerly used the camp on the southern island of Basilan, …