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NASA has denied media and internet speculation that the Phoenix Lander has found life on the 'Red Planet', Mars and has also denied that the White House in the United States has been briefed on such matters that would lead up to an announcement by NASA later this week. This comes just after NASA stated on July 31, that Phoenix confirmed the presence of water-ice on Mars. Rumors began to spread on the internet Saturday after an unnamed scientist working on the Phoenix Mission stated to Aviation Week & Space Technology, the White House had been

The Associated Press reported Sunday that American comedian Bernie Mac is responding well to treatment for pneumonia in a Chicago, Illinois hospital. The report said that the pneumonia is not related to the inflammatory lung disease Mac has, which has been in remission since 2005. Bernie Mac's representative told People that Internet rumors of critical illness and even death are untrue. "Bernie Mac is still alive and being treated in a Chicago hospital for pneumonia and is expected to make a full recovery," said Danica Smith.

According to data released by Microsoft, you really are connected by approximately six degrees with the average person on this planet, the Washington Post reported Saturday. Eric Horvitz and Jure Leskovec set out to prove a popular theory, and they did, almost. "What's the distance between you and any random person on the planet? That's the kind of result we were seeking," Microsoft researcher Eric Horvitz told ABC's Good Morning America. "We've been able to put our finger on the social pulse of human connectivity — on a planetary scale — an

Vitamin C can help cut the spread of cancer and tumours by half, according to United States researchers who tested on mice. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health injected doses of vitamin C into four grams per kilo of body weight into mice with pancreatic, brain and ovarian cancers, which started a destructive chain reaction with the cancer cells. The vitamin, also known as ascorbate, caused high amounts of hydrogen peroxide in the body, which killed cancer cells. The vitamin was given in doses as the body does not absorb more than

South Korean scientists have confirmed that they have completed the first ever commercial cloning of a dog to take place. Bernann McKinney, who ordered the cloning for US$50,000, has said that she is pleased with the result of the cloning. "They are perfectly the same as their daddy. I am in heaven here. I am a happy person," she said in a press conference delivered earlier today. The regular charge will be up to US$150,000, but was discounted for the first customer. McKinney continued the press conference by saying that "Booger [the dog] had

John "Junior" Gotti, son of convicted mobster John Gotti, was arrested early Tuesday morning. Multiple sources say that that Gotti was arrested by the FBI at his home on Long Island, in New York state. The Associated Press reported Tuesday afternoon that the 44-year-old Gotti has been indicted along with five other men in connection with 3 murders and cocaine trafficking. According to the Associated Press, the indictment "says he was involved in the slayings of George Grosso in Queens, NY, in 1988; Louis DiBono, who was killed in the parking

The United States government officially charged 11 individuals today for the theft and sale of over 40 million credit and debit card numbers. The card numbers were stolen from nine US retailers including Barnes & Noble. The indictment includes computer intrusion, conspiracy, identity theft and fraud. This case is suspected to be the largest computer hacking and identity theft case ever to be prosecuted by the US Justice Department. The 11 people charged include three from the US, three from the Ukraine, two from China, and one each from Eston

Starting in September, British schools will inform parents of their child's weight in an attempt to deal with the growing issue of obesity, according to an announcement by the Department of Health (DoH). Nearly 23% of children aged 4-5 are overweight or obese, with that figure growing to nearly 32% for children aged 10-11. Standard procedures in schools involve weighing and measuring children in schools to determine their body mass index (BMI). The information is passed on to the National Health Service (NHS) to determine the extent of obesity

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida said a change in direction of Tropical Storm Edouard took the storm east of Galveston, Texas and away from a direct path across Houston. The storm never reached hurricane status as its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 65mph. Sustained winds of 74mph are considered to be hurricane strength. Tourist Beth Bronson, visiting Galveston from Allen, Texas near Dallas was hoping to ride the storm out. "We spend money to come here with our families. It's an inexpensive place to stay," Brons

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) approved two new IEEE 1394 Firewire standards last week. S1600 and S3200 — which enable data transmission rates up to 1.6 Gbps and 3.2 Gbps respectively — would make Firewire (Apple's name for the standard) theoretically four times faster than is currently possible. According to IEEE, the new standards are based on IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) Standard. The new standard will allow peer-to-peer transfer without linking computers. In addition, the S1600 and S3200 standards will continue

The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has announced it will take the unprecedented step of conducting a special review of flag carrier Qantas after three separate emergencies in two weeks. In the latest incident, a Boeing 767 headed from Sydney to Manila was forced to turn back yesterday after ground staff at the airport noticed what they believed to be smoke emanating from the jet's wing as it departed. It turned out to be fine spray from a hydraulic fluid leak, and the aircraft brought its 200 passengers back down safely at a

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen won the FIA Formula One 2008 ING Magyar Nagydíj at the Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary on Sunday. It was the first Grand Prix win of Kovalainen's driving career and he became the 100th winner in Formula One history. Ferrari driver Felipe Massa had dominated the race since the start when he overtook both McLaren front line sitters - first Kovalainen and then Lewis Hamilton. During the first part of the race, Hamilton punctured his front tyre and lost more positions as well as his hopes of winnin