Retirements of Democratic Sens. Christopher Dodd and Byron Dorgan, plus lower job approval for Obama, mean Democrats will struggle to keep their filibuster-proof Senate majority after 2010.

The halo of dark matter that is thought to surround the Milky Way appears to be shaped like a squashed beach ball, astronomers have found.

After-school program uses the simple, experimental BigShot camera to teach young students about art, engineering, and culture.

AP - The public is getting its clearest look at the government missteps that allowed a suspected terrorist to slip through post-Sept. 11 security and threaten lives on American soil.

AP - Snow was piled so high in Iowa that drivers couldn't see across intersections and a North Dakota snowblower repair shop was overwhelmed with business as residents braced Thursday for heavy snow and wind chills as low as 50 below zero.

AP - The Obama administration is gearing up for a fresh attempt to relaunch stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after the effort hit a dead end last year.