Using a potent NASA space telescope to scan the skies for planets like ours where life may exist, astronomers said Thursday they have found the most Earth-like candidates yet.

Two of the five planets orbiting a Sun-like star called Kepler-62 are squarely in the habitable zone -- not too hot, not too cold and possibly bearing water, NASA scientists reported in the journal Science.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Thursday painted a dim picture of the world's environmental progress, two decades after he founded the environmental group Green Cross International.

Laying much of the blame on a lack of leadership and vision, he railed against governments for falling short on nuclear disarmament, waste, development and climate change.

An electronic fork that vibrates when you eat too fast went on sale Wednesday on Kickstarter, with its French inventors claiming it can help combat obesity and digestive issues.

Those who contribute at least $89 on the crowd funding website will get a HAPIfork, which comes in blue, green and pink, ahead of its planned general release to consumers in the United States and Europe later this year.

One of the world's most popular aquarium fishes on Wednesday joined the rat, the mouse, fruitfly and nematode worm in the roll call of creatures whose DNA has been sequenced to help fight disease among humans.

A consortium of researchers unveiled the genome of the zebrafish in the British journal Nature, declaring it made a vital model for pinpointing faulty genes.

Japanese scientists on Tuesday waded into a row over so-called "hobbit" hominids whose remains, found on a remote Indonesian island a decade ago, have unleashed one of the fiercest disputes in anthropology.

The most detailed computerized scan of a skull of Homo floresiensis -- "Man of Flores" -- backs theories that the minute humans were a local product of evolution, they said.

Orbital Sciences, one of two private U.S. firms chosen by NASA to shuttle cargo to the International Space Station, is preparing for the first launch of its Antares rocket Wednesday.

The launch over the Atlantic ocean is scheduled for 5 pm (2100 GMT) from the Wallops flight facility from an island off the coast of Virginia about 270 kilometers from Washington.

European lawmakers narrowly rejected Tuesday controversial plans to revive the EU's faltering carbon cap-and-trade system so as to cut greenhouse gas emissions, blamed for global warming.

The European Commission had proposed a freeze on pollution credits so as to make it financially more attractive for companies to invest in new clean technology. The Commission said it "regretted" the outcome and would review its position.

The moon and water temperature affect the diving behavior of sharks, researchers reported Tuesday, in a discovery that could help prevent fishermen from catching the marine predators inadvertently.

A team from the University of Western Australia's Oceans Institute and the government-run Australian Institute of Marine Science spent nearly three years monitoring grey reef sharks off Palau in the Pacific.

Rolling out round-nosed lorries with aeroplane-style flaps at the back on Europe's roads would cut fuel costs, reduce carbon emissions and save lives, while giving a boost to the struggling auto sector, the European Commission said Monday.

"A brick is the least aerodynamic shape you can imagine, that's why we need to improve the shape of our lorries on the roads," said Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas, calling for a change to 1996 specifications for heavy goods vehicles.

Venice on Sunday enjoyed the sounds of silence as authorities imposed a five-hour ban on motorboats plying the Renaissance city's main waterway in a bid to raise awareness about noise pollution and architectural damage caused by waves.

Boat traffic on the Grand Canal in the world-famous lagoon came to a standstill from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, with only public transport and electric-powered or hybrid vessels allowed to cut through the waters.