AFP - Germany could abandon nuclear energy more quickly than planned and still achieve a 40-percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions, environmental group Greenpeace said on Thursday.

AFP - EU transport ministers threatened on Thursday to seek alternatives for completing the Galileo satellite navigation system unless the current consortium resolved key problems.

Reuters - Scientists have discovered a genetic mutation linked with colon cancer that may work like a spigot, controlling the number of precancerous growths that develop and determining a person's susceptibility to cancer.

AP - Former astronaut Lisa Nowak's attorneys formally entered a not guilty plea Thursday to charges that she tried to kidnap a rival for a space shuttle pilot's affections.

AFP - The head of the FAO said Thursday that two-thirds of the world's population could be threatened by water shortages by 2025.

AFP - Ocean-going vessels now belch out more of the major air pollutant sulfur dioxide than all of the world's cars, trucks and buses combined, according to a study released Thursday.

Reuters - Former Microsoft software guru Charles Simonyi said on Thursday he was more nervous about public appearances than blasting off for a trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian rocket.

AFP - African countries must reduce their dependence on oil and begin to seek bold energy alternatives so the continent can emerge from a cycle of poverty, the head of the UN environment agency said Thursday.