L.A. City Council takes step toward fracking ban

L.A. council agrees to draft rules against 'well stimulation,' but oil and gas companies say their methods have already been proven safe.



In the morning while walking to her car, Michelle Kennedy sometimes detects a smell like cat urine. She says the asthma her 6-year-old suffers seems to have worsened.



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Monitor on Wilmington home's roof to provide air-quality answers

The government-funded project will gather real-time data on air pollution. Wilmington ranks among the top 5% of communities with the highest pollution exposure in the state.



Japheth Peleti has no shortage of unpleasant stories from decades of living across a fence from a sprawling oil refinery.



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Study backs DNA tests for disorders in low-risk pregnancies

DNA screening more accurately identifies likely cases of genetic disorders caused by extra chromosomes, like Down syndrome, in a study of low-risk pregnant women.



It's billed as a faster, safer and more accurate way of screening expectant mothers for fetal abnormalities like Down syndrome, and proponents say it has already become the standard for prenatal care.



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Acetaminophen in pregnancy linked to ADHD in kids, study finds

Children whose mothers took Tylenol during pregnancy were more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, researchers found.



Pregnant women have long been assured that acetaminophen can treat their aches, pains and fevers without bringing harm to the babies they carry. Now researchers say they have found a strong link between prenatal use of the medication and cases of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.



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Planned food safety rules rile organic farmers

Local growers are discovering that proposed FDA regulations would curtail many common techniques, such as using house-made fertilizers and irrigating from creeks.



HUSTONTOWN, Pa. — Jim Crawford was rushing to load crates of freshly picked organic tomatoes onto trucks heading for an urban farmers market when he noticed the federal agent.



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Severe drought? California has been here before

A thousand-year tree-ring study shows that deep droughts come with the territory. Now the issue is how to deal with them.



The skinny rings of ancient giant sequoias and foxtail pines hold a lesson that Californians are learning once again this winter: It can get very dry, sometimes for a single parched year, sometimes for withering decades.



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Bit by bit, a more fit workplace

There are many small ways to get moving and raise your fitness level in the workplace. Even doing a few of the suggestions can add health benefits.



Nearly all of us need to make more time for fitness. Finding that time, though, can seem impossible.



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How to add a workout at the workplace

Ways to add more movement to your workday include taking the stairs, pacing while on the phone and marking walking trails.



1. Walk or bike to work once a week.



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Alternative office furniture to avoid sitting at a desk all day

A standing desk is one option to avoid being sedentary at work, but others include a walking desk, a sit-and-stand desk or a spare piece of furniture to keep you upright.



Is it time for a standing desk?



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How to reach the magic number on the pedometer

Reaching 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day can be broken down into smaller goals and 'catch up' opportunities.



Now, how to get to 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day?



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Fitness trackers worth checking out

Fitness trackers and pedometers can help you hit your goals. Two we recommend: the One and Omron HJ-112.



Fitness trackers are all the rage. But how to choose one?



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Plank position for beginners

Plank position engages muscles throughout the body. It's a great exercise, but you might need to work up to it. Fitness expert Tosca Reno explains how.



We all know plank position is good for us. But. Um. What if you lack the core strength needed to suck in the gut and engage the back, glutes and quad muscles — all while balancing between your toes and elbows?



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Bee colony collapse viruses spreading to bumblebees

Infectious diseases linked to the colony collapse of honeybees appear to be spreading among wild bumblebees that pollinate crops worldwide, dealing a potential double blow to agriculture, according to a new study.



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Scientists urge California to boost target for cutting emissions

California is on track to cut carbon dioxide and other gases to 1990 levels by 2020. The scientists urge adoption of emission caps for 2030 and beyond.



A group of California scientists Wednesday urged state lawmakers to adopt a steeper target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions after 2020.



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Scientists turn to crowdfunding to support research

With traditional funding stagnant and competition fierce, some scientists are using Internet sites such as Experiment to appeal to the public for money.



UC San Diego graduate student Alex Piel is studying the family dynamics and habitats of chimpanzees in Tanzania's savanna. The research requires tracking animals, retrieving fecal samples and then testing to confirm genetic links.



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UC is set to replace San Diego pier for ocean research ships

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography's deteriorating facility in Point Loma will undergo a $25-million renovation.



SAN DIEGO — Above the water line, the Point Loma wharf at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography is impressive: large, high-tech ships dock there before cruising off to research sea life and climate conditions around the world. The skyline of downtown San Diego skyscrapers looms across the bay.



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School's illnesses point up problems with pollution monitoring

Paramount case shows that getting action on local pollution, often in low-income areas, is difficult and takes too long, activists say.



Soon after starting work at Lincoln Elementary in Paramount nearly five years ago, second-grade teacher Lisa Lappin became alarmed by the number of teachers and students sick from cancer and other illnesses.



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Robot termites build complex structures with amazingly simple rules

Imagine a team of workers that can tirelessly build and rebuild complicated structures even under daunting and dangerous conditions. They exist – they’re called termites. Now, inspired by these mound-building insects, Harvard University scientists have created a mini-swarm of surprisingly simpleminded robots that can work together to construct buildings much larger than themselves.



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Nuclear fusion reactions mark a 'milestone'

Physicists create nuclear fusion reactions that produce more energy than the fuel involved — the power at work in the sun and other stars. It may be a step toward a cleaner form of nuclear energy.



It took 192 lasers and a building big enough to contain three football fields, but physicists have finally produced a pair of nuclear fusion reactions that created more energy than was in the fuel to start with.



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Mammogram screenings don't reduce cancer death rates, study finds

Annual mammography screenings help uncover cases of breast cancer, but they do not reduce the number of cancer deaths, according to a study of nearly 90,000 Canadian women.



Yearly mammography screenings for women ages 40 to 59 do not reduce breast cancer deaths, even though they make a diagnosis of illness more likely, according to a long-term study of nearly 90,000 Canadian women.



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California should set interim goal for cutting emissions, report says

The state is on course to meet its 2020 target, but reaching the 2050 goal will require huge changes, the California Air Resources Board says.



California is on track to reach its target for reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, but much tougher choices loom if the state is to meet its goal for the year 2050, state air quality officials say in a new report.



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Northern California gets a big drink, but the state is still thirsty

The storm system that soaked Northern California didn't end the state's drought. But it may have kept it out of the record books.



The storm system that soaked much of Northern California over the weekend didn't end the state's punishing drought. But it just may have kept it out of the record books.



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Drought blocking passages to sea for California coho salmon

The drought has obstructed the migratory journeys of many coho salmon on California's North and Central Coast, putting them in immediate danger.



DAVENPORT, Calif. — By now, water would typically be ripping down Scott Creek, and months ago it should have burst through a berm of sand to provide fish passage between freshwater and the ocean.



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Applicants should come clean about cheating allegations, colleges say

Students accused in an Orange County high school cheating scandal should be upfront with universities they apply to, admission officials say.



The recent expulsions of 11 students from an Orange County high school because of a cheating scandal appeared to be a forceful stand against academic dishonesty. But that discipline also has focused attention on the murkier questions about whether, and how, colleges should be informed about applicants' histories of misbehavior.



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Prosthetic hand with feeling: Re-creating the brain-hand connection

The human hand is a wonder of strength, sensitivity and discrimination — not only because of those four fingers and the opposable thumb, but also because of the human brain that controls it. No wonder, then, that for those who design hand prostheses, re-creating the natural dexterity of the brain-powered hand is a daunting challenge.



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New guidelines for women urge early attention to stroke

Many factors may increase a woman's risk of stroke, and many of them are evident in her 20s and 30s, according to the first such guidelines, from the American Heart Assn.



Long before a woman hits middle age, she and her doctor should be thinking about her risk of stroke and taking steps to reduce it, according to the first set of stroke guidelines aimed at women.



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Promising cancer therapy treatment: Vitamin C

New research suggests that vitamin C might make cancer drugs more effective. But past discredited claims about the vitamin's effectiveness in treating cancer are likely to hinder further study.



Scientists have identified a simple, inexpensive compound that made cancer drugs more effective in mice and helped human patients weather the toxic side effects of chemotherapy.



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John Huizenga dies at 92; physicist helped discredit 'cold fusion'

John Huizenga worked on the Manhattan Project, helped discover two chemical elements and co-led inquiry into 'cold fusion,' the 'scientific fiasco of the century.'



On Nov. 1, 1952, U.S. scientists detonated the first hydrogen bomb over Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific, introducing a powerful new weapon of war and, in the process, atomizing the rocky island. Air Force planes flying through the debris clouds collected small amounts of airborne particles on filter paper and rushed them back to laboratories in Berkeley and Illinois for analysis.



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University High wins crown at JPL Regional Science Bowl

Twenty-four teams of five students each competed in the 22nd annual JPL Regional Science Bowl, a 'Jeopardy'-style competition.



In the end, it came down to a rematch: Arcadia and University high schools, two teams made up of the brightest young science minds in Southern California who one year ago faced off just like this, armed with nothing more than a small pad of paper and a pencil against a 16-minute rat-a-tat-tat of questions like this:



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