(Eduard Kalinin )

Asteroids may be hitting Earth more often than thought

Also, studies on huge rock that hit Russia say it had the energy of 30-plus Hiroshima atomic bombs.

Medicare chief testifies about HealthCare.gov’s problems

Site will be working smoothly for most consumers by the end of the month, Marilyn Tavenner told the Senate.

Scientists say Earth-size, temperate planets common

The Milky Way galaxy alone could have about 25 billion rocky worlds in “habitable zones” of stars.

More Health and Science news

Dozens dead in Philippines after typhoon

Dozens dead in Philippines after typhoon

Experts say the speed of Typhoon Haiyan may have spared the island nation from a worse fate.

Few in D.C., Md. sign up on new health care exchanges

Some insurers worry that setbacks could make it difficult for customers to purchase their health plans.

Mental-health parity law is clarified

Mental-health parity law is clarified

Insurers will be required to treat mental health and substance-abuse issues the same as physical illness.

Trans fats to be phased out, FDA says

Trans fats to be phased out, FDA says

The heart-clogging ingredient commonly used in processed foods such as frozen pizza remains a “significant public health concern,” the agency says.

Sebelius rejects calls to delay aspects of new health-care law

Sebelius rejects calls to delay aspects of new health-care law

The HHS secretary assures Senate panel fixes are being made to HealthCare.gov.

Johnson & Johnson to pay $2.2B in fraud case

Johnson & Johnson to pay $2.2B in fraud case

Company agrees to pay $2.2 billion to resolve probe into its marketing of Risperdal, other prescription drugs.

Soccer star tending to a new goal

Soccer star tending to a new goal

World Cup champion Briana Scurry fights back from the concussion that ended her career, clouded her life.

Multimedia

HANDOUT PHOTO:  
Mr. Christian Sardet
18th Place
Department of Life Sciences, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Annelid larva
Darkfield
100X
 
(Courtesy of Nikon)

Small worlds revealed

The winners of the 2013 Nikon Small World competition for microscope photography.

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Other news

Mediterranean diet may be tied to better health in later life

Fillet of salmon with asparagus

Study finds eating less meat and more fish, nuts, fruit and vegetables may make for a healthier old age.

A patient in a vegetative state shows awareness and focus

WASHINGTON, DC. MAY 21, 2013:  A brain scan is used in a demonstration with 3D Haptic Touch which can be applied to medical and robotics, at Microsoft TechFair in Washington, DC on May 21, 2013. ( Photo by Jeffrey MacMillan )

New study raises possibility of using devices someday to allow such people to communicate.

Filth taints 12 percent of imported food spices, FDA reports

A batch of coarsely ground red peppers is pictured near Batya, 140km south of Budapest September 21, 2013. Many are hoping to put Hungary's once booming paprika business, a powdered spice that has long been a staple in Hungarian cooking, back on the map after decades of neglect and despite fierce competition from countries including Brazil, Serbia and China. Picture taken September 21, 2013. To match story FOOD-HUNGARY/PAPRIKA      REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh (HUNGARY - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS FOOD)

Mexico had the highest percentage of exports of contaminated spices, followed by India.

Mathematical ability seems to be evident even in infancy

SciScan1105

Also, a new book relies on common experiences to explain scientific principles.

Another reason why men don’t do yoga

BETHESDA, MD - OCTOBER: 10 Yoga instructor Adrian Hummell teaches Bikram Yoga classes in Bethesda, Maryland. He is photographed on October 10, 2013. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

The problem is a lack of classes specifically for aging men, who are less limber, one reader says.

COLUMNS

AnyBODY

Why I’m waiting to buy insurance on the health exchanges

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2013, file screenshot, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' main landing web page for HealthCare.gov. Members of Congress are governing themselves under President Barack Obama’s signature law, which means they have great leeway in how to apply it to their own staffs. For lawmakers, it is about a section of the law that may _ or may not _ require them to toss some staffers off of their federal health insurance and into the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges. (AP Photo/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, File)

It’s not (just) the Web site problems. It’s the price.

Why is it still so hard to diagnose ADHD?

Students arrive for class at Mahnomen Elementary School in Mahnomen, Minnesota September 26, 2013. The U.S. government may have headed off some of the most dire predictions about the 'sequester,' but over seven months, the across-the-board spending cut has thrown sand into the gears of the economic recovery. Mahnomen school district, which serves the White Earth Indian reservation in Minnesota, lost 3 percent of its funding due to the sequester. The district didn't replace a teacher who retired and has scaled back on homework tutoring and an alternative-school program for teenage mothers. Another year of cuts could force the school to lay off teachers and scale back bus service, superintendent Jeff Bisek says. To match Insight USA-BUDGET/SEQUESTER  Picture taken September 26, 2013.   REUTERS/Dan Koeck   (UNITED STATES - Tags: EDUCATION POLITICS BUSINESS)

School personnel play a big role in diagnosing the disorder, but they may not be best equipped for the job.

Can physical activity help kids do better in school?

First Lady Michelle Obama jogs with children at a back-to-school event at Orr Elementary School in the District last month.

Yes, studies say, they will test better. But whether being active helps them learn better is still unresolved.

How & Why/EcoLOGIC

The genetic mutants that led to a Nobel

epa03900401 Handout image released 07 October 2013 by the University of California, Berkeley of professor Randy W. Schekman who shares the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with James E. Rothman and Thomas C. Sudhof for 'for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells.'  EPA/UC BERKELEY / HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES

How Randy Schekman transformed a simple idea into the basis for a hepatitis vaccine.

N.Y. chefs test whether chickens’ diet affects their taste

HEHow1001

Experts say it may be easier to manipulate the flavor of eggs rather than that of flesh.

How bad for the Earth are gas-powered leaf blowers?

FILE- In this Sept. 12, 2012, file photo, a red leaf hangs from a tree in Greensboro, Vt. Vermont officials are rushing to the defense of one of the state’s most cherished icons, fall foliage, after an Arizona magazine claimed the fall colors in the Grand Canyon state are better than the Green Mountains after they have turned red, gold and orange. The cover of the October edition of the magazine Arizona Highways shows a picturesque scene of a bucolic waterfall surrounded by golden foliage while carrying the headline “Autumn in Arizona & Why it’s better than it is in Vermont. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

Pretty bad. But don’t get all high and mighty about your rake. Your lawn mower isn’t innocent, either.

Urban Jungle

A bee’s view

A bee’s view

Black-eyed Susans reveal more than meets the human eye.

Medical Mysteries

Dripping wet

Janet Ruddock Medical Mystery 1015

A woman couldn’t stop sweating, and the problem wasn’t hot flashes. What was going on?

Emergency surgery followed many missed chances to diagnose illness

HSCover0813

Until he nearly died, the reason for Kevin Songer’s weak muscles went undetected for more than 50 years.

Joint replacement had gone well, but patient’s shoulder still hurt

Original artwork by Owen Freeman. All rights reserved.

Woman endured years of surgery and pain before the mystery of her ailment was solved.

Read more Medical Mysteries

Health, Science & Environment Videos

Kliff Notes: Will Obamacare cancel my plan?

Kliff Notes: Will Obamacare cancel my plan?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains why a lot of people's health insurance policies might get cancelled.
Kliff Notes: HealthCare.gov's 3 problems

Kliff Notes: HealthCare.gov's 3 problems

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff walks through the three main problems bogging down the Affordable Care Act's online marketplace.
Kliff Notes: Obama's healthcare speech

Kliff Notes: Obama's healthcare speech

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff shares her "Kliff Notes" for President Obama's remarks defending his signature healthcare law.
Obamacare Q&A: Are all marketplaces created equal?

Obamacare Q&A: Are all marketplaces created equal?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains why the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces are different from state to state.
Obamacare Q&A: Who doesn't have to enroll?

Obamacare Q&A: Who doesn't have to enroll?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains the exceptions to the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate.
Obamacare Q&A: What if I already have insurance?

Obamacare Q&A: What if I already have insurance?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains how insured people can use the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces.
Obamacare Q&A: Can anyone deny me coverage?

Obamacare Q&A: Can anyone deny me coverage?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains what changes for people with pre-existing conditions under the Affordable Care Act.
Obamacare Q&A: Will I go to jail?

Obamacare Q&A: Will I go to jail?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains what happens if you don't buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Obamacare explained, in 2 minutes

Obamacare explained, in 2 minutes

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff breaks down the policy you need to understand about the Affordable Care Act, from politics to premiums.
Opera singer’s new lungs

Opera singer’s new lungs

Charity Sunshine Tilleman-Dick, a 29-year-old American soprano, has performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and around the world. A rare disease, idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, demanded she have two double-lung transplants. Despite all odds she continues to sing.