Study ties childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to adult obesity

Having childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder could lead to a life of obesity, even if ADHD symptoms disappear in adulthood, a new study shows.

Gerbils lost in space, but Russian-launched lizards home from near-Earth orbit

LOS ANGELES - A crew of Mongolian gerbils may have gone where no Mongolian gerbil has gone before, but they did not come back alive.

Mexico launches military push in Michoacan

MEXICO CITY - The government poured army troops and high-level delegations into western Mexico Tuesday in a bid to take back control of a region long besieged by a deadly drug cartel.

Salt Lake City has highest percentage of gay parents in US

LOS ANGELES - Salt Lake City: the gay parenting capital of the United States?

Population shift: More poor live in suburbs than urban areas, study shows

Bucking longstanding patterns in the United States, more poor people now live in the nation's suburbs than in urban areas, according to a new analysis.

'Kirk' and 'Spock': buddies in space and in the real world, too

LOS ANGELES - "Star Trek" has always been about more than a spaceship crew hurtling through the cosmos - over the decades, the sci-fi series in all its forms has tackled earthly issues such as race, gender and war.

Mental illness in youth a common problem

WASHINGTON - Go to a busy street in your community and count the next 25 adolescents who walk, bike, skateboard, stroll or saunter past. Odds are that two of those 25 kids (8.3 percent to be exact) would own up to having experienced 14 or more days in the last month that he or she considered…

Decriminalize drugs to reduce violence, OAS study proposes

BOGOTA, Colombia - The Organization of American States said Friday that countries should consider decriminalizing drug use, a shift backed by several Latin American leaders but opposed by the United States.

Study: Multiple concussions may trigger GI suicides

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. military has faced two epidemics over the last decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Massive dark asteroid to fly by Earth on May 31

It's 1.7 miles long. Its surface is covered in a sticky black substance similar to the gunk at the bottom of a barbecue. If it impacted Earth it would probably result in global extinction. Good thing it's just making a flyby.

'Kon-Tiki,' this time in English, recounts incredible journey

"Kon-Tiki" is a ripping yarn torn from yesterday's headlines. Though somewhat forgotten now, the 1947 story of six men, an oceangoing raft and a wild and crazy theory was a media sensation that gripped the world's imagination - and launched a thousand tiki bars.

'Wrong' doesn't feel right

Quentin Dupieux's "Rubber" remains one of the most ridiculously inventive movies of recent years, an alternate universe horror film about a tire that gains telekinetic powers.

2nd US envoy was linked to CIA earlier this year, Russian TV says

MOSCOW-The arrest and expulsion of a U.S. embassy official this week for allegedly attempting to recruit a Russian intelligence officer was the second such case this year, Russian state television reported Wednesday.

Trial ordered in 1979 slaying of NYC boy

NEW YORK - A man who confessed to strangling 6-year-old Etan Patz, whose disappearance 34 years ago remains one of the nation's most baffling missing-persons cases, will stand trial for the boy's murder, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Suspect to plead not guilty in Cleveland kidnap case

Ariel Castro, facing kidnapping and rape charges in connection with the Cleveland case of three women held prisoner for about a decade, will plead not guilty, his lawyers said Wednesday.

Youths' smokeless-tobacco use has leveled off

LOS ANGELES - After years of decline, the rate of smokeless tobacco use among young people in the U.S. has leveled off, new research shows.

Grisly video appears to show Syrian rebel mutilating corpse

Gruesome video footage purportedly showing a Syrian rebel commander mutilating the corpse of a dead soldier while shouting sectarian insults has drawn condemnation from Human Rights Watch and focused renewed attention on battlefield atrocities in Syria.

Q&A: DNA, breast cancer risk, women's options

LOS ANGELES - By opting for surgery to remove her breasts while they were still healthy, Angelina Jolie joined a growing number of women who have used genetic testing to take control of their health.

Russians accuse US diplomat of recruiting for CIA in Moscow

MOSCOW - Russian authorities detained an American diplomat accused of attempting to recruit a Russian intelligence officer into the CIA, the Federal Security Service said Tuesday.

Giving newborns formula may help in breast-feeding

One of the first warnings new mothers hear is that offering babies formula soon after birth can lead to problems with breast-feeding. Sating infants' hunger with formula can prevent them from nursing vigorously, interfering with milk production; letting them use a bottle and nipple can inter…

Anti-corruption test riles Mexican cops

A police officer patrols in Zapopan, near Guadalajara in Jalisco state. Officials in Zapopan recently learned that 389 officers, about a quarter of the entire police force, failed a national police vetting exam. Zapopan's mayor is reluctant to fire the officers, in part because he fears they…

Anti-corruption test riles Mexican cops

GUADALAJARA, Mexico - Guadalajara police commander Juan Carlos Martinez took Mexico's national police vetting exam in April 2012. He failed. But no one in government would tell him why.

Astronauts fix coolant leak in 51/2-hour walk

LOS ANGELES - Astronauts replaced a leaking component on the International Space Station after a five-hour, 30-minute spacewalk, NASA reported.

Alzheimer's a husband's obsession

Ken Chiate along the edge of his infinity pool with his dog, Kelly, on his Malibu, Calif., property. Chiate has helped finance a clinical trial for a drug he thought helped his wife during her battle with Alzheimer's, but the medical community remains skeptical.

Alzheimer's a husband's obsession

LOS ANGELES - Ken Chiate is a born problem-solver, and in the summer of 1961, when he was on break from college, his problem was a head-turning blonde named Jeannette.

Mars pilgrims sought. Apply by video. No experience necessary

LOS ANGELES - Do you dream of living on Mars? Then turn on your webcam. You've got an application video to make.

McCain plan would mandate a la carte pay TV

LOS ANGELES - The maverick wants to cook the TV industry's golden goose.

Provocative 'Simon Killer' taps darkness

"Simon Killer" is an amoral tale, and a cautionary one, that reminded me my mama was right when she said "Never talk to strangers" and "Looks can be deceiving."

Disney drops trademark bid

The Walt Disney Co. has dropped its bid to trademark "Día de los Muertos" after a public outcry characterizing the company's move as culturally insensitive.

College is a bad financial bet for some, study says

College can be a bad financial investment, and a fair number of people actually should not go to college, according to a new study.

College is a bad financial bet for some, study says

College can be a bad financial investment, and a fair number of people actually should not go to college, according to a new study.

Study: Babies whose parents clean pacifier in own mouths benefit

LOS ANGELES - Forget boiling or antiseptic wipes: The best way to clean a Binky may be by putting it in your own mouth.

Cancer warning for young people proposed for tanning beds, booths

WASHINGTON - The nearly 3 in 10 white girls of high school age who use indoor tanning beds likely will soon come face-to-face with a new and stiffer warning aimed at young people eager to get that sun-kissed glow in a hurry: Don't.

In run-up to election, at least 15 killed in Pakistani rallies

ISLAMABAD - For the second day in a row, a bomb blast killed and maimed participants at a campaign rally being held by one of Pakistan's Islamist religious parties, suggesting a broadening of targets in the violence that has primarily taken aim at secular parties competing in parliamentary e…

Urologists: Most men don't need PSA test

LOS ANGELES-A man with no risk factors for prostate cancer never needs to take a PSA test, according to the American Urological Association.

Around the world

A protester is wrestled away from a demonstration in Moscow, where thousands gathered to demand the release of political prisoners and new elections.

Air Force sex-assault-prevention leader charged with groping woman

The man leading a U.S. Air Force program responsible for preventing sexual assault has been arrested on suspicion of drunkenly groping a woman in an Arlington, Va., parking lot, officials said Monday.

Air Force sexual-assault chief is charged with battery

The man leading a U.S. Air Force program responsible for preventing sexual assault has been arrested on suspicion of drunkenly groping a woman in an Arlington, Va., parking lot, officials said Monday.

High-tech proctors try to root out cheating on online classes' tests

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High-tech proctors try to root out cheating on online tests

LOS ANGELES - While Jennifer Clay was at home taking an online exam for her business law class, a proctor a few hundred miles away was watching her every move.

Stakes highest in decades in today's Malaysian election

NEW DELHI - Malaysia faces its most significant election in decades today, as voters choose between the longtime ruling coalition touting its steady hand, and an untested opposition alliance promising economic and political reforms.

A bit of history, 'Keep calm and carry on' now fuels feud

Stuart Manley stumbled upon a slightly faded red poster tucked at the bottom of a box of books he had bought at auction. He sold copies secretly because his wife objected.

A bit of history, 'Keep calm and carry on' now fuels copyright fight

ALNWICK, England - Has a piece of advice ever seemed so apt, or so frightfully ironic?

Chinese authorities crack down on rat meat

BEIJING - Feasting on strips of mutton dropped in a simmering pot is a popular dining pastime in China. But what if the meat served is actually rat?

Hypersonic plane reaches Mach 5.1 - 3,000+ mph

LOS ANGELES - An aircraft resembling a shark-nosed missile detached from a flying B-52 bomber and then shot above the Pacific Ocean at more than 3,000 mph in a historic test flight for the Air Force - and for the future of aviation.

S. Calif. fire spreads; up to 15 homes damaged

Firefighters respond as the Springs fire in the hills above Hidden Valley in the Thousand Oaks, Calif., area grows closer to homes.

Probes: Iraq employed excessive force in raid

BAGHDAD - Iraqi security used disproportionate force, including shooting unarmed civilians, during a raid on a camp of Sunni Arab protesters last week that left 45 people dead, according to two government investigations and foreign diplomats.

Keeling graph update: Levels of greenhouse gases rising fast

LOS ANGELES - The ratio of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere is flirting with 400 parts per million, a level last seen about 2.5 million to 5 million years ago, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego.

‘Ellen,’ ‘The Young and the Restless’ lead Daytime Emmy nominations

NEW YORK — The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Wednesday announced nominations for the 40th Daytime Emmy Awards, and although the list was dominated by longtime favorites “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Sesame Street,” a few newcomers, including the syndicated “Katie,” also made…

Willem-Alexander succeeds Beatrix as Dutch monarch

LONDON - With an exchange of smiles and the flourish of a pen, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated the throne and her son Willem-Alexander took her place Tuesday to become the country's first king in more than a century.