Science News Archive - August 18, 2006

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has denied covering up casualties from natural disasters as the official death toll from the strongest typhoon to strike the country in half a century rose to 330, a number residents says is greatly understated.

CANBERRA (Reuters) - When is a fish not a fish? When it is a giant killer reptile with four legs and sharp teeth. Politicians in Australia have been pondering the meaning of "fish" and have passed new laws making it clear crocodiles should be fish too.

The earth's ozone layer is finally on the mend after decades of damage, two UN agencies reported on Friday.

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The U.S. space agency NASA on Friday decided to go ahead with a risky and unprecedented launch pad repair on the space shuttle Atlantis to replace bolts that might come loose during liftoff.

The shallow waters from Key Largo north to Arsenicker Keys have been clouded by a blue-green algae bloom spreading across 175 square miles of Florida and Biscayne bays since autumn.