Surgeons perform second pig heart transplant, trying to save a dying man

WASHINGTON (AP) — Surgeons have transplanted a pig’s heart into a dying man in a bid to prolong his life – only the second patient to ever undergo such an experimental feat. Two days later, the man was cracking jokes and able to sit in a chair, Maryland doctors said Friday. The...

Maryland surgeons for the second time have transplanted a pig’s heart into a dying man

The fall equinox is here. What does that mean?

NEW YORK (AP) — Fall is in the air — officially. The equinox arrives on Saturday, marking the start of the fall season for the Northern Hemisphere. But what does that actually mean? Here's what to know about how we split up the year using the Earth's orbit. ...

Gases from Philippine volcano sicken dozens of children, prompting school closures in nearby towns

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Smog containing gases from a restive Philippine volcano sickened dozens of students and prompted 25 towns and cities to shut their schools on Friday as a health precaution, officials said. There was no imminent threat of a major eruption of Taal Volcano,...

Ancient 'power' palazzo on Rome's Palatine Hill reopens to tourists, decades after closure

ROME (AP) — An ancient Roman imperial palazzo atop the city's Palatine Hill was reopened to tourists on Thursday, nearly 50 years after its closure for restoration. The nearly 2,000-year-old Domus Tiberiana was home to rulers in the ancient city’s Imperial period. The sprawling...

Sufjan Stevens is relearning to walk after Guillain-Barre Syndrome left him immobile, hospitalized

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Grammy- and Oscar-nominated indie musician Sufjan Stevens is relearning how to walk after the autoimmune disease Guillain-Barre Syndrome left him immobile, representatives confirmed to The Associated Press. On Wednesday, Steven shared the news on his Tumblr...

NASA spacecraft delivering biggest sample yet from an asteroid

Planet Earth is about to receive a special delivery — the biggest sample yet from an asteroid. A NASA spacecraft will fly by Earth on Sunday and drop off what is expected to be at least a cupful of rubble it grabbed from the asteroid Bennu, closing out a seven-year quest. ...

This simple log structure may be the oldest example of early humans building with wood

NEW YORK (AP) — Researchers have uncovered a simple structure from the Stone Age that may be the oldest evidence yet of early humans building with wood. The construction is basic: a pair of overlapping logs, fitted together with a notch. It's nearly half a million years old and...

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake rattles part of Italy northeast of Florence, but no damage reported so far

ROME (AP) — A 4.8-magnitude earthquake rattled parts of Tuscany early Monday, geologists and firefighters said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake's epicenter was near Marradi, northeast of Florence, and it struck at 5:10 a.m., after some smaller...

Sioux Falls pauses plan to ditch arsenic-contaminated taxidermy display at state's largest zoo

The Sioux Falls mayor announced a "strategic pause" Friday in the city's plans to ditch an arsenic-contaminated menagerie of more than 150 taxidermy animals that fill a now-closed natural history museum at the state's largest zoo. Mayor Paul TenHaken said in a news release that he...