The changes do not signify a lessening of the oil giant's commitment to clean up the oil spill, but do signify that some areas don't need a continuing effort, incoming executive Bob Dudley said Friday.

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A new generation of wireless medical sensors mounted on an adhesive strip can call a doctor and transmit key data when they detect a problem. But federal regulators, who want to make sure the technology is safe, have yet to iron out regulations for these devices.

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The Gulf of Mexico has a few ways of cleansing oil from its waters: it hosts legions of microbes adapted to dine on natural oil seepages, and its warm water temperatures favor the evaporation of oil. But scientists say it's still too early to know how long it will take the Gulf to recover.

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How do scientists deal with sloppy or shoddy science? A survey found that researchers were often able to deal with minor misconduct informally. Gerald Koocher, one of the scientists behind the survey and co-author of a handbook for dealing with research misconduct, explains.

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Spiders and silkworms make silk by the yard. Why can’t we copy them? Silk is strong, light and flexible and is being examined for use in everything from medical sutures to advanced electronics. Silk researcher David Kaplan explains the challenges in bioengineering silk.

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Reporting in the journal PLOS Pathogens, researchers write opossums have bits of the Ebola virus mixed into their genetic code and human genomes contain snippets of the Borna virus. Study author Anna Skalka says some of the virus genetic code was inserted 40 million years ago.

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The Open Notes project connects some 25,000 patients with their doctors' medical notes through secure online portals. Participating doctors Tom Delbanco and Sara Fazio of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center discuss the program, and why it has some doctors worried.

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From proposing to a loved one to going on a shopping spree, many of life's decisions are guided by the brain chemical dopamine. Scientists now say dopamine might explain why some people are more impulsive than others when it comes to planning and thinking.

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Many people are uncomfortable with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, so they don't attempt CPR at all. Two big studies show that a streamlined, hands-only CPR method could be just as good. Experts hope the findings will get more bystanders to try CPR -- and, in the end, save more lives.

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The HMS Investigator, left in the ice in 1853, was found in shallow water along the northern coast of Banks Island in Canada's western Arctic. The ship had been sent out in search of the doomed expedition of Sir John Franklin to chart the Northwest Passage.

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Microscopic plants in the ocean are among the most important creatures on Earth and produce half of the planet's oxygen. But they are in trouble. A new study finds that since 1950, the amount of phytoplankton in the ocean's surface waters has declined by 40 percent.

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The Gulf oil spill has caused 10 times the number of beach closures so far this year, compared to all of last year, says a new report. Swimming in polluted water can increase the risk of pinkeye, hepatitis and neurological problems.

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Adults who have been overweight since high school risk a lifetime of disease, discrimination and poverty. A new study of obese 40-year-olds found those who were overweight teens were three times more likely to suffer chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. They were also much more likely to be unemployed or receiving welfare.

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Van Jones, the former White House adviser for green jobs, says he can personally relate to Shirley Sherrod, the former USDA official who was forced to resign last week after her comments about overcoming racial prejudice were taken out of context. Both individuals resigned from the Obama administration amid strong political pressures. Host Michel Martin talks to Jones about the parallels he sees between his highly publicized resignation in 2009 and Sherrod's, and what he's learned since leaving the White House.

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A team of scientists will launch an expedition to the Titanic next month to assess the deteriorating condition of the world's most famous shipwreck and create a detailed three-dimensional map that will "virtually raise the Titanic" for the public.

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A group of nations, including the U.S., wants to invest in nuclear fusion as a source of energy. But adopting the process that fuels our sun to create power on Earth won't be easy -- or cheap. On Tuesday, the group called ITER will decide whether to spend another $17 billion on a lengthy experiment.

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Climate change has researchers looking for what they call "hidden habitats," where they can gather critical data on some of America's most endangered native plants and insects. One good place to look: graveyards.

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California is on track to have the worst outbreak of whooping cough in 50 years.  Gaps in vaccination have allowed the infectious disease to spread.

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US patients spend tens of thousands of dollars travelling to foreign stem cell clinics for treatments that aren't available in the US. But scientists say some of these clinics are scams, selling unproven, worthless treatments to desperate people with incurable diseases.

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The evolving anatomy of the human hand gave humans great dexterity and fine motor skills. With these advances came the ability to make stone tools and primitive knives. Anthropologists are now studying how our ancestors learned to make tools, and how these tools shaped our bodies.

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