Atlantis crew unpacks, rocks out to "Rocket Man"

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The crew of NASA's final space shuttle mission restocked the International Space Station with tons of supplies on Wednesday after waking to the music of Elton John. In media interviews, Atlantis' crew reflected on the end of the 30-year shuttle program and the series of "lasts" that will end when the spacecraft returns to Earth for a planned landing on July 21.

Climate scientists to use robots in Indian Ocean

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Climate scientists have turned to the United States and Australian navies to deploy robotic measuring devices in the Indian Ocean where pirates have made the area too dangerous for researchers. About a quarter of the Indian Ocean is now off limits to climate scientists trying to complete a network of deep ocean devices that gather data crucial to climate change studies and weather forecasts.

Texas artist's work hurtling through space with Atlantis

HOUSTON (Reuters) - It's a rare person who can say that her artwork is hurtling through space. But Rachel Hobson, a self-proclaimed space geek and crafts blogger, can certainly claim those bragging rights.

Experts grow whole tooth units using mouse stem cells

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Scientists in Japan said on Wednesday they have created teeth -- complete with connective fibers and bones -- by using mouse stem cells and successfully transplanted them into mice, a step they hope will lead to progress in stem cell research. The entire tooth units, which were inserted into lower jaws of mice, attached successfully with jaw bones and the rats were able to chew normally, the researchers wrote in a paper in PLoS One (Public Library of Science).

Billions of bugs wiped out on Dutch roads

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch motorists kill about 133 billion insects a month, splattering bugs on their vehicles and eliminating important members of the food chain, according to a study released this week. Biologists at Wageningen University in the Netherlands enlisted the help of 250 drivers for a "splash teller" study. Each motorist had to wipe his or her car license plate clean then tot up the bug body count at the end of their drive.

Scientists find first superbug strain of gonorrhea

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found a "superbug" strain of gonorrhea in Japan that is resistant to all recommended antibiotics and say it could transform a once easily treatable infection into a global public health threat. The new strain of the sexually transmitted disease -- called H041 -- cannot be killed by any currently recommended treatments for gonorrhea, leaving doctors with no other option than to try medicines so far untested against the disease.

Japan idled reactors could restart after stress test

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's idled nuclear reactors could restart work if they pass the first stage of two-step post-Fukushima safety checks, the government said on Monday. Still, without a timeframe for the tests, concerns remain about summer power shortages that could hurt the economy.

Shuttle's end a blow to Florida's "Space Coast"