Japanese stem cell researcher wins Balzan prize (AP)

AP - A Japanese researcher who found a way to give adults cells certain characteristics of embryonic stem cells, a process scientists say could eventually lead to cures for spinal cord injuries and other ailments, has been awarded the Balzan Prize for biology.

Clams befouling Tahoe invade Adirondack lake in NY (AP)

AP - A thumbnail-sized clam blamed for clouding the azure bays of Lake Tahoe high in the Sierra Nevada has now turned up in a mountain-ringed Adirondack lake renowned for its limpid, spring-fed waters.

Earl's path along northeast is not well-worn (AP)

AP - Pushed by an ill-timed trough of low pressure, Hurricane Earl is heading uncomfortably close to an area relatively few hurricanes tend to go: the Northeast coastline.

Money Buys Happiness Only Up to a Point (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - Money might give you a sense of overall satisfaction with life, but the extra dough won't ensure days full of laughter and joy, a new survey analysis of income and happiness suggests.

US won't say if blowout preventer on way to shore (AP)

AP - The Justice Department won't say if the blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from gushing from BP's undersea well into the Gulf of Mexico is on its way to shore.

Focus of Gulf oil disaster shifts to finding the culprit (AFP)

AFP - With a key piece of evidence raised from the depths of the Gulf of Mexico and BP's Macondo well ruled a threat no longer, the focus shifts to what went wrong and who is to blame.

As a Hurricane, Earl Looked Like 'Magnificent Chaos' From Space (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - The former Hurricane Earl put on a striking weather display for astronauts on the International Space Station, impressing the crew with its strength even as it weakened to a tropical storm.