Americans are worrying about all the wrong things, thanks to media overhype.

Anthony Atala makes bladders. Not the plastic-model kind but actual living, human organs. Step into his office at Wake Forest University’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM), where the 48-year-old tissue engineer is director, and you’ll find a suite of climate-controlled chambers the size of hotel mini fridges.

It used to be food, clothes and other basic necessities of life. Now computers are popular items being donated to needy families in Appalachia, and a Kentucky project called No Child Left Offline is helping to create interest in high-tech charity.

Lung cancer could be virtually wiped out in Scotland as a result of the smoking ban in public places, according to the chief medical officer.

The National Swimming Center, known as ‘The Water Cube’, will be one of the most dramatic and exciting venues to feature sporting events for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Does money buy happiness? It’s sometimes said that scientists have found no relationship between money and happiness, but that’s a myth, says University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener.

Teachers’ shaky grasp of grammar and punctuation has been exposed in a survey of the nation’s literacy skills.

In some ways, it’s simply part of a kid’s natural journey toward independence. But child development experts say that physical and behavioral changes that would have been typical of teenagers decades ago are now common among "tweens" — kids ages 8 to 12.

A career as a cosmonaut — once the dream job of a lifetime for millions in this country — is increasingly less attractive because it is no longer the ticket to international fame or a fortune. As a result, the pool of qualified candidates for positions in Russia’s cosmonaut corps is shrinking, experts said.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has decided to regulate a large class of consumer items made with microscopic "nanoparticles" of silver, part of a new but increasingly widespread technology that may pose unanticipated environmental risks, a government official said yesterday.

The creator of China’s largest pornographic Web site was jailed for life on Wednesday, state media reported.

Researchers have developed a new kind of plastic that can take on three different shapes by adding heat. The new class of materials could one day play a transformative role in such industries as healthcare and beyond.

Scientists have shown that the genetic make-up of humans can vary hugely – far more than was previously thought. A UK-led team made a detailed analysis of the DNA found in 270 people and identified vast regions to be duplicated or even missing.

A Canadian outhouse has been named "one of the world’s most memorable bathrooms" by USA Today in a Top 10 list that includes 24-karat gold toilets from Hong Kong and an International Space Station toilet that defies gravity.

The Minidoka County School Board in southern Idaho has resolved to more strictly enforce dress code rules after some male teachers said they were reluctant to deal with underdressed students for fear of being accused of sexual harassment.

Toshiba has developed a printer that uses plastic "paper" that can be re-used hundreds of times. The electronics firm said the printer could help companies reduce carbon emissions as it helped to cut the amount of paper they consume.