The idea of a shorter work week is not a new one to anyone old enough to have lived through the energy shocks of the 1970’s. It should be fairly obvious to anyone interested in conserving oil that reducing the number of daily commutes per week would reduce the overall demand for oil.

The Canadian dollar reached parity with the U.S. currency for the first time in 31 years on Thursday, according to Reuters data, supported by lofty commodity prices, a strong domestic economy and concerns about a U.S. economic slowdown.

It is a bit dark and there are no lights on. There is a strange quiet feel to the flat, perhaps due to the lack of any appliances - no fridge humming, no TV interference, even no air conditioning, though it is hot and humid outside.

Thomas W. Valente of the Keck School of Medicine found that a storyline on NBC-TV drama "ER" that dealt with teen obesity, hypertension and healthy eating habits had a positive impact on the attitudes and behaviors of viewers — particularly among men.

It was a serious contribution to the electronic lexicon. Twenty-five years ago, Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman says, he was the first to use three keystrokes — a colon followed by a hyphen and a parenthesis — as a horizontal "smiley face" in a computer message.

Chewing gum is pretty much synonymous with all things sticky, tacky and gummy. But now scientists have developed a nonstick version that removes easily from pavement, hair, shoes and clothes.

Up to 132 million doses of influenza vaccine, a record, should be available in the United States for the flu season, health officials said on Wednesday as they encouraged Americans to get their shots.

Stem cells that normally make sperm can be taught to make other tissues as well, perhaps offering men a medical repair kit, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

A conservative German politician on Wednesday proposed making marriage contracts expire after seven years, with the option to renew for those not feeling the proverbial itch.

For the first time in more than a century, beer and wine by the glass will go on sale in a small, conservative city in Michigan, with the granting of a liquor license to a pizzeria.

Despite all the money, the glossy adverts and the brand marketing, Scotland’s international image is personified by the execrable Groundskeeper Willie from The Simpsons cartoon series.