science and technology

The greenhouse gases rising from decomposing garbage in a landfill on a North Carolina mountaintop may help heat a new greenhouse for college students studying horticulture -- and reduce global warming.

Boonie wasn't quite sure how to react. At first, he just looked at the plastic contraption attached to his leg. And when he wanted to walk away he limped off on three legs. After all, it takes a while to adjust to a new prosthetic -- especially if you're a goat.

Crysis WarheadPlatform: PCGenre: ShooterPublisher: EA GamesESRB Rating: M for MatureGrade: 4.5 stars

With today's economy going into the dumper it seems clear that fewer computers will be moving off the shelves this fall and winter season.That will mean more computer upgrades as users try to get more performance out of aging machines. So let's discuss the upgrades that make the most sense and when to upgrade and when to go for a new machine.

The tens of millions of people who use Web-based e-mail clients probably sweated some bullets last week when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's Yahoo e-mail account was compromised and its contents leaked onto the Web.If they didn't, they should have.

Yahoo has started testing a new design for its home page on randomly selected users as part of a company-wide strategy to emphasize third-party content on its sites.

I miss Ben Bradlee.Not just Ben Bradlee, but everyone like him. Bradlee, in case you don't know, was the crusty executive editor of the Washington Post from 1968 to 1991 and one of the main reasons I became a journalist years ago. Basically nothing of note was printed in The Post unless Bradlee took a look at it first.

NASA officials this week gave the Phoenix Mars lander another two months to live, buying scientists even more time to conduct the final experiments on the red planet's arctic surface.The lander touched down in late May, with officials originally planning for the mission to last 90 days. But they also said Phoenix had the potential to keep working well into the fall.

It has been a few weeks since I tried to answer a few questions and they are piling up. Let's get right to the pile.Q. I have been watching flat-panel monitor pricing dropping and I am ready to buy one and I am not sure if my computer has enough power to make a larger display work. Do I need a special PC to make a 22-inch monitor work?

About 7 1/2 billion years ago, long before our solar system was born, a massive star exploded and collapsed in on itself.