Scientists have enlisted the public's help in the photo identification of whale sharks, the world's largest fish. Divers are encouraged to submit any photos they take of whale sharks to a Web site (whalesharks.org) that tracks the endangered whale sharks around the world. Despite their giant size, whale sharks are harmless to divers and snorkelers. The patterns of spots on their backs are unique to each individual.

New research shows that birds babbling involves its own specialized brain circuitry, separate from that used for adult singing. This finding underscores the importance of the exploratory behaviors -- such as infant stepping, hand motions, vocalizations and play -- that help young animals learn how to use their bodies and make sense of the world.

Phoenix Mars Lander on course for May 25 touchdown.

Researchers are compiling information on the status of Africa's natural resources using satellite data.

Between 1993 and 1997 there were 1,340 confirmed incidents of illicit trafficking in nuclear material around the world. Much of this material can be traced to the former Soviet Union.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, also known as ALMA, is one of the world's largest ground-based astronomy projects and a major new facility for world astronomy. Built in the Atacama desert in Chile, the project will include 80 high-precision telescopes. The ALMA project is an international collaboration between Europe, Japan and North America in cooperation with the Republic of Chile.

Gamma-ray bursts are short-lived events, lasting between a few milliseconds to a few minutes. The brightest of them emit more energy in a few seconds than our Sun will emit in its whole 10 billion-year lifetime. Gamma ray bursts occur several times daily somewhere in the universe. These fleeting explosions are precursors to the births of black holes.

Gamma-ray bursts are detected by orbiting satellites about two to three times per week. Since its launch in 2004, the Swift satellite has discovered over 292 gamma-ray bursts, and pin-pointed a further 320 bursts detected by other satellites. Swift's rapid response - it was named after the bird, which catches its prey "on the fly" - has been critical to understanding these titanic events.

Sniffing out the identities of mice

New research shows how mammals use their sense of smell to detect complex signals in urine that convey information about gender, strain, and the social and reproductive status of individual animals. In mice, an organ in the nose called the vomeronasal organ detects chemicals that trigger behavioral responses and transmits the corresponding signals to the brain.

Bycatch refers to species caught in a fishery which intended to target another species. According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, in the Gulf of Thailand, 14 pounds of bycatch are caught for every pound of shrimp harvested. Bycatch is often discarded dead or dying by the time it is returned to the sea.