From the Lab

A new study concludes that sounds unrelated to a listener’s immediate task – otherwise known as “distractions” – can hurt cognitive performance. The Louisiana State University research appears to provide yet more evidence that multitasking – engaging in multiple activities simultaneously – diminishes a person’s focus and productivity.

With at least 17 billion planets about the size of Earth in the Milky Way, how can it be possible that there's no life elsewhere?

Investment site Motley Fool says an "irate" Steve Jobs's willingness to destroy Google over Android somehow could "make a few in-the-know investors some major profits." Of course, it's all nonsense.

No one knows how the federal government's space agency would have fared under a President Romney -- though it's not hard to imagine a smaller budget and more privatized space exploration and research efforts.