A study funded in part by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute assesses the germs that lurk in public restrooms. Researchers found 19 different types of bacteria in bathrooms on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder.

Heritage turkey breeds would be extinct if people didn't raise them. And farmers won't raise them if people don't eat them. Breeds like the Narragansett that were close to extinction a decade ago are making a comeback as people choose to go with the darker, gamier meat.

Technology exists for gas cars to get 55 miles per gallon — the fuel economy goal set by the Obama administration for the year 2025. But all the extra comforts consumers are used to — including automatic transmissions and power windows — can drive fuel economy down by half.

Fewer than 3,200 tigers exist in the wild. Photographer Steve Winter traveled to Asia to document their perilous situation.

Bush meat has been a critical part of the Malagasy diet, warding off anemia and malnutrition. The challenge: Balancing the needs of local people in cases where tasty wildlife is also critically endangered.

Some auto executives say customers may not be ready for hybrids yet, but now it's time for the car companies to lead them there. For companies to meet new rules that will nearly double average fuel economy by 2025, hybrids will have to play a much bigger role than they do now.

Easy-to-chew foods like rice and corn may have influenced the evolution of the human jawbone. New research says it may also help account for the fact that children in the United States often need to have braces because their mouths can't accommodate their teeth.

Robert Siegel test drives the Leaf, Nissan's electric plug-in vehicle, with Carlos Ghosn, chief executive officer of Nissan and Renault.

Oil prices briefly rose above $100 a barrel last week on news of a pipeline deal that would cut a glut of U.S. inventories. There are plans to reverse the flow of the Seaway pipeline. Prices have dipped since then, but not enough to soften historic highs for diesel or home heating oil.