"For 14 years, since they first reported that a disturbing proportion of deaths among rescued California sea lions were caused by metastatic cancer, researchers have been trying to pinpoint the source of the illness."

"Sylvatic plague -- a close cousin of the dreaded disease that killed one-third of all European residents in the six years between 1347 and 1353 -- persists in rodents in the American West even when the disease does not erupt into epidemic form, new research demonstrates."

The so-far unfounded fears of a few that President Obama will restrict gun sales are boosting sales as gun enthusiasts stockpile. One result: a boost in state funds for fish and wildlife restoration. Under the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937, a federal tax on guns and ammo is set aside for this purpose.