The "crime scene cookies", "baaji custard" and "sponge shafts" depicted in Oliver Beale's letter of complaint to Virgin Atlantic struck a chord worldwide. The missive he sent to Virgin chairman Sir Richard Branson about a meal he received on board a Virgin flight from Mumbai to London in December spread across the web and email with a vengeance.

Scientists expect some great travel spots to be altered or ruined by global climate change. Some of the changes are already taking place. Others are expected to be seen in coming decades. There are two ways to look at this: Either stay home (which might be less depressing and won't add more airline emissions) or get a move on it

British naturalist Charles Darwin shocked Victorian society when he suggested that humans evolved from animals over millions of years, and his theories still spark controversy. February 12 marks the scientist's 200th birthday and 2009 is the 150th year since he published the pivotal "On the Origin of Species." Expedition organizers

A baby ape born in the UK is settling into a new life in a German zoo after flying from Birmingham to Frankfurt -- monkey business class. The three-month old male bonobo -- who is to be fostered by a family of German apes after being rejected by his natural mother -- was considered too young and too fragile to travel cargo class, a

The title on Chris Doyle's business card reads "mad scientist," but he's not crazy, he's just crazy about snowboarding. Doyle decided one snowy day in New York to quit his job as a bank accountant and chase his dreams on the snowy slopes of Vermont. Eventually, that spur-of-the-moment decision led to his job as senior product development specialist

Actor and producer Anil Kapoor has long been a Bollywood luminary, but after his award-winning performance in global hit "Slumdog Millionaire," he is set to become an international star. Kapoor says that "Slumdog," a love story about a boy from a Mumbai slum who wins a fortune on quiz show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?,"

British naturalist Charles Darwin shocked Victorian society when he suggested that humans evolved from animals over millions of years, and his theories still spark controversy. February 12 marks the scientist's 200th birthday and 2009 is the 150th year since he published the pivotal "On the Origin of Species." Expedition organizers

Wary of blowing your travel budget on another characterless hotel room? Hoping for a trip with a certain 'je ne sais quoi'? Check out these weird and wonderful hotels to ensure a touch of travel sparkle, even when the purse strings have been tightened. A must for aviation enthusiasts, the Jumbo hostel is the first aircraft in the

Ice cover on the Great Lakes has declined more than 30 percent since the 1970s, leaving the world's largest system of freshwater lakes open to evaporation and lower water levels, according to scientists associated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They're concerned about how the milder winter freeze may

— April 15, 1912: White Star oceanliner sinks 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland after striking iceberg on maiden voyage. More than 1,500 passengers and crew die. — 1916: Oceanic Steam Navigation Co., Titanic's owner, pays $664,000 to settle all legal claims. — Sept. 1, 1985: Titanic wreck discovered by joint expedition, including Robert

A fossil from famous shale deposits in Canada was thought to be unremarkable, but a new study finds that it's actually the remains of a 500-million-year-old monster-looking predator. The Burgess Shale (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia) has yielded exceptionally well-preserved fossils that present a

The astronauts aboard the linked shuttle-station complex took a congratulatory call from the White House on Tuesday and told President Barack Obama and schoolchildren all about their adventures in space. Obama got a big laugh in orbit and on the ground when he told the 10 space travelers that at a cruising speed of 17,500 mph, "We're glad that you are using the hands-free phone."

New tremors at Alaska's Mount Redoubt are prompting speculation that the volcano could be in a phase that will lead to more instability. The 10,200-foot volcano erupted six times Sunday and Monday, spewing clouds of gritty ash high into the sky. A volcanologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said Tuesday that Redoubt was

The astronauts aboard the linked shuttle-station complex took a congratulatory call from the White House on Tuesday and told President Barack Obama and schoolchildren all about their adventures in space. Obama got a big laugh in orbit and on the ground when he told the 10 space travelers that at a cruising speed of 17,500 mph, "We're glad that you are using the hands-free phone."

New tremors at Alaska's Mount Redoubt are prompting speculation that the volcano could be in a phase that will lead to more instability. The 10,200-foot volcano erupted six times Sunday and Monday, spewing clouds of gritty ash high into the sky. A volcanologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said Tuesday that Redoubt was

Astronaut Garrett Reisman spent three unforgettable months living in space, but after landing he ended up on a different mission of sorts aboard the fictional spaceship Battlestar Galactica. Just weeks after his return from the International Space Station to Earth last summer, Reisman found himself on the set of Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica

Parents wanting to instill good eating habits in their children, particularly teenagers, should make sure they eat meals together. In one of the first long-term studies to look at the benefits of family meals, researchers at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota found that family meals have a big impact on

Sotheby's will offer a sculpture of a cat by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti at auction in New York in May and expects it to fetch $16-22 million. The 1951 bronze sculpture "Le Chat" has been in a private European collection since the 1960s, and the last time a cast of it appeared at auction in May 1975, it sold for $130,000, Sotheby's said on Friday.

Meet the latest targeted consumers of tattoo art: the pacifier set. Four artists from the Love Hate Tattoo studio who came to fame through TLC's Miami Ink reality series have launched Ruthless & Toothless, a fashion line for tots. The Love Hate guys have put fire-breathing dragons and peevish samurais on pint-size

OK, so: kissing. Here's what we know. It has major evolutionary advantage. Only the hottest and highest species do it. Yet among current humans, the future of kissing seems an open question. In our liberated era, have we become so quick to get past the kiss and further into lovemaking that we have devalued the icons, wisdoms and traditions of the ancestors?

Malaysia may require women to obtain family consent before allowing them to travel alone outside the mainly Muslim country, state news agency Bernama reported on Saturday, quoting the foreign minister. he foreign and home ministries are considering the idea in response to a string of cases where women traveling alone were used by

Parents play a key role in shaping young eating habits and attitudes about food, nutritionists say. But, too often, they're sending mixed signals. There's the mom who demands that her kids eat breakfast, then skips the meal herself. There's the dad who bans chips and candy, elevating the forbidden food to tempting levels. And there are

Federal judges on Monday tentatively ordered California to release tens of thousands of inmates, up to a third of all prisoners, in the next three years to stop dangerous overcrowding. As many as 57,000 could be let go if the current population were cut by the maximum percentage considered by a three-judge panel. Judges said the move

British supermodel Naomi Campbell walked down the ramp in Mumbai on Saturday to pay tribute to the victims of last November's Mumbai attacks. Along with a host of Indian celebrities, the 39-year-old Campbell helped raise funds for the city's emergency medical services in a charity show called "Mai Mumbai." Campbell heads a charity called "Fashion