NASA Says Curiosity Won't Contaminate Mars – 9/11 KQED Science News Roundup

GoDaddy Says No Attack Behind Web OutageNEW YORK (AP) - GoDaddy.com says a Web hosting outage that involved thousands and possibly millions of websites on Monday was due to internal problems, not an attack by hackers. The outage lasted for about four hours and affected mainly small-business sites. GoDaddy.com hosts more than 5 million websites.

NASA Says Curiosity Won't Contaminate Mars | KQEDHOST: NASA says there is no reason to worry that the Mars Curiosity rover may be contaminating the Martian surface with microbes from Earth. The agency wants to dispel concerns raised by a Los Angeles Times story, as KQED's Amy Standen reports.

Experts release list of 100 threatened speciesSEOUL, South Korea (AP) - International conservation groups have unveiled a list of the earth's most threatened 100 animals, plants and fungi and say urgent action is needed to protect them. The groups identified the species Tuesday in a report presented to a global conservation forum on the southern South Korean island of Jeju.

Fracking in California takes less waterIn Pennsylvania, the controversial practice of fracking can consume 4.5 million gallons of water per well, the liquid pumped deep underground to crack rocks that contain natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, has triggered a boom in energy production across the United States and sparked a fierce public debate that revolves around water.

Swine flu strains could mutate and infect humans, study saysNobody knows where the next pandemic flu will come from. Now, scientists have evidence that influenza strains common in commercial pig herds can mutate in a way that would allow them to infect humans and spread easily among them.

SF wants state to conduct new study of Treasure Island cleanupSan Francisco will ask the state to conduct its own investigation of the cleanup of radioactive waste on Treasure Island, after receiving complaints that contractors hired by the U.S. Navy might have mishandled contaminated material. "We would like (state officials) to go out and conduct independent scans," Michael Tymoff, project director for the city's Treasure Island Development Authority, said in an interview.

Valley Fever Cases Soar, Harm Remains HiddenValley fever starts with the simple act of breathing. The fungal spores, lifted from the dry dirt by the wind, pass through your nostrils or down your throat, so tiny they don't even trigger a cough. They lodge in your lungs. If you're fortunate - and most people are - they go no further.