Nearly unrivaled in their biological diversity, coral reefs provide a host of benefits that includes the supply of protein for people, protecting shorelines, and they contain biochemical sources for new life-saving medicines.

Despite a growing population, in 1998 the United States used 38 billion fewer gallons of water a day when comparing it to the period of all-time highest consumption almost 20 years earlier.

The interior minister explained that one of the village planning proposal's best characteristics was their not detracting from the project's overall benefit by being a burden on the development budget.

Using digital enhancements of skull fragments from five prehistoric hominids dating to more than 350,000 years ago, anthropologists argue that these human ancestors probably had hearing similar to that of people today.

Created in 1945 to reduce poverty and stabilize foreign currency markets, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have, according to some critics, continually struggled to meet the expectations of their major shareholders—a group comprising many of the world's rich nations—but neglected their intended beneficiaries in the developing world.

In preparation for the prediction of a major earthquake that will hit the state, a satellite-based computer network is being built by the California Office of Emergency Services for identifying earthquake damage and to pinpoint the most affected areas within two hours of the event.

Until 1868 and Disraeli, Great Britain had no prime ministers not coming from a landed family.

Less than 400 Sumatran rhinos survive on the Malay peninsula and on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, and they occupy a small fraction of the species' former range.

Many kitchens today are equipped with high-speed electrical gadgets, such as blenders and food processors, which are able to inflict as serious injuries as those caused by an industrial wood-planing machine.

According to research covering the last decade, the average number of rooms added by high-end hotel chains was lower than what the hotel industry average did for this period, but their occupancy and room rates grew faster than the average hotel.