By DANIEL YEE / Associated Press Writer ATLANTA (AP) — In a project resembling something out of the X Files, federal health officials say the causes of a quarter of the deaths that have stumped coroners in recent years appear to be from ordinary, treatable conditions. The “Unexplained Deaths Project” is a collection of data…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ants may be social insects, but when it comes to reproduction, the queen makes sure she’s the only mother. After all, if the worker ants took time out to lay eggs, the productivity of the colony might suffer. But how does the queen exercise that authority? A team of European researchers wondered…

By DAVID B. CARUSO / Associated Press Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Anti-bacterial soaps do not deliver the type of protection from common health ailments that consumers expect, according to a study. Researchers at Columbia University gave anti-bacterial cleaning products to 120 New York City families, monitored them for almost a year, and found they experienced…

By CONNIE FARROW / Associated Press Writer Obese Americans who take drastic, expensive action to lose weight under a doctor’s orders will at least be able to lighten their tax load. The Internal Revenue Service allows taxpayers who are forced to spend thousands of dollars because of obesity to deduct expenses for stomach-stapling surgery, approved…

By PAUL NOWELL / AP Business Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Well into what paleontologists of the future might call the Fast Food Drive-Thru Epoch, the most complete body survey conducted in 50 years shows Americans have super-sized, particularly in the waist and hips. TC2, a company based in the Raleigh suburb of Cary, used…

By RENEE C. LEE / Associated Press Writer DALLAS (AP) — Hotheaded men who explode with anger seem to be at greater risk of having a stroke or dying, new research shows. Their risk is even greater than men who are simply stressed-out Type A personalities. Angry women, on the other hand, don’t run as…

By BEN FELLER / AP Education Writer Loraine Carter speaks during a community meeting in Ardmore, Pa., Saturday, Feb. 14. When Carter wanted to see how black students were doing in her district, she had more than a parent’s interest in that information. She had a right to it. (AP Photo) WASHINGTON (AP) — As…

DECATUR (AP) — Meigs County prisoners dig graves for free, but Sheriff Walter Hickman warns the only such no-cost service in Tennessee is endangered if the county won’t help him cover the overtime costs of guarding the diggers. The sheriff said more out-of-county residents are asking to have graves dug for free. Officers’ work schedules…

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Area farmers hope the growing use of ethanol will spread in the Southeast and become a boon for the operation they have started in this western Kentucky town. If it does spread, farmers say the Commonwealth Agri-Energy plant could help reduce air pollution and lessen dependence on foreign oil. But there…

MILLINGTON (AP) — A day after seven teenagers were killed in a joyride that went awry, Millington Middle School students tried to cope with the sudden loss of their friends and classmates. The families of the teens also were left trying to deal the tragedy. Killed in a one-car crash early Sunday was Michael Fradella,…