The Howard Hughes Medical Institute announced Tuesday the selection of the top 56 U.S. biomedical scientists whose medical researches would be funded by the institute.

Over $600 million has been set aside by the institute for the new batch of HHMI investigators. The batch is made up of 42 men and 14 women from 31 institutions across the U.S. The 56 have medical careers spanning the globe, including works in China, Israel, Argentina, Belgium and the Netherlands

On a vote of 336 to 176, British MPs approved on Monday a bill that would permit radical stem cell research involving the creation of hybrid human-animal embryos.

MPs opposing the bill warned that the U.K. runs the risk of becoming a rogue state. Those in favor of it argued that stem cell research has a big potential to help save millions of lives and eradicate certain diseases completely

A possible vaccine against meningitis B has shown "encouraging" results when tested on 150 babies in Britain in the preliminary trial. Pharmaceutical giant Novartis had successfully concluded phase II trials and had moved on to large-scale trials that will show whether the vaccine is protective in everyday life.

In the phase II trials, the babies were injected with the new vaccine at two, four and six months of age, with a booster at 12 months. Blood samples taken a month after the third dose and again a month after the booster showed the children had developed good immune responses against certain strains of meningitis B bacteria

Add kidney stones to the list of thing global warming will affect, according to researchers.

Scientists announced Thursday that studies have revealed rising global temperatures may increase the incidences of kidney stones because global warming will probably increase incidences of dehydration, and dehydration has been linked to stone disease, particularly in warmer climates

Nordic countries dominate the top while countries in sub-Saharan Africa dominate the bottom levels of the best and worst places to be a mother and a child.

The Mother's Index of US-based global humanitarian organization Save the Children highlighted in the organization's State of the World's Mothers 2008 report compares the well-being of mothers and children in 146 countries