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NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has a new orbit around the Red Planet. The change, part of a two-year extension for the mission, will give an ASU-operated instrument greater sensitivity for mapping Martian minerals. --by Robert Burnham

Thousands of Americans die from preventable medical errors each year, with the number of deaths equivalent to a jumbo jet crash once a day. But in spite of the safety benefits, many hospitals are slow to embrace potentially life-saving information technology systems. --by Debbie Freeman

Miles below the surface of the planet, Earth is astir with life--microbial life. A team of ASU researchers is working to understand how these organisms get energy. Their work may have applications ranging from finding petroleum resources to cleaning up the environment. --by Nikki Staab

One in four mammal species on Earth is being pushed to extinction, according to a new assessment from more than 1,800 scientists. ASU's Andrew Smith suggests some actions that could help immediately. --by Skip Derra

Antimicrobial soap and biocides of many types were created to keep us safe. But are these substances more dangerous than the germs they were designed to protect us from? --by Adelheid Fischer

Nobody likes having the rug pulled out from under them. But it can be a good experience for a scientist. Setbacks lead to new questions, which ultimately produce new answers. --by Nicholas Gerbis

A kilometer-deep sample of rock from Australia tells scientists about the atmosphere billions of years ago. But how do they know how old the rock really is? --by Diane Boudreau