AIR POLLUTION LINKED TO BLOOD CLOTS, ITALIAN STUDY FINDS (ANSA) - Rome, May 13 - Long-term exposure to air pollution could be partly to blame for deep-vein thrombosis, according to a new Italian study. The research, led by Dr Andrea Baccarelli, suggests that air laden with tiny particles of pollution produced by vehicle exhaust and industry... > Full news story

VATICAN: 'GOD MADE ALIENS TOO' (ANSA) - Vatican City, May 13 - God made not only Man but also any other intelligent life in the Universe, the Vatican's top astronomer said Tuesday. ''Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on Earth there could be other beings, intelligent ones, created by God,'' Father Jose' Gab... > Full news story

WORLD'S SMALLEST HELICOPTER HONOURS LEONARDO (ANSA) - Tokyo, May 13 - A Japanese inventor is to honour his idol Leonardo da Vinci by flying the world's smallest helicopter at the Renaissance genius's birthplace later this month. ''I want to show the Italian public a flight worthy of Leonardo, the inventor of the first helicopter ... > Full news story

ITALIANS DEVELOP POTENTIAL CANCER VACCINE (ANSA) - Rome, May 13 - A team of Italian scientists have created a vaccine that could prevent the development of a fairly rare form of cancer, anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). The team, headed by Turin-based professors Giorgio Inghirami and Roberto Chiarle, has developed a DNA v... > Full news story

MARSICAN BEAR FOUND DEAD IN ABRUZZO (ANSA) - Pescasseroli, May 9 - A female specimen of central Italy's endangered bear population has been found dead in the country's biggest national park, forest services said Friday. Investigators are working to establish the precise cause of death, but Abruzzo National Park chiefs sa... > Full news story

ITALIAN MICE HEAD FOR INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ANSA) - Genoa, May 7 - Italian researchers are planning to send mice into space as part of an experiment to pave the way for the first manned trip to Mars, the University of Genoa said Wednesday. Scientists from the university's Regenerative Medicine Laboratory and the Italian Space A... > Full news story

ITALIAN BEACHES GET MORE BLUE FLAGS (ANSA) - Rome, May 7 - The number of Italian beaches to be awarded a prestigious 'blue flag' for clean water and pristine sands has risen once again this year, the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE) said Wednesday. Italy now has 104 environmentally top-notch swimming beaches, ... > Full news story

ETRUSCAN TOMBS FOUND (ANSA) - Tarquinia, May 6 - Italian archaeologists have found more than two dozen new tombs at the famed Etruscan burial grounds at Tarquinia north of Rome. ''This is the most exciting discovery here in decades,'' said the archeological superintendent for southern Etruria, Maria Tecla ... > Full news story