SYDNEY, Australia – Taking a big hop forward in marsupial research, scientists say they have unraveled the DNA of a small kangaroo named Matilda. And they’ve found the Aussie icon has more in common with humans than scientists had thought. The kangaroo last shared a common ancestor with humans 150 …

CINCINNATI – Three children were killed when a fire swept through their house early Monday, fire officials said. Fire Capt. Mike Washington said firefighters arrived on the scene in Cincinnati’s Lower Price Hill neighborhood shortly after 2:30 a.m. and found flames and smoke billowing from both floors of the single-family …

A surprising solar flare sent a stream of pure hydrogen at Earth. “We’ve detected a stream of perfectly intact hydrogen atoms shooting out of an X-class solar flare,” said researcher Richard Mewaldt of Caltech. “If we can understand how these atoms were produced, we’ll be that much closer to understanding …

RICHMOND, Va. – Child pornography is illegal even if the pictures are drawn, a federal appeals panel said in affirming the nation’s first conviction under a 2003 federal law against such cartoons. Dwight Whorley of Richmond is serving 20 years in prison, convicted in 2005 of using a public computer …

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives maybe have voted Wednesday to approve its August adjournment, but now, they have to do it again — and that could be a problem for House Democrats. Republicans threatened to hold the House in session over the August break since Democrats never allowed them …

A part-time south Alabama evangelist pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a murder charge in the death of his wife, a mother of eight whose body had been stored in a freezer at least three years. Through his attorney, Anthony Hopkins, 37, also pleaded not guilty to separate charges of sexual …

Jennifer Garner and husband Ben Affleck are expecting another baby, Garner’s former “Alias” co-star Victor Garber told Usmagazine.com “Yes, she is,” Garber, who currently stars on ABC’s “Eli Stone,” told Us when asked if recent speculation was true that the couple is expecting (Garber officiated the couple’s 2005 wedding). A …

SHANGHAI, China – China’s largest city and the host of a dozen Olympic football matches started tightening security over the weekend at airports and train stations, according to reports in state-run media Monday. Surveillance systems also are being installed on Shanghai’s subway trains, a report said. The measures go along …

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. – The Huntington Town Council is getting serious about Silly String. The issue: a claim that the plastic goo mars the finish on fire trucks during parades. Town spokeswoman Fran Evans said a public hearing will be scheduled to air a proposal to ban Silly String and similar …

NEW YORK – Police and school officials are investigating a mother’s allegations that her 5-year-old son was handcuffed and taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation after throwing a temper tantrum in his Queens kindergarten. Jasmina Vasquez tells the Daily News her son, Dennis Rivera, was “scared to death” …