Washington, January 16 : Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden say that the prime reason behind the bewildering diversity in coat colour among domestic animals like pigs and dogs, as compared to their wild counterparts, appears to be the act of cherry-picking and actively selecting for rare mutations by humans.

The researchers say that the process, through which humans have actively changed the coat colour of domestic animals, has been going on for thousands of years.

Washington, Jan 16 : A new study has suggested that the moon, in its ancient past, had an Earth-like core, which may explain its mysterious magnetic field.

Magnetic moon rocks picked up on the Apollo missions in the late 1960s and early 1970s surprised scientists, who thought no such field existed on the moon.

Since then, two competing theories have emerged for the moon's magnetism: shockwaves locking in magnetic fields generated by meteors slamming into the heavily cratered surface, or the movement of heat inside a molten metallic core.

Washington, Jan. 16 : About 53 percent of Americans think incoming US President Barack Obama is currently meeting expectations, while another 14 percent say he is exceeding them.

However, a Fox News poll also finds that 50 percent of Americans think expectations for Obama''s presidency are unrealistically high and he won''t be able to meet them in the long run.

A large 43 percent minority thinks the expectations are realistic and he will live up to them.

Washington, Jan. 16 : A majority of Americans think outgoing President George W. Bush is a good person, but according to a Fox News poll, more than twice as many think history will not be kind to Bush.

According to the poll, 34 percent of Americans say they approve of the job he is doing and 58 percent disapprove - his highest positive rating since December of 2007.

Washington, Jan. 16: Outgoing US President George W. Bush on Thursday claimed in his farewell address that the decisions that he had taken during his eight years in office, had kept the country safe from another terrorist attack.

Stating that he was leaving office with a sense of gratitude, Bush urged the incoming Obama administration not to let down its guard.

New York, Jan. 16: A US Airways jet crashed Thursday in the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey after a flock of birds apparently struck its engines.

However, all 155 people on board have survived, and the pilot is being hailed as a hero.

The Airbus 320 went down near 48th Street in Manhattan shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport.

"We''ve had a ''Miracle on 34th Street'' and now we have a miracle on the Hudson," said New York Governor David Paterson in a statement.