LA Times Science Files for 2007/06/27

These are items compiled by staff of the LA Times.

• EGYPTOLOGY
  Unraveling a mummy from inside out
  

  Egyptian archeologists say they have definitively identified the mummy of Hatshepsut, the only woman to rule ancient Egypt while the kingdom was at the height of its wealth and power. By Thomas H. Maugh II, Times Staff Writer.

• WILDFIRES
  Tahoe flames resume march
  

  SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. – In a temporary setback for strained firefighters and a ravaged community, flames leaped a containment line Tuesday afternoon, threatening hundreds of homes only hours after residents had felt that it was safe to return. By Tim Reiterman and Lee Romney, Times Staff Writers.

• MEDICINE
  King hospital gets another reprieve
  

  Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday backed off a threat to begin closing Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital, opting instead to give the beleaguered facility a reprieve as it prepares for a last-chance government inspection next month. By Jack Leonard and Charles Ornstein, Times Staff Writers.

• ENERGY
  Exxon, Conoco drop Venezuela oil projects
  

  BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips have decided to abandon their heavy crude oil projects in eastern Venezuela rather than cede majority ownership and operating control to the government, Venezuelan officials said Tuesday. By Chris Kraul, Times Staff Writer.

• DISABILITY
  NFL fails on disability issue, House panel told
  

  WASHINGTON – Four former football players Tuesday told a House panel that the NFL’s disability retirement system is broken, and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) chastised league and union leaders for failing to treat injured retirees and their families in a dignified manner. By Claudia Lauer, Times Staff Writer.

• ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
  Coalition sues in bid to block MTA fare hikes
  

  Three groups representing local public transit riders and conservation interests united Tuesday in an effort to require the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to hold off on fare increases until their environmental effects can be measured. By Tiffany Hsu, Times Staff Writer.

• OBITUARIES
  John Todd, 96; Caltech professor pioneered use of computers in math
  

  John Todd, the Caltech mathematician who was a pioneer in the development of numerical analysis for computers and played a key role in the development of some of the first large computers, has died. He was 96. By Thomas H. Maugh II, Times Staff Writer.