Scientists switched on the world's largest atom smasher for the first time since the US$10 billion machine suffered a spectacular failure more than a year ago, circulating beams of protons in a significant leap forward for the Large Hadron Collider.

Space Shuttle Atlantis' astronauts are about to step out on the first spacewalk of their mission.

The launch of Wikipedia, emergence of the iPhone and the election of U.S. President Barack Obama were among the 10 most influential moments on the Internet in the past decade, according to the annual Webby awards.

The Internet is still under the control of the United States, participants at a governance forum said, despite a move by America to loosen its grip over the private corporation that administers the net.

NASA plans next month to launch a space telescope that will scan the heavens for the infrared glow of celestial objects never seen because they are too dim, dusty or distant, scientists said on Tuesday.

Thousands of stargazers stayed awake overnight for what was forecast as an intense Leonid meteor shower over Asia this year, but the show fizzled rather than sizzled for many viewers — partly due to cloud cover.

NASA's Atlantis shuttle blasted off Monday with a haul of spare parts for the International Space Station (ISS) and some microscopic worms that could explain muscle loss in space.

The first applications were accepted on Monday for internationalized domain names (IDNs), in one of the most significant steps to making the Internet more accessible around the globe.

YouTube and Univision announced an agreement on Monday to bring short- and long-form programming from the Spanish-language broadcast network to the video-sharing site.

Fingers will be flying when space shuttle Atlantis blasts off Monday: About 100 of NASA's geekiest fans will be on hand, pecking away at iPhones, BlackBerrys, laptops and other Twittering gadgets.