When the new Perot Museum of Nature and Science opens, visitors will be able to feel the ground shake beneath them in an earthquake simulation, program a robot to navigate a maze and even test their speed against a virtual Tyrannosaurus rex.
"It's just going to be an incredible hands-on learning experience for people interested in nature and science," said Nicole G. Small, the museum's chief executive officer.

Scientists have identified a new gene variant that seems to strongly raise the risk for Alzheimer's disease, giving a fresh target for research into treatments for the mind-robbing disorder.
The problem gene is not common — less than 1 percent of people are thought to have it — but it roughly triples the chances of developing Alzheimer's compared to people with the normal version of the gene. It also seems to harm memory and thinking in older people without dementia.

A Brazilian hospital says Pele is undergoing physiotherapy following surgery on his right hip.
Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo said Wednesday that Pele remains in good condition and is already walking around his room.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic illuminated a low-key night of international friendlies on Wednesday, scoring an audacious overhead kick from 30 yards to cap his four-goal display in Sweden's 4-2 win over England.
Ibrahimovic's one-man show in Stockholm — featuring what both his opponents and pundits hailed as one of the greatest goals seen in recent years — overshadowed two high-profile matches between fierce European rivals, with the Netherlands and Germany drawing 0-0 and France coming from behind to beat Italy 2-1 away.

Rudy Gay scored a season-high 28 points and Zach Randolph added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies extended their best start in team history by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-97 on Wednesday.
Marc Gasol chipped in 14 points as the Grizzlies won their sixth straight game.

Lance Armstrong's cancer-fighting charity has formally dropped him from its name and will officially be known as the Livestrong Foundation.
The move is the latest of several by the charity to separate itself from its founder, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency revealed evidence of performance-enhancing drug use by Armstrong and his teammates.

A long-range strike from Uruguayan-born striker Sebastian Suria helped Qatar beat Lebanon 1-0 Wednesday in an Asian World Cup qualifier that boosted its chances of booking a spot in Brazil.
Suria took a pass from Fabio Cesar and fired the ball from 20 meters (yards) outside the area, sending it curling past Lebanon keeper Abbas Hassan. The goal set off raucous celebrations among the home supporters, who are desperate for a good showing after Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup. The win moved Qatar into a second in Group A alongside South Korea and Australia and a point behind leader Uzbekistan.

U.S. accident investigators say the government should require auto manufacturers to include the latest collision prevention technologies as standard equipment on all new cars and trucks.
The National Transportation Safety Board says the requirement could reduce fatal highway accidents by more than half.

The Dave Matthews Band is giving $1 million to help Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts.
The band announced Wednesday that the Nov. 30 opening show in New Jersey of its winter tour will be a benefit concert. All ticket and merchandise sales will go to the Bama Works Sandy Relief Fund, established at the Community Foundation of New Jersey.

Indian authorities investigating a rape case say a sprinter who won a women's relay gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games is actually a man.
Police charged Pinki Pramanik on Monday with raping and assaulting a woman she was living with in the eastern state of West Bengal. The woman alleged Pramanik was a man who had reneged on a promise to marry her.
