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Houston's Mission Control is still talking to the astronauts circling the globe in the International Space Station. But most other phone lines are down, and NASA says the shutdown could deter launches of other spacecraft and slow repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope if something goes wrong.

Scientists have figured out how DEET repels mosquitoes. The finding has led the researchers to candidate repellents that are safer and cheaper than DEET and may provide new weapons against mosquito-borne scourges, such as malaria and dengue fever.

Former Vice President Walter Mondale and a former Alabama Supreme Court justice are among those pressing for a bipartisan commission to improve legal services to the poor.

The House speaker emerged from the White House after a 90-minute meeting with President Obama saying, "They will not negotiate." Democrats said they would confer with Republicans, but after they open the government.

The Washington, D.C., university, which is arguably the country's most prominent historically black institution of higher education, has been buffeted by a tough economy and dissent among its leadership.

After a breakup, some have taken to posting intimate pictures of their ex on the Internet. California's new law punishes those who do, but some critics say the law isn't specific enough and could inhibit free speech.

Furloughed workers? Deserted national parks? OK, that's a problem. But here's a little silver lining to the crisis: Displaced tourists are turning to other attractions, restaurants are turning hungry government workers into customers, and ironic T-shirts about the crisis are flying off the racks.

Pardit Pri left her job as a legal assistant when she had a baby. She thought she'd be able to find a new job with health insurance, but so far has found only contract work with no benefits. She's not sure if her state's new health exchange will make sense for her, given her uncertain income.

As the leader of Senate Democrats, Harry Reid has been in a lot of fights — but this one may be different, in that Reid has drawn a line. After a meeting with other congressional leaders and President Obama on Wednesday, Reid said: "The one thing we made very clear ... we are locked in tight on Obamacare."

From Acadia in Maine to Zion in Utah to the North Cascades in Washington, America's 401 national park areas have gates blocking entrance roads. National forest and Bureau of Land Management lands would nearly be impossible to close because there are so many access points.