Just a few months before John Gottman, a leading American marriage researcher and psychologist, was to be married, his father died, leaving Gottman to contend with overwhelming loss during what should have been one of the happiest times of his life. No one would have blamed him for putting the wedding on hold. But in the end, Gottman says, the strain of dealing with his grief made him that much more devoted to his future bride. "My wife helped ...

The former editor of the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), who had ties with Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi, was arrested Tuesday, Iranian media reported. By examining the DNA from a simple cheek swab, scientists at Shanghai Biochip Co., one of China's largest biotechnology companies, say they can uncover a person's natural strengths and weaknesses with 99 percent accuracy. They test eleven genes that they say correspond to memory, swiftness, thinking, comprehension, emotion, adventure, braveness, focus ability, perseverance, ...

At the Chongqing Children's Palace, experts are hoping to revolutionize child-rearing with the help of science. About 30 children aged 3 to 12 years old and their parents are participating in a new program that uses DNA testing to identify genetic gifts and predict the future. When Director Zhao Mingyou first heard about the technology earlier this year, he instantly knew it could be a success in China. "Nowadays, competition in the world is about who has the most talent," ...

Griffin O'Neal, the son of Ryan O'Neal, paints a vivid picture of violence, drugs and sexual infidelity surrounding the actor. In an emotionally explosive interview with CNN's Larry King that aired Monday night, Griffin O'Neal claimed that: • His father attempted to shoot him and injured Griffin's wife and him with a fireplace poker. • Ryan was habitually unfaithful to his partner Farrah Fawcett, who died of cancer June 25. • Ryan partied with Griffin's half-brother, ...

Michael Jackson's brood will indeed be growing up Jackson, but not without the occasional visit from a familiar face. Debbie Rowe will officially return to the lives of her two birth children, according to a joint statement between Rowe's and Katherine Jackson's attorneys released early July 30. In lieu of a custody battle between Katherine Jackson and Rowe, the two sides reached an agreement. While Katherine Jackson will remain the guardian for the three children, who have been living ...

The allegation is shocking: an 8-year-old girl lured to a storage shed with the promise of chewing gum, pinned down and sexually assaulted by four boys, none of them older than 14. The response from the girl's family sent a second and equally stunning shockwave through their Phoenix, Arizona, community: "The parents felt that they had been shamed or embarrassed by their child," reported Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill. As a result, the girl was taken into custody by Arizona's ...

Playground gibes are a rite of passage for most school-age kids, but for some children, teasing at school can turn into outright violence and abuse. Researchers say that as many as 1 in 10 children suffer physical attacks, name-calling and other social aggression at school, and a new study suggests that a child's risk of becoming a chronic victim of bullying may depend on factors that appear very early in life. "Studies also show that peer victimization becomes increasingly ...

The president of Liberia spoke Friday on the sexual assault of an 8-year-old Liberian refugee in Phoenix, Arizona, decrying reports that the parents believe their family has been shamed by the girl. "This is not a question of shame on the family. It is the question of an assault on a young child. That cannot be tolerated," said President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, speaking by telephone. Police have charged four boys, ages 9 to 14, in the case. The boys also ...

Authorities are investigating reports that disabled children in India were buried up to their necks during this week's solar eclipse as a supposed remedy for their handicaps. Officials said Thursday they were looking into reports that some 34 children aged 2 to 7 were buried in sand up to their chins -- with the consent of the parents -- in the belief that doing so during an eclipse would cure the children of their disabilities. V. Anbu Kumar, caretaker deputy ...

The Church of England is offering unmarried parents who want to tie the knot the option of having baptisms for their children at the same time. The offer is a response to demand after church-sponsored research showed that 20 percent of couples getting married in a church already had children, whether together or from a previous relationship, the church said. It is also a way to make the church more welcoming for unmarried parents and their families, a church spokesman ...