To millions of people, the Christmas tree is a cheerful sight. To scientists who decipher the DNA codes of plants and animals, it's a monster.

We're talking about the conifer, the term for cone-bearing trees like the spruce, fir, pine, cypress and cedar. Apart from their holiday popularity, they play big roles in the lumber industry and in healthy forest ecosystems.

The company that owns a luxury jet that crashed and killed Mexican pop superstar Jenni Rivera is under investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

It has had two planes seized by the agency this year.

Nearly 4 out of 5 Americans now think temperatures are rising and that global warming will be a serious problem for the United States if nothing is done about it, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds.

Belief and worry about climate change are inching up among Americans in general, but concern is growing faster among people who don't often trust scientists on the environment. In follow-up interviews, some of those doubters said they believe their own eyes as they've watched thermometers rise, New York City subway tunnels flood, polar ice melt and Midwestern farm fields dry up.

Nearly everywhere around the world, people are living longer and fewer children are dying. But increasingly, people are grappling with the diseases and disabilities of modern life, according to the most expansive global look so far at life expectancy and the biggest health threats.

The last comprehensive study was in 1990 and the top health problem then was the death of children under 5 — more than 10 million each year. Since then, campaigns to vaccinate kids against diseases like polio and measles have reduced the number of children dying to about 7 million.

AC Milan beat second-division Reggina 3-0 Thursday night to set up a showdown with Serie A leader Juventus in the Italian Cup quarterfinals.

Colombian defender Mario Yepes put Milan ahead in the 51st minute on a snowy night at San Siro, 17-year-old French forward M'Baye Niang doubled the lead in the 79th and Giampaolo Pazzini added a goal in the 81st.

Brazilian authorities on Thursday began investigations into allegations that security personnel beat members of a visiting Argentine football club at the halftime of the Copa Sudamericana.

South American football officials described it as the most serious incident in decades in the country that will host the 2014 World Cup — raising fears about Brazil's ability to secure the event and putting a blemish on the country's reputation just months before the Confederations Cup.

Bode Miller likely won't start his season until February as part of his cautious return from left knee surgery. There's also a chance he might sit out the entire season.

Meanwhile, the American skier might be busy taking care of his wife — after accidentally hitting her in the face with a golf ball.

Porltand's rookie guard Damian Lillard had a career-high 29 points as the TrailBlazers handed the San Antonio Spurs a surprise second-straight loss with a 98-90 victory on Thursday.

Like the Spurs, another pre-season title fancy, the Los Angeles Lakers also remained in a rut, losing to the New York Knicks, while Atlanta crept up the standings with a comfortable home win over Charlotte.

Google Maps have found their way back to the iPhone.

The world's most popular online mapping system returned late Wednesday with the release of the Google Maps' iPhone app. The release comes nearly three months after Apple Inc. replaced Google Maps as the device's built-in navigation system and inserted its own maps into the latest version of its mobile operating system.

A Danish historian says he has discovered what he believes is a previously unknown fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen.

Retired historian Esben Brage said Thursday he found the six-page text in early October while searching in the National Archives through boxes that had belonged to wealthy families from Andersen's home-town of Odense in central Denmark.