Science-fiction movies fulfill people's desire to escape to an alternate reality, but in the process, they often play fast and loose with the scientific facts.

For instance, in the movie "After Earth," in theaters beginning May 31, the planet essentially kicks out humanity by inducing a wave ofand other calamities. Then, 1,000 years later, a spaceship crashes onto Earth, leaving the characters played by Will and Jaden Smith to brave the now hostile planet. []

But could the movie's scenario really happen on Earth?

Not likely, several scientists say. From the extreme atmospheric changes to the lightning-fast , the film takes a number of liberties with science.

Still, big summer blockbusters can often be persuasive tools for spreading scientific ideas to a wide audience even if the story itself is totally implausible, experts say.

Science sketchy

Though it's certainly true that human beings are causing massive damage to the planet, the story's premise is not remotely realistic, said David Wake, an evolutionary biologist and curator at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley.

For instance, in the movie, Earth's atmosphere becomes unbreathable for humans, but not other wildlife. However, in reality, "If the Earth becomes hostile to humans, it's going to be hostile to most other creatures," said Jerry Coyne, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago.

In order for that to happen, oxygen and carbon-dioxide levels would have to plummet, Wake said.

"Boy, that's a large-magnitude climate change," Wake told LiveScience.

It's extremely unlikely that such a transformation could occur in just 1,000 years especially if humans, the main drivers of climate change, were to abandon the planet, several scientists said.

In addition, animals and plants couldn't evolve traits to survive such radical changes as quickly as shown in the movie. On average, between a half-million and 5 million years are needed for new species to evolve. Therefore, the planetary changes depicted would cause , not buff organisms, Coyne said.

Spurring interest?

But even though the science is more fiction than fact, sci-fi movies with just a kernel of truth can not only , but also have an impact on public perception in ways that scientifically accurate movies rarely do, said Randy Olson, a scientist-turned-filmmaker and the author of "Don't Be Such a Scientist" (Island Press, 2009).

For instance, one study suggested the far-fetched movie "The Day After Tomorrow," in which global warming leads to a new ice age, may have done more to convince people that humans canthan Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," Olson said.

"It reached an enormous audience," Olson said. "But if you went to a deeper level, the science was cockamamie."

Sometimes, science-fiction movies can serve as the jumping-off point for further research, said Joseph Levine, the co-author along with Ken Miller, of the widely used textbook "Biology" (Prentice Hall, 2010).

In the case of "After Earth," for instance, Levine is hoping the kernel of truth that human activities are stressing the planet and spurring global changes will motivate teachers to send their students to a page on the "After Earth" website that talks about carbon footprints and the implications of climate change.

"There is so much misinformation and disinformation about climate," Levine told LiveScience. The hope is that the new movie may "reach as many different demographics as possible to try and correct this lack of understanding."

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I am always lonely. I don't know where to turn. I want to meet new people, but I don't know how, or if my parents will let me do new things. I have been cutting myself for more than a year and have lost all motivation to do my schoolwork. I feel lost. Please help me. -- SAD, MAD AND DEPRESSED IN BOZEMAN, MONT.

DEAR SAD, MAD AND DEPRESSED: Most parents who home-school make sure their children are exposed to activities within the community to ensure they engage with people of all ages. They participate in scouting, 4-H, sports, field trips, etc.

That you cut yourself to distract yourself from the pain of your isolation is serious. If you have a family doctor, please bring this up with him or her so you can receive the help you need to quit.

I'm sure your parents love you and want to protect you, but they appear to be doing it too diligently. At 16, you should be learning to interact with others your age. If you have a relative you trust or feel close to, I'm urging you to talk to that person about this. Perhaps your parents will accept the message from another adult.

DEAR ABBY: My husband brought home a puppy he couldn't resist. I wanted to make him happy, so I didn't object. We already have one dog. She's calm, mature and well-trained. She is also used to our schedule (we both work full-time).

We have now decided to try for a baby. The puppy is only 5 months old, and even though it may take months to become pregnant, I'm worried it will be too much stress to train and care for a puppy while I'm pregnant. When I try to discuss this with my husband, he says, "Everything will work out."

I want the best pregnancy possible, but I also don't want to upset my husband by finding a new family for the puppy. What should I do? -- ILLINOIS DOG LOVER

DEAR DOG LOVER: Talk to your husband again and stress to him the importance of seeing that the dog starts obedience classes. While it might be tempting to foist off the responsibility on your husband, you should both be involved so the dog will obey you both. With that accomplished, your pregnancy will be less stressful.

DEAR ABBY: I have been living with a man for 10 months. He is 70 and I am 59. Whenever we go to the grocery store, he winks and smiles at all the young, attractive women. Abby, I am fairly attractive for my age, and I don't appreciate his making me feel disrespected this way.

Other than this, he makes me happy. Most of the time, he denies he does it, except when I catch him red-handed. Is there any hope for this relationship? -- FEELING DOWN IN THE SOUTH

DEAR FEELING DOWN: Yes, if you can accept him exactly the way he is and not take what he's doing personally. He may smile and wink because he thinks he's being friendly. Or it may be a way of proving to himself that he's still attractive. As long as it's just a smile and a wink by the frozen vegetables, I'd say it's harmless.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

To order "How to Write Letters for All Occasions," send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby -- Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price.

(Reuters) - Target Corpcut its full-year profit forecast on Wednesday while turning in a weak first quarter with disappointing sales, as a chilly start to spring kept shoppers from buying seasonal items like clothing.

Target warned in April its first-quarter results would be weaker than anticipated, and its performance was even worse than revised Wall Street expectations due to the cool weather and the impact of higher payroll taxes on spending.

Shares of Target fell 3.6 percent to $68.70.

First-quarter sales at stores open at least a year fell 0.6 percent, while analysts targeted a 0.03 percent decline, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Back in April, Target forecast same-store sales would be about flat versus its previous outlook of flat to up 2 percent.

"This is Target's weakest quarterly same-store sales performance since the Great Recession year of 2009," said Sandy Skrovan, U.S. research director at Planet Retail.

The last time Target's quarterly same-store sales fell was in the third quarter of 2009, when it posted a decline of 1.6 percent.

This year, shoppers held off buying spring merchandise such as clothing, fans and garden supplies as a chilly start to the season left them little reason to splurge.

"Across the board things were disappointing for a lot of retailers," Skrovan said.

The U.S. economy has been somewhat resilient. Core U.S. retail sales, which strip out automobiles, gasoline and building materials, rose 0.5 percent in April, after an upwardly revised 0.1 percent gain in March.

The end of a 2 percent payroll tax cut took effect on January 1 and the smaller paychecks have made some consumers less willing to spend. Still, declining gasoline prices have offset some of the drag on household income.

"While weather was a clear negative in (the first quarter), the revised view suggests that underlying pressure on moderate income consumer spending remains," said Bernstein Research analyst Colin McGranahan.

The pressure is not limited to Target. Last week, Wal-Mart Stores Incposted an unexpected 1.4 percent decline in same-store sales at its Walmart U.S. unit, while Kohl's Corpposted a 1.9 percent decline in same-store sales. And on Wednesday, Lowe's Cos Increported weaker-than-expected quarterly profit, hurt by the chilly weather as well as competition from larger rival Home Depot Inc .

PROFIT DOWN

Target earned $498 million, or 77 cents per share, in the first quarter ended on May 4, compared with a profit of $697 million, or $1.04 per share, a year earlier.

Including the effects from opening Canadian stores, but excluding losses related to the early retirement of debt and gains from the sale of its credit card business, Target earned 82 cents per share. On that basis, analysts looked for 85 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Total sales rose 1 percent to $16.71 billion, while analysts expected $16.78 billion in revenue.

The number of transactions in stores open at least a year fell 1.9 percent. Shoppers spent more overall and bought more items, but the selling price per unit was down, suggesting lower-priced items like groceries were selling well, Skrovan said.

Also, more shoppers took advantage of the 5 percent discount offered to Target's REDcard holders. It said 17.1 percent of sales in its stores were paid for with REDcard credit and debit cards, versus 11.6 percent a year ago.

Target said its first 24 Canadian stores, opened in March, generated $86 million in sales in the quarter. The company, which plans to have 124 stores in Canada by the end of the year, said costs related to the Canadian launch reduced earnings by 24 cents per share in the first quarter.

Target now expects adjusted earnings of $4.70 to $4.90 per share this year, down from its April forecast of $4.85 to $5.05.

(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

The agri-processing company said diluted headline earnings per share for the year to end-March totalled 942.3 cents from 819.4 cents a year ago.

Total sugar output rose 9 percent to 1.254 million tonnes. Tongaat Hulett has interests in land management and property development, but its main business is sugar production and milling.

Medical marijuana items include yummy-looking gummy candies, cookies and other treats that may entice young children. Fourteen children were treated at Colorado Children's Hospital in the two years after a 2009 federal policy change led to a surge in medical marijuana use, the study found. That's when federal authorities said they would not prosecute legal users.

Study cases were mostly mild, but parents should know about potential risks and keep the products out of reach, said lead author Dr. George Sam Wang, an emergency room physician at the hospital.

Unusual drowsiness and unsteady walking were among the symptoms. One child, a 5-year-old boy, had trouble breathing. Eight children were hospitalized, two in the intensive care unit, though all recovered within a few days, Wang said. By contrast, in four years preceding the policy change, the Denver-area hospital had no such cases.

Some children came in laughing, glassy-eyed or "acting a little goofy and 'off,'" Wang said. Many had eaten medical marijuana food items, although nonmedical marijuana was involved in at least three cases. The children were younger than 12 and included an 8-month-old boy.

The study was released Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

Eighteen states and Washington, D.C., allow medical marijuana, though it remains illegal under federal law. Colorado's law dates to 2000 but the study notes that use there soared after the 2009 policy change on prosecution. Last year, Colorado and Washington state legalized adult possession of small amounts of nonmedical marijuana.

Some states, including Colorado, allow medical marijuana use by sick kids, with parents' supervision.

In a journal editorial, two Seattle poisoning specialists say that at least seven more states are considering legalizing medical marijuana and that laws that expand marijuana use likely will lead to more children sickened.

The Cape Girardeau County prosecutor's office issued a one-paragraph statement saying police had found the body on Wednesday.

"It has been confirmed that the body is that of Jacque Sue Waller," the statement read. It didn't say where or how the body was found. A woman answering phones at the prosecutor's office said no further comment would be made, citing an ongoing investigation.

Waller and her estranged husband, Clay Waller, had nearly finalized a divorce when she disappeared on June 1, 2011. He was charged last year with first-degree murder and faces trial in September.

Jacque Waller's sister, Cheryl Brenneke, has custody of their 7-year-old triplets.

In a statement on their Facebook page Waller's family confirmed "with a heavy heart" that Jacque Waller's remains were found. The statement said funeral arrangements have not been made.

"We thank everyone of you who has supported us and assisted us in this terrible nightmare," the statement read.

Messages seeking comment from a spokeswoman for Waller's family were not returned, but Brenneke told the Southeast Missourian newspaper that she was in shock.

"You anticipate how you're going to feel for two years," Brenneke said. "You just can't prepare yourself, really. You just can't."

Authorities said the couple had been living apart for about three months she was living in Ste. Genevieve County, he was living in Jackson. They met with an attorney about divorce proceedings on June 1, 2011. Police said they argued then about financial problems.

By that evening, Jacque Waller's relatives were becoming worried because they had not heard from her. Her father, Stan Rawson, has said his daughter had previously confided to Brenneke that Clay Waller had threatened her.

Jacque Waller's Honda Pilot was found along Interstate 55 a day after she disappeared. Several searches since then have turned up sporadic leads, including the discovery of her purse near where the car was found.

The FBI said last year that Clay Waller suggested to his father that he had broken Jacque Waller's neck and buried her in a hole that he had dug in advance. But Clay Waller has not made any confession to police, and his father died before he could testify.

At a preliminary hearing in July on the murder charges against Clay Waller, then-prosecutor Morley Swingle outlined a case built largely around circumstantial evidence: potential motives of both jealousy and greed; blood splatter found at Clay Waller's house; apparent efforts to hide a blood-stained carpet in a crawl space; and Waller's history of anger and resentment toward his wife.

During the hearing, Edwin Rhodes, an acquaintance of Clay Waller, recalled that about two months before Jacque Waller's disappearance, Clay Waller told him, "I ought to just kill her."

Clay Waller pleaded guilty in late 2011 to threatening Brenneke over the Internet. He is serving a five-year federal term.

Yet, off the runway, Donna's heart belongs to Haiti. After an earthquake devastated the country in 2010, Karan has been working through her Urban Zen foundation to help rebuild the country. "I quickly realized that the solution to rebuilding the country could be found in the inherent creativity of the people," reveals Karan to Healthy Hollywood.

Karan's latest fundraising project is "Fashion for Haiti: One Million Hearts," which brings together 150 designers, including Tory Burch, Oscar de la Renta, and Diane von Furstenberg together to auction off customized papier-mch hearts on eBay in an effort to raise social consciousness and funds for the Haitian Artisan project. "I am so touched and so inspired by the 150 designers who have put their personal touch on these locally-crafted Haitian papier-mch hearts...I was absolutely blown away by their creativity and soulful expression," adds Karan to Healthy Hollywood.

The designer hearts will be auctioned off on eBay until May 2nd. Net proceeds from the eBay auction will benefit Urban Zen's Artisan program, which is dedicated to creating jobs, vocational education and highlighting the creativity of Haiti's artisans.

C'mon Healthy Hollywooders, have a little heart and bid at

-- Terri MacLeod

Copyright 2013 by . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Nikkei 225 shed 3.2 percent to close at 14,142.65, after its stalwart export sector was hit with wide-ranging losses. The benchmark in Tokyo has been on a tear, rising 36 percent since the beginning of the year. The yen's steady fall against other major currencies has been a major market propellant but it reversed some of that decline Monday after reaching 103 to the dollar last week.

The yen's recent weakness has been a byproduct of the economic stimulus policies embraced this year by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has embarked on an aggressive campaign to lift consumer prices and encourage borrowing and spending. As part of that effort, Japan's central bank is flooding its financial system with money, helping reduce the value of the yen.

Nissan Motor Corp. dropped 6.8 percent. Yamaha Motor Co. tumbled 7.9 percent. Sony Corp. slid 6.3 percent.

In early European trading, Germany's DAX rose 0.7 percent to 8,365.43. France's CAC-40 advanced 0.9 percent to 3,992.02. Markets in Britain and the U.S. were closed for public holidays.

Hopes for a global economic recovery were undermined last week when a survey on China's monthly manufacturing pace showed a bigger-than-expected decline. Less-than-clear indications from the U.S. Federal Reserve on whether it might scale back its aggressive bond-buying program, dubbed quantitative easing or QE, also caused investors to curb their enthusiasm.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng reversed early losses to rise 0.3 percent to 22,686.05 after pledges by China's leaders to pursue sustainable growth helped push up alternative energy stocks. China Everbright International jumped 5 percent. Anton Oilfield Services, which is pursuing shale gas development in China, surged 8.3 percent.

"We have seen a lot of funds buying into shale gas, wind power and environmental protection," said Jackson Wong, vice president at Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong. Wong also said that a recovery in mainland Chinese stocks helped the Hang Seng.

South Korea's Kospi gained 0.3 percent to 1,979.97. Benchmarks in mainland China and Taiwan rose. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.5 percent to 4,959.90. Benchmarks in the Philippines, New Zealand and Indonesia fell.

Benchmark oil for July delivery was down 60 cents to $93.54 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 10 cents to $94.15 a barrel on the Nymex on Friday.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.2942 from $1.2934 late Friday in New York. The dollar was at 100.86 yen down from last week's high of more than 103 yen per dollar.

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/pamelasampson

The defending Stanley Cup champions maintained the series theme of home-ice domination to seize a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven set before the teams return to San Jose for Game Six on Sunday.

After a goalless first period, Anze Kopitar opened the scoring for the Kings in the final few minutes of the second as he pounced on the rebound of a Kyle Clifford long-range shot to notch his second tally of the playoffs, first in this series.

Stirred by a fanatical home support, the Kings refused to relinquish the advantage and doubled their lead early in the third when Slava Voynov connected from distance just 53 seconds into the final period.

Jeff Carter capped a comprehensive performance for the hosts when he steered the puck into an empty net to complete the scoring.

"I think a good start (was the key to the win)," Kopitar told reporters.

"We can all agree that it was probably our best effort in the playoffs so far. We needed it and we came up big in this one."

(Reporting by Ben Everill in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)

NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) - Carmelo Anthony's scoring prowess has powered the New York Knicks all season but he may need someone to fill the role of sidekick in order to stave off playoff elimination against the Indiana Pacers.

With defensive-minded Indiana focused on stopping Anthony, a potent second option could swing the balance as the Knicks seek a win on Saturday that would extend the Eastern Conference semi-finals to a decisive seventh game on Monday in New York.

J.R. Smith filled the role most of the season, earning Sixth Man of the Year honours in the process, but he has been ice cold since a one-game suspension for throwing an elbow during the opening-round series against the Boston Celtics.

A new contender emerged Thursday when New York extended the series with an 85-75 Game Five win over the visiting Pacers as 29-year-old rookie Chris Copeland sank 3-of-4 from three-point range to tally 13 points and provide a jolt of offense.

The 6-foot-8 (2.03m) Copeland was signed by the Knicks off an impressive performance at the 2012 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas after stops in pro leagues in Belgium, Germany and Spain.

"I am extremely excited that I had some impact on the game," said Copeland, who played his college basketball in Colorado. "I hope I can do it again next game."

Center Tyson Chandler took notice of the spark he generated.

"Copeland just has a knack for scoring," Chandler said. "Anytime you get him in the game he's going to make something good happen offensively. He came up huge for us."

Indiana, of course, knows the way New York would like to operate on offense.

"Anytime you have a scorer like Carmelo it frees up other things for other guys," said Pacers top scorer Paul George, who has drawn the assignment of guarding Anthony.

"They looked to be aggressive and attack but again it is because of how well Carmelo scores the ball. He did a good job of drawing attention and the rest of the team did a good job of knocking down those shots," he said about the Game Five result.

Copeland, still treated as a fresh-faced rookie despite approaching his 30th birthday and made to tote around a pink plastic Dora the Explorer tote bag as part of his hazing, said he was confident he could contribute.

"I can help us spread the floor and get guys away from the basket," he said. "I think I can help Melo get opportunities on the block and get space for J.R.

"It is going to take a team effort for us to get over the hump and get out of this hole. It is going to take more than the first five," added Copeland, who along with his bench-mates outscored the Indiana reserves 35-10 in Thursday's victory.

Smith, who averaged 14.2 points in the regular season, showed signs of coming out of his funk, scoring 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting in Game Five.

Rumours had swirled about Smith's state of mind on Thursday after recording artist Rihanna, pictured with him this week at a New York night club and once linked romantically with the hoops star in the gossip pages, used social media to say Smith has been hungover from late night partying during the playoffs.

"All I know is he was ready to play yesterday," Knicks coach Mike Woodson told ESPN Radio on Friday.

"It would be a great opportunity for him to step up tomorrow and help us get it done."

Anthony said he still had faith in Smith.

"It is encouraging to see J.R. playing basketball and putting everything aside at this point," said Anthony. "It seems like he is finding his way to get off that island, what we call a shooting struggle. J.R. is a big part of our team's success."

Said Smith: "I still didn't shoot my best. Hopefully the little bit of rhythm I did get carries over." (Editing by Frank Pingue)