Earth
- Climate
Boreal forests shift north
As forests move northward and to higher elevations, they alter ecosystems and threaten to further heat the Arctic's already warming climate.
- Animals
Polar bears listed
Polar bear declared "threatened," but Secretary limits decision's impact.
- Earth
Climate clues in ice
A kilometers-long ice core from Antarctica has been recording climate information for the past 800,000 years and has revealed a three millennia–long period when carbon dioxide levels in the air were lower than any previously measured.
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- Health & Medicine
Pollution and blood clots
Inhaling tiny pollution particles, even at concentrations allowed in urban air, appears to increase the risk that an individual’s veins will develop potentially lethal blood clots.
- Earth
Emissions head north
When it comes to Arctic air, various regions of the Northern Hemisphere are equal opportunity polluters. Even some subtropical countries in southern Asia get into the act.
- Humans
Scientific Interference: Complaints At EPA
Results from a survey of more than 1,500 EPA scientists suggest a systematic attack on scientific integrity within that agency.
- Climate
A little drier every day
The Sahara, one of the hottest and driest regions on Earth, gradually became arid over a period of centuries, a finding that contradicts many previous studies.
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- Health & Medicine
Perchlorate: A Saga Continues
Perchlorate is not yet a household word in many parts of the country. But it may becomes one if Sen. Barbara Boxer has her way. Perchlorate – an ingredient in solid rocket fuel, fireworks, flares and explosives – taints drinking-water supplies around the nation, not to mention plenty of foods. In animal tests, the pollutant […]
- Life
Brittle arms lose muscle
In lab simulations of future ocean conditions, brittle stars grow extra-calcified but puny arms.
- Agriculture
Ethanol Fallout: Health Risks for Livestock
With Uncle Sam pushing the production of ethanol for fuel, U.S. farmers are planting more corn than at any time since World War II, and garnering premium prices for each harvested bushel. But many livestock operations are getting hit with a double whammy: higher feeds costs and corn-derived feed that’s carrying triple the normal load of fungal poisons.
