by Jess Zimmerman. Scientists have long known that cows are big contributors to global warming. Livestock produce  Read More →

by Jess Zimmerman. Texas is experiencing the driest eight-month period in its recorded history. But in 2010, natural gas companies used 13.5 billion gallons of fresh water for hydraulic fracturing, and that could more than double by 2020. Where's all this water coming from? Oh, it was just lying... 

by Christopher Mims. Mark Lynas, an author whose pop-sci books about climate change are scrupulous enough to get favorable reviews from the likes of climate scientist Eric Steig, proposed a funny little thought experiment on his blog : Could switching to renewables strip the planet of its sun-protective... 

by Christopher Mims. Americans like us some war, but to the tune of $4 trillion? In adjusted dollars, that's just short of what it cost us to whup the Nazis . Here's a look at what we could have done with that money, had we spent it on something besides stoking Americans' confusion over... 

by Sarah Laskow. To prove that electric cars are just as bad-ass as run-of-the-mill, gas-powered, souped-up race cars, Nissan entered the Leaf in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. This race is not for weenies: It requires drivers to cover 12.42 miles  Read More →

by Jess Zimmerman. According to federal investigators, Massey Energy — the folks who brought you the Upper Big Branch coal mine explosion that killed 29 — has been deliberately misleading inspectors about safety conditions at its mines. That's the Mine Safety and Health Administration's... 

The Prius, Toyota’s flagship green vehicle, is facing some stiff competition from other automakers launching their own hybrids, so Toyota is responding by making the Prius its own brand. Here is the original post: As Rivals Unveil Hybrids, Toyota Boosts Prius  Read More →

INFINEON RACEWAY, SONOMA, CA — Hershel Allen noticed something different at Infineon Raceway on June 25th at this noted motorsports complex in California’s Sonoma Valley: sheep grazing on the hill behind the grandstand. Read more here: Car Racing and Energy Efficiency–Strange Bedfellows? Not... 

According to a major international study which analyzed global data on diabetes since 1980, the prevalence of diabetes has gone up or at best remained unchanged in every part of the world for the last 30 years. The number of people with the disease has more than doubled during that period to 347 million... 

by Jess Zimmerman. Here's what the new normal looks like. Once a decade, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updates  Read More →

by Sarah Laskow. When mulling over that eternal 4th of July question, Mountains v. Beach, consider that mountains are never closed because of bacteria that transmit rashes, pink eye, respiratory infections, meningitis, and hepatitis. Beaches, on the other hand, are closed for exactly that reason. And... 

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary to go green… Read the original: This July 4, Declare Your Independence  Read More →

by Sarah Laskow. After months of drought, the federal government declared 213 counties in Texas natural disasters. Even if wildfires stay clear of Los Alamos, burning trees and heated soil contaminated with residual radiation from old nuclear tests could be a problem . Here's the scientific explanation... 

Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. The watershed covers about 100,000 km² of southern Alaska, east of the Aleutian Range and south of the... 

Missouri River floodwaters lapped at a nuclear power plant north of Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday and have cracked more defenses downstream after weeks of sustained pressure on levees running hundreds of miles. And in Minot, North Dakota’s fourth largest city, the roughly 12,000 displaced residents... 

Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. The watershed covers about 100,000 km² of southern Alaska, east of the Aleutian Range and south of the... 

by Jess Zimmerman. Bike seats may contribute to erectile dysfunction — and it's no surprise, when you consider where you shove 'em. “When you sit on a regular bike saddle, you’re sitting on your penis,” says reproductive physiologist Steven Schrader. If that didn't... 

by Jess Zimmerman. Bike seats may contribute to erectile dysfunction — and it's no surprise, when you consider where you shove 'em. “When you sit on a regular bike saddle, you’re sitting on your penis,” says reproductive physiologist Steven Schrader. If that didn't... 

by Sarah Laskow. Get off your high horse, New Yorkers! City dwellers might do some environmental good by driving less and living in smaller spaces. But living in a city doesn't affect a person's carbon footprint as much as the amount that he or she buys. It's simple: living in a city is... 

by Sarah Laskow. Get off your high horse, New Yorkers! City dwellers might do some environmental good by driving less and living in smaller spaces. But living in a city doesn't affect a person's carbon footprint as much as the amount that he or she buys. It's simple: living in a city is...