"KABUL, Afghanistan — Blood tests have confirmed that a mysterious series of cases of mass sickness at girls’ schools across the country over the last two years were caused by a powerful poison gas, an Afghan official said Tuesday."
"India's supreme court has reopened the Bhopal toxic gas leak case in response to a government petition seeking harsher punishment for officials from Union Carbide, the chemical company responsible."
The Columbia Journalism Review's blog The Observatory, edited by Curtis Brainard (pictured at left), critiques environment, science, and medical coverage, as well as politics.
"An Albemarle County [Va.] Circuit Court judge has set aside a subpoena issued by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to the University of Virginia seeking documents related to the work of climate scientist and former university professor Michael Mann."
"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 'needs to fundamentally reform its management structure and strengthen its procedures,' finds a report issued today by the InterAcademy Council, an Amsterdam-based organization of the world's science academies."
"After years of declining sockeye numbers and a struggling fishing industry, the Pacific Salmon Commission last week said it now expects 25 million sockeye will return to the Fraser River this year -- more than double its earlier forecast and the best run since 1913."
EPA and the Transportation Department are considering an overhaul of the mileage stickers you see on the windows of cars in your local dealership.
"Pinpointing the amount of oil lingering in the Gulf of Mexico continues to be a source of frustration for journalists and scientists alike, with multiple, contradictory — if not necessarily 'dueling' —research reports having been published on the subject over the last few weeks."
The algae mats floating in a stretch of California's Bear River look pretty disgusting. The "didymo" -- short for its scientific name, Didymosphenia geminata -- looks something like shredded toilet paper. It also resembles another of its nicknames: "rock snot." Its behavior has changed in recent years, and it is spreading. It appears in trout streams and threatens trout. New Zealand has banned felt-soled wading boots (often used by fly fishers), which can spread it.
"Five out of nine members of a scientific panel that advises [California] state on toxic chemicals have been fired in recent weeks, following disputes with the chemical industry and a conservative group that targets environmental laws."
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