Effort to contain Gulf oil stalls with stuck saw

As the crude crept closer to Florida, the risky effort to contain the nation's worst oil spill hit a snag Wednesday when a diamond-edged saw became stuck in a thick pipe on a blown-out well at the bottom of the Gulf...read more

Gulf spill surpasses Valdez

May 27 (AP) - An untested procedure to plug the blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico seemed to be working, officials said Thursday, but new estimates showed the spill has already surpassed the Exxon Valdez as the worst in U.S. history...even using the most conservative estimate, the leak has grown to nearly 18 million gallons over the past five weeks...read more

Polluted water killing, sickening millions

NAIROBI, Kenya – More people die from polluted water every year than from all forms of violence, including war, the U.N. said in a report Monday (March 22). The report said an estimated 2 billion tons of waste water — including fertilizer run-off, sewage and industrial waste — is being discharged daily. That waste fuels the spread of disease and damages ecosystems...read more

UN climate chief quits, leaves talks hanging

February 19 - The sharp-tongued U.N. official who shepherded troubled climate talks for nearly four years announced his resignation Thursday, leaving an uncertain path to a new treaty on global warming. Exhausted and frustrated by unrelenting bickering between rich and poor countries, Yvo de Boer said he will step down July 1...read more

Water Discovery Fuels Hope to Colonize the Moon
By Jeanna Bryner
Senior Writer, Space.com

Nov 15 - Hopes, dreams and practical plans to colonize or otherwise exploit the moon as a source of minerals or a launch pad to the cosmos got a boost today with NASA's announcement of significant water ice at the lunar south pole...read more

Cloned Cows: Less In, More Out

UN: Growth of slums boosting natural disaster risk

May 18 - (AP) The rampant growth of urban slums around the world and weather extremes linked to climate change have sharply increased the risks from "megadisasters" such as devastating floods and cyclones, a U.N. report said Sunday. The study — which examines natural disaster trends and strategies to reduce potential catastrophes — also noted that millions of people in rural areas are at higher risk from disasters...read more