Efforts to curb unbridled growth that's killing the planet

Wildlife and habitat

Major reductions in seafloor marine life from climate change by 2100
Gas Pipeline Boom Fragmenting Pennsylvania's Forests
Congressmen question costs, mission of Wildlife Services agency
All That Remained of 100 Elephants: A Ton of Ivory, Turned Into Trinkets
    Related: China Destroys Ivory - Wildlife Conservation Society
Lions Are Critically Endangered in West Africa
100,000 bats fall dead from the sky during heatwave in Australia
Why aren’t Tahoe’s bears hibernating? (video)
Plan developed for endangered South Texas cat
Celebrating Deep Freeze, Insect Experts See a Chance to Kill Off Invasive Species
Extreme cold may wipe out high percentage Emerald Ash Borer larvae
Bracing for Carp in Great Lakes, but Debating Their Presence
War Elephant Myths Debunked by DNA
Half of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay were seriously ill or dying in 2011
Extensive salvage logging proposed for Rim fire area
Utah DWR: Bald eagle deaths attributed to West Nile virus
Why the Passenger Pigeon Became Extinct (book review)
Hundreds of sharks now on Twitter
Wildlife Officials Take On Drone Hunting Controversy
What's that bird? Check your smart phone

Discoveries about the natural world

Oldest trees are growing faster, storing more carbon as they age, study reports
Study Finds Chimps Can Use Gestures To Communicate In Their Hunt For Food
The first confirmed record of a freshwater fish preying on birds in flight (w/video)
Scientists Discover New Slave-making Ant Species From Eastern US
Ants protect acacia plants against pathogens
And that is how the desert locust lost its memory
'You're Invisible, But I'll Eat You Anyway.' Secrets Of Snow-Diving Foxes (w/video)
Birds fly in 'V' formation to save energy, study finds (w/video)
Genetically identical bacteria can behave in radically different ways
Scientists discover extracellular vesicles produced by ocean microbes
Battle for Survival May Yield the Rain Forest’s Diversity
Humans, Other Primates Burn Fewer Calories Than Other Mammals
Dogs align their bodies along a North-South axis when they poop
Evolution Hidden in Plain Sight
Snakes control blood flow to aid vision
Video: Clever Spider Uses Its Web Like a Slingshot to Capture Insects
Mima Mound Mystery Solved

Fossil fish discovery shows link from fins to legs
    More info: Discovery of new Tiktaalik roseae fossils reveals key link in evolution of hind limbs
Amber fossil reveals ancient reproduction in flowering plants
Ancient Arboreal Mammal Discovered at Root of Carnivore Family Tree
Ocean's Huge Hidden Waves Explained
Earthquake lights linked to rift zones
Supervolcanoes Burst Like Bubbles
Atlas Mountains In Morocco Are Floating On Molten Rock, Likely From The Canary Islands
Cold Climate Erodes Mountains

Weather and climate

Far West Got Drier Last Year, Data Shows
    Related: California drought emergency declared by Gov. Jerry Brown
U.S. Cold Snap Inspires Climate Change Denial, While Scientists See Little Room for Doubt
How global warming can make cold snaps even worse
Cloud Mixing Means Extra Global Warming
    More info: Solution to cloud riddle reveals hotter future
Scientists debunk conservative myth of global warming ‘pause’

La Niña Influences Melt of Major Antarctic Glacier
Epic Antarctic Ice-Shelf Collapse Caused by Chain Reaction

Methane hydrates and global warming
High levels of molecular chlorine found in Arctic atmosphere
Why Weather Affects Climate Change Belief
 
Environmental policy

Behind the Scenes, Kerry Makes a Pact on Climate a Priority
With a bit of luck, the U.S. could actually hit its 2020 climate change goals
EPA: Pebble Mine Would Threaten Bristol Bay Salmon
Pennsylvania: Protecting species must be balanced with job creation, senators say
    More info: Sides square off on species protection
Did Pennsylvania’s highest court unravel environmental protections for oil and gas?
Pennsylvania: DCNR grapples with noisy gas compressors in state forests
Dark Ecology -- Technology isn’t likely to save us, but neither is environmentalism (opinion)

Energy

New Energy Struggles on Its Way to Markets
Cheap Battery Can Store Energy for a Rainy Day
Electric cars may hold solution for power storage
Electric Cars Hit Milestone With First Grand Prix Race Ahead
A Solar Boom So Successful, It's Been Halted
Researchers Find Simple, Cheap Way to Increase Solar Cell Efficiency
Why is renewable energy so expensive?
Wind turbines may not affect home values
Bright idea: Smart street lamps light up only when needed
Only 4 In 10 Americans Are Aware Of The Incandescent Lightbulb Phase-Out
Triple-Threat Method Sparks Hope for Nuclear Fusion Energy

Water

West Virginia Spill Reveals Threats to Drinking Water
Sacramento council votes to enact severe water rationing
China's water squeeze worsens as wetlands shrink 9 pct
Study finds acid mine drainage reduces radioactivity in fracking wastewater
Hormone-disrupting chemicals found in water at fracking sites
4 states confirm some water pollution from drilling

Air

New study: U.S. power plant emissions down
EPA moves to regulate new wood stoves

Chemical concerns, radiation, waste management, recycling

Landscapes Across The U.S. Tainted by Naturally Occurring Asbestos
New compounds discovered that are hundreds of times more mutagenic
Evidence of harmful effect of bisphenol A-based plastics
How Dangerous Is the Coal-Washing Chemical Spilled in West Virginia?
    Related: State acknowledges it had no plan for Freedom spill
Study Shows Fracking Is Bad for Babies
EPA to require S. Calif. offshore fracking reports
Mercury levels rising in expanse around Alberta oilsands
OSHA plans to slash silica workplace exposure limits
'Dead Priest's Hair'? Alternative Medicine Poisoned Man
L.A. starts 2014 with its new plastic-bag ban
Hawaii: Big Island plastic bag ban to begin Jan. 17

Agriculture and food, livestock, gardening and pets

A Lonely Quest for Facts on Genetically Modified Crops
Monsanto says biotech wheat moves closer to market
USDA opens door to new herbicide-resistant seeds
New discovery could stimulate plant growth and increase crop yields
First comprehensive test to detect genetic modification in food
China Says Over 3 Million Hectares of Land Too Polluted to Farm
Extreme Diets Can Quickly Alter Gut Bacteria
Theory Behind Popular Blood-Type Diet Debunked
Roses are red -- why some petunias are blue
Opening oyster shells the Mesolithic way
Study narrows origin of dogs
    More info: Genomes of modern dogs and wolves provide new insights on domestication

Health and medicine, human behavior

List of Smoking-Related Illnesses Grows Significantly in U.S. Report
Severe flu in young healthy people prompts U-M Health System to issue vaccine reminder
FDA: Z-Pak Antibiotic Could Have A Deadly Side Effect
Study: Having Medicaid increases emergency room visits
Higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy could help babies become stronger
Vitamin D Supplements Reduce Pain in Fibromyalgia Sufferers
Review: Most clinical studies on vitamins flawed by poor methodology
Heavy Marijuana Users Have Abnormal Brain Structure
It's all coming back to me now: Researchers find caffeine enhances memory
Common Knee Surgery Does Very Little for Some, Study Suggests

Don’t Just Sit There! Prolonged Sitting Linked to Early Mortality in Women

For Fitness, Intensity Matters
Odor receptors discovered in lungs
Antioxidant offers total protection against some types of sun damage
India set for polio-free landmark
Members of Blood Pressure Panel at Odds Over Recently Released Guidelines
FDA: Limit high-dose acetaminophen
Asprin 'cure' for short temper
Panama to use transgenic mosquitoes in anti-dengue bid
I Had My DNA Picture Taken, With Varying Results
Alcohol consumption is a necessary cause of nearly 80,000 deaths per year in the Americas
New study shows alcohol impacts vision by 30 per cent
Study: Speech processing requires both sides of our brain

Children with low self-esteem respond worse to overpraise
Study: Athlete's first reaction in victory is dominance
Smug couples patronise singles to feel better about themselves
Educated black men remembered as 'whiter'
Your Aging Brain Will Be in Better Shape If You've Taken Music Lessons
Getting Excited Helps With Performance Anxiety More Than Trying To Calm Down, Study Finds
Professors Look at Laughter in MIRTH Study

Education

School violence lands more than 90,000 a year in the ER, study finds
Obama administration recommends ending 'zero-tolerance' policies in schools
Texas Public Charter Schools Are Teaching Creationism
Researchers Find Substantial Drop in Use of Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Law

Two of the Last Victims of the Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic Are Finally Free
Judge strikes down controversial photo ID requirement for voting in Pennsylvania law
U.S. to Expand Rules Limiting Use of Profiling by Federal Agents
Why Women Aren’t Welcome on the Internet
Federal judge strikes down NC’s ultrasound abortion law
Will Looking at an Ultrasound Before an Abortion Change Your Mind?
Blogger gets same speech protections as traditional press-U.S. court
A court just gutted your right to sue your boss
New York gun law largely upheld by federal judge
New York State Is Set to Loosen Marijuana Laws
The FBI Warns Retailers About Thieves Armed With Foil
Predicting Crime with Big Data, Affordably
First case of asylum granted in UK under Refugee Convention on basis of atheism

Archeology, anthropology, art and history

The Most Fascinating Human Evolution Discoveries of 2013
Neandertal Grave Attests to Complex Cognition
Eating 'Paleo?' Don't Forget Worms and Tubers
Carb-loading rotted ancient hunter-gatherers' teeth, study says
When Cats Became Comrades
In the Human Brain, Size Really Isn’t Everything
Ancient European genomes reveal jumbled ancestry
Catalhoyuk mural may depict ancient volcanic eruption
Video -- Ancient Ancestors Come to Life
Giraffe Was on Menu in Pompeii Restaurants
Ancient Pig-Shaped Baby Bottle Found
Ancient Egyptian Brewer's Beautiful Tomb Discovered
US dig unearths tomb of previously unknown pharaoh
Melting glaciers in northern Italy reveal corpses of WW1 soldiers

National security, defense

Philippines, Vietnam condemn China's fishing law
Army Takes On Its Own Toxic Leaders
Senate Report Finds Benghazi Attack Was Preventable
    Related: A Deadly Mix in Benghazi -- The reality behind the deadly attack
Obama Calls for Overhaul of N.S.A.’s Phone Data Collection Program

N.S.A. Devises Radio Pathway Into Computers
NSA phone record collection does little to prevent terrorist attacks, group says
China confirms hypersonic missile carrier test
    More info: China claims it successfully tested hypersonic glider

Astronomy and cosmology, spaceflight

Powerful new planet finder snaps a direct image of an exoplanet
Another Stunning Hubble Pic of a Vast Cloud of Gas and Dust
The Final Countdown Before a Supernova
Galactic Runts Carry Heavyweight Black Holes
Dark-matter search considers exotic possibilities
Many Earth-Like Planets Have Climates Too Hot for Life
Earth-Size Planets Come in Two Flavors: Rocky or Gassy
Electron's Roundness Throws A Curve At Supersymmetry

Physics, chemistry and materials science, mathematics

Simply the Most Astonishing Math You'll Ever See
    Update: Follow-up: The Infinite Series and the Mind-Blowing Result
An old mathematical puzzle soon to be unraveled?

Technology and engineering, robotics

Reflections in the eye contain identifiable faces
You don't need a curved TV, but 4K is the future
'Jellyfish aircraft' takes flight (w/ Videos)

Computers and software, the Internet

Court tosses FCC’s net neutrality rules
Bad Ads on Yahoo Infected Thousands of Users With Malware
Understanding Collective Animal Behavior May Be in the Eye of the Computer
Facebook killing 'sponsored stories' in April -- but your name may still show up next to ads
The Internet's Cicada: A Mystery Without An Answer
IBM's Watson Joins the Real World
    Related: IBM's Artificial Intelligence Problem, or Why Watson Can't Get a Job

Of note

Major Parts of World Ignored by U.S. TV News in 2013
The depressing psychological theory that explains Washington
Science's Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2013
40 Must-See Photos From The Past

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