I may have missed some significant news this week, but I've been pretty busy lately. I'll try to catch up.

Wildlife and habitat

Madagascar's political turmoil takes toll on forests
Much less stable ice for polar bears, expert says
Elevated Carbon Dioxide Levels May Mitigate Losses of Biodiversity from Nitrogen Pollution
    Related: Study: More CO2 in seas helps some shells
                    Greenhouse gas carbon dioxide ramps up aspen growth
West Africa's last giraffes make surprise comeback
Fight to protect California condors from lead ammunition moves to Arizona
Poached hammerhead fins traced to endangered populations
Unknowingly consuming endangered tuna
NOAA proposes critical habitat for Cook Inlet belugas
Maryland proposes expanded oyster sanctuary
Single Asian carp found in big fish kill
Millions of Pounds of Dead Carp for Sale in Utah
Idaho: Feds kill 7 wolves near Stanley
National parks seek share in discoveries -- Policy would allow system to benefit from profitable science
Feeding Birds in Winter Could Speed Evolution of Species
Revolutionary £45m film shows life in the oceans like never before

Discoveries about the natural world

'Killer Petunias' Should Join the Ranks of Carnivorous Plants, Scientists Propose
    More info: Murderous plants: Victorian Gothic, Darwin and modern insights into vegetable carnivory
Birds Call to Warn Friends and Enemies
Poisonous Catfish Described
Smallest orchid in the world found by accident (well it is only 2mm wide)
How a prehistoric 'super river' turned Britain into an island nation
GPS bolsters view that big Cascadia quakes could hit inland

Elusive triangular snowflakes explained
Hawaiian hot spot has deep roots
Supervolcano Eruption In Sumatra Deforested India 73,000 Years Ago
Major eruption in 1809 cooled the climate but went unnoticed

Weather and climate

Greenland ice loss behind a sixth of sea-level rise
Study: Northern Hemisphere could plunge into sudden ice age

Forests in the desert: the answer to climate change?

Environmental policy

New Endangered Species Listings Wait as Obama Admin Charts New Course

China Joins U.S. in Pledge of Hard Targets on Emissions
    Related: In a shift, India announces plan to slow pace of carbon emissions
Carbon storage rises higher as priority for nation's forests

Reversals Haunt Federal Health Agency

Energy

Honolulu to implement cooling with deep-sea water
A greener way to get electricity from natural gas
An energy answer in the shale below? New technology opens vast stores of natural gas, and the land rush is on
    Related: Pennsylvania: Sheer size and number of Marcellus Shale drill sites and truck traffic are altering Pa. land use
                   Pa. Residents Sue Gas Driller for Contamination, Health Concerns

Water

Sewers at Capacity, Pollution Spills Into Waterways Across The Nation

Chemical concerns, waste management, recycling

Six years later, gender-bending fish in our water supply remain a mystery
Case of the toxic gingerbread man
U.S.-made drywall now under scrutiny

Agriculture and food, livestock and pets

After Delays, Vaccine to Counter Bad Beef Tested
World's deadliest cattle disease, Rinderpest, could be wiped off the face of the planet in the next 18 months
Drought-Related Shrinking Processes Detected in Living Roots in the Soil for the First Time
Across U.S., Food Stamp Use Soars and Stigma Fades
Exploring a Low-Acid Diet for Bone Health

'Chicken' interrupts council meeting

Health and medicine, human behavior

Radical Multiple Sclerosis Theory Stirs Interest
The apnea and the ecstay -- Drug linked to nighttime breathing disorders
Mice Holding Back Muscular Dystrophy Research?
Blood Clot Threat After Surgery Worse Than Thought
Cancer screening: What could it hurt? A lot, actually
    Related: Mammography May Increase Breast Cancer Risk in Some High-Risk Women
CDC connects H1N1, severe bacterial infections
    Related: Vaccine system remains antiquated -- New production techniques are mostly years away
                    Is there a history lesson from the swine flu of '76?
                    In Ukraine, H1N1 pandemic sets off panic and politicking
U.S. set to fund more stem cell study
Smoking Exposure Now Linked to Colon, Breast Cancers
    Related: Smokeless Tobacco Called 'Moist Snuff' Is Contaminated With Harmful Substances, Study Finds
Bone regulators moonlight in the brain as fever inducers

Cavity Fighting Candy -- Oral Biologists Use Chemistry To Formulate Cavity Fighting Mints

We May Be Born With an Urge to Help
How we read: an investigation  (book review)
    More info: Humanity's greatest invention
                      Play on words

New Hopes on Health Care for American Indians
Healthcare: This debate is about values (opinion, David Brooks)

Education

Exams: More Competitors, Less Competition
Young Adults Who Exercise Get Higher IQ Scores
83 percent of U.S. adults fail test on nation's founding
    More info: What do you know about the American Revolution?

Law

Tracking sex-crime offenders gets trickier
Supreme Court hears case on lawyers' free-speech rights -- Firm challenges ban on certain advice to bankruptcy clients
Support for legalizing marijuana grows rapidly around U.S.
    Related: Using Marijuana in the fight against substance abuse

Archeology, art and history

A Lost European Culture, Pulled From Obscurity
Contested signs of mass cannibalism
China had bronze early on
Did American whalers discover the east coast of Australia before Captain Cook?
Bad Teeth Tormented Ancient Egyptians
Art collector finds Galileo's lost tooth, fingers
Italian officials unveiled new discoveries in an ancient Roman luxury complex
Book Calls Jewish People an ‘Invention’

National security, defense

C.I.A. Authorized to Expand Use of Drones in Pakistan
    Related: Between the Lines, an Expansion in Pakistan
                   Most New U.S. Forces for Afghanistan Will Be Sent to Taliban Stronghold in South
                   NATO allies commit 7,000 more troops to Afghanistan
                   Taliban Open Northern Front in Afghanistan
Conflict deepens crisis in Yemen
Iran restructuring its naval forces
Kenyans draw weapons over shrinking resources
Helium 3 Shortage Slows a Program to Detect Nuclear Bombs

Astronomy and cosmology, spaceflight

Astronomy Picture of the Day: NGC 253 -- Dusty Island Universe

The universe's past, in close-up -- Three giant new telescopes, many times stronger than any existing today
Star outweighed any known in Milky Way

Physics, chemistry and materials science, mathematics

A Window That Washes Itself? New Nano-Material May Revolutionize Solar Panels and Batteries, Too
Lasers Used to Make First Boron-Nitride Nanotube Yarn

Computers and software, the Internet

'Augmented reality' fuses the Web and the world around you
Google adds translation to main search engine

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