What Is Russia Up To?

Europe is showered in radioactive particles… and they may have come from Russia RADIATION levels across Europe have risen mysteriously – and Russia may be behind the baffling phenomenon. German scientists say there has been a slight increase in the amount of particles of… www.thesun.co.uk

Dark Side of Genetically Engineered Crops

The problem with any sort of natural engineering is that evolution will eventually find a way around it. This is an arms race that must be approached thoughtfully. How can we sufficiently control pests without applying so much pressure that it becomes advantageous to circumvent the controls?

Pest resistance to biotech crops surging: A new global assessment helps scientists explain why cases of pest resistance to genetically engineered crops increased by more than fivefold in the past decade, yet some pests remain suppressed Pest resistance to genetically engineered crops Bt crops is evolving faster now than before, researchers show in the most comprehensive study to date. But as expected from evolutionary theory, resistance can be delayed if farmers comply with recommendations to make use of abundant refuges. www.sciencedaily.com

Anti-Abortion Laws Don't Work

In policy debates, it's always useful to have actual cases to which one can refer and possibly learn. Mexico is a poster-child of what happens under strict abortion laws.
Mexico and Latin America have some of the world's strictest laws and consequently have some of the world's highest abortion rates. If one genuinely wants to limit the number of abortions, making them illegal not only fails but makes the numbers higher than they would be otherwise.

Cause for Permian Extinction Found

Another of those geologic mysteries bites the dust. During the time of the eruptions, sedimentary deposits in the area that would eventually become West Texas and New Mexico were laid down. These would eventually be transformed into one of the most productive set of oil fields in the nation.

Siberian volcanic eruptions caused extinction 250 million years ago, new evidence shows The Great Permian Extinction, which occurred approximately 250 million years ago, was caused by massive volcanic eruptions that led to significant environmental changes, new evidence shows. www.sciencedaily.com