Latest Articles

Lawyers go after processed food industry with tactics that worked on Big Tobacco

In an effort to supplant government regulation, a group of high-profile lawyers plans to use the financial costs of obesity and diabetes to sue large processed food companies.

Bill Koch is building a cool Wild West town and you can’t come

The billionaire oil magnate's faux town will never be open to the public.

Here is an otter that is smarter than Todd Akin

Like Rep. Todd Akin, Nellie the sea otter does not understand how human reproduction works. But she’s never said anything offensive about rape, plus she can stack three cups! She should probably run for Congress.

Phase-Out of the Federal Wind Tax Credit a Good Thing?

Energy and Environment News has a very long story on a new angle for the federal wind tax credit debate: a phaseout. This article raises several issues, apart from that policy strategy, that are worth a quick discussion. 1. Why Would Wind Compete with Natural Gas? The article waxes long about the trials of the […]

Yet another ship makes it through the ice-light Northwest Passage

Little did European explorers know that they only had to burn a shit ton of coal and then wait a bit in order to discover the fabled route.

2012 may not end up being the hottest year ever — just close

The world is hot, getting hotter, and generally getting hotter faster. But not uniformly, so that's good anyway.

America’s silent housing crisis calls for a fresh, greener approach

Habitat for Humanity has made a name for itself building new houses for poor people. Meanwhile, there is a silent crisis among those who can’t afford to keep up the homes they’re already in.

What did you do this weekend? Curiosity took pictures of itself and blew up a rock

It’s been a big weekend for the Curiosity rover. First, it took a new Facebook profile pic (with flattering shot-from-above camera angle, but thankfully free of duck lips). Actually, Curiosity shot this selfie on Aug. 7, but it was just released on Saturday. And somehow it’s even cooler, at least to me, than shots of […]

These dizzy cats would like you to turn up your thermostat to save energy

Kudos to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas — they really understand what the internet says about human psychology. Instead of even trying to use science, economics, or statistics to convince people to stop cooling their homes to 65 degrees while they’re at work, ERCOT is skipping all that nonsense and going straight to what […]

Miners bussed to Romney rally obviously hate Obama, Fox points out

Fox Nation declares that Ohio miners have "turned on" Obama after the mine workers' boss busses them to a Romney rally.