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Trade your house for a pet dinosaur

T-rex courtesy of Ryan North

Here's what the new post-crash barter economy looks like: People are trading housing for dinosaur services.

From Vancouver Craigslist:

Do you own more than one property? Do you have so many rental homes with no mortgage payments, yet you still feel unfulfilled? Tired of your illegal tenants whining that there are rats in the walls? Have you always wanted your own dinosaur? Now is your chance my friend.

Brace yourself for more stink bugs

Here's one invasive species that's never going to end up on an invasivore menu: the brown marmorated stink bug. (This is actually the most appetizing photo I could find.) They smell when you squish them, they get all up in your house, and they ruined $37 million worth of fruit crops last year. And they're likely to make an even bigger mess this year as they migrate into warmer climates.

Sand kitten gives hope for near-extinct species, is ridiculously cute

The Israeli sand cat is extinct in the wild, so its only hope is breeding programs in captivity. The birth of this stupifyingly cute fuzzball at Safari Zoo in Tel Aviv is therefore really good news — it could help put the species on the path to recovery and reintroduction. But mostly we just like to look […]

Oil monarch's $1.5 billion Star Trek theme park will run on green energy

King Abdullah of Jordan is probably the world's richest Star Trek fan, which explains why he's able to drop the GDP of Burundi on a theme park to celebrate his pop culture obsession.

Wind turbines are about to become way more awesome

Wind power is pretty bad-ass to begin with, but conventional wisdom is that it's a "mature" technology that, unlike solar and other breakthrough energy technologies, won't be seeing much improvement in the coming decades. WRONGITY WRONG WRONG.

Turns out Nature, like Wall Street, is also bankrupt

If you thought it was just your pension fund that was in the toilet, you'd best break out the plunger, 'cause you've got an entire planet that will shortly be following it down the loo. Check out this infographic:

What life is like inside the Fukushima evacuation zone

Photographer Max Hodges has a photo essay on Google+ about his travels in the Fukushima evacuation zone. This mysterious ninja, Shoji Kobayashi, had been living there since the nuclear disaster began, gardening and trying to salvage tsunami-damaged keepsakes. 

Critical List: Al Gore curses about climate skepticism; garden thieves steal tomatoes

Sometimes even Al Gore can’t resist cursing when he talks about climate skeptics. Listen here.

EPA's scientific integrity policy doesn't do a particularly good job at its intended purpose: protecting scientists from political influence.

Heavy-duty trucks have to meet fuel efficiency standards too. No word yet on monster trucks.

Healthy eating is hard but not impossible for low-income Americans

There's a new study out purporting to show that healthy eating is a privilege of the rich. But it's possible to eat well on a tight budget, and it would be easier if we put smart policies in place.

Why Washington state's coal fight matters

Activists in the Northwest are fighting plans to build a coal-export terminal in Washington state. The outcome of this battle could have lasting, substantial effects on China's energy habits and emissions.