From Futurity:

Almost half of the ocean’s carbon fixation is done by eukaryotic phytoplankton, despite the fact that their presence is significantly less than the more abundant blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacteria, that grow in vast numbers in the sunlit surface waters of the oceans (the photic zone),  use sunlight to “fix” carbon [...]

Oil from the BP oil spill has reached the coast of Louisiana and the first oiled bird was found. The most recent update from NOAA on the spill outlines the threat and projects the main slick will reach coastal wetlands in the region this weekend:

Today the Deepwater Horizon incident declared a Spill of National [...]

The recent minor oil spill on the GBR is really small potatoes compared to the growing threats to marine and coastal wildlife from the 42,000 gallons of crude pouring from an offshore oil well every day.  The oil platform exploded and sunk last week in the Gulf of Mexico. The well is 5000 ft. [...]

From the BBC

Scientists in Australia have designed a cane toad “sausage” that could help protect vulnerable predators from the poisonous toads.

The researchers developed the sausage as a bait that could help train animals to avoid eating the large toads.

They employed “taste aversion learning” – adding a nausea-inducing drug to cane toad [...]

I have been sort of collecting these essays about how scientists are mucking up our attempts to communicate with the public.  This is, so far, my favorite.  Sharon Begley is a longtime and very talented science writer who recently returned to Newsweek.

I love a few of her lines. Read the full essay here.

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