There has been a lot of speculation, and growing concern, about the possible health effects of cell-phone use—ranging from questions about cell-phone safety and whether cell phones generate enough low-frequency radiation to cause cancer, to evidence that people who use their cell phones while driving are putting themselves and others at risk.

Now, according to a story in The Washington Post, it turns out that cell phones are posing another serious risk to human health, by preventing researchers and policymakers from getting the information they need to identify health problems and to make essential public health decisions. Read more...

Lately, we hear a lot of predictions about future energy shortages. Yet, while energy is certainly important, oil and electricity can’t hold a candle to food when it comes to sustaining life. And scientists now are predicting that food soon may be in short supply for billions of people worldwide.

According to a study published in the journal Science, half of the world’s population could face severe food shortages by the end of this century, as rising temperatures reduce crop yields in the tropics and when the population is expected to be double what it is now.

"You can let it happen and painfully adapt, or you can plan for it,” said David Battisti, a scientist at the University of Washington who led the study. “You could also mitigate [climate change] and not let it happen in the first place, but we're not doing a very good job of that." Read more...

One of the favorite arguments put forth by environmental critics is that doing almost anything to protect, preserve or clean up the environment will lead to corporate hardship and economic catastrophe. While there is ample evidence to disprove that claim, it is worth noting that there are often times when the opposite is true, when failing to address environmental issues can have dire economic consequences. Read more...

The world’s oceans are changing—irrevocably in many cases, not always for the better, and often as a direct result of human impact—according to a series of nine articles that comprise “a special report on the sea” by the Economist.

The evidence is everywhere—from severely depleted fisheries, to widespread coral bleaching and the increasing incidence of red tides and other harmful algae blooms, to rising sea levels that threaten coastal cities and island nations.

Although human life depends on the sea to a large extent, we often abuse the sea as much as we use it, from dumping rubbish and raw sewage into its waters to destroying marine life, increasing ocean acidity, and contributing to global warming. Today, nations are vying with each other for control not only of the sea itself, but also of the ocean floor and the minerals buried beneath it. Read more...