Shrinkage: Scientists have been predicting this for awhile, but now that it's arrived, they're no less disturbed: Arctic sea ice this summer shrank to the lowest extent ever recorded. Why's that so scary? Well, the polar bears, Inuit, and others who live on sea ice certainly have reason to be worried as the ground melts out from under them. And for the rest of us, less ice in the Arctic means more rapid worldwide warming, shifting weather patterns, and lots of other uncertainty. One thing that is certain: we ignore what happens at the ends of the earth at our own peril. Climate Central
Unusual suspects: Who's against hydrofracking for natural gas? One fracking fan describes his opponents as nothing but a bunch of "ideological blowhards" and "leftist loonies." But that sure doesn't sound like the opposition gathering in New York state, where you'll find a wide range of people who worry about the impact of fracking pollution on their communities: a Vietnam vet who likes Glenn Beck, a Texan with a "sweet, commonsense lilt," a geologist, a financier-turned-artisanal cheese-maker, and more. Village Voice
Train's a-comin' -- eventually: California's rail authority got the go-ahead from the federal government to build a bullet train from Los Angeles to San Francisco. (We previewed the plans back in 2009.) The rail may be high speed, but getting it built won't be -- the estimated completion date is 2017. Even though it's a little early, we still can't resist yelling: all aboard! Los Angeles Times
Hop in: After decades of advocacy for car pools, ride shares, and public transportation (anything to reduce the amount of traffic on the roads), there are signs of success: fewer people drove to work alone in 2011 than the year before. Most likely, the weak economy and high gas prices are responsible for the shift, but the environmental benefits are the same either way, and hopefully, good habits will continue when things improve. USA Today
Indecent exposure: Tuna melts are high on the list of foods that kids will eat without complaining, but according to a new study, the fish kids might be eating in school contains more mercury in it than it should -- so much so that a kid who eats two servings a week could be getting exposed to mercury at a level six times higher than the government says is allowable. Environmental Health News
Mean, green, capitalism machines: UCLA researchers found that companies that adhere to higher environmental standards have more productive employees. It's not clear that green-mindedness alone ups productivity, but polices that promote natural lighting, telecommuting, and keeping the air conditioning at a level higher than frigid probably don't hurt. FastCoExist
Broken food chain: Arachnophobes, steer clear of Guam. About 2 million brown tree snakes have stripped the island of its bird population, leaving spiders to thrive. They're everywhere. Also, they're big -- or at least, their webs are. NPR
Cute?: When you breed a lion and a tiger, you get a liger. When you breed a lion and a liger, you get a liliger. When you breed a ... OK, we're just gonna stop it there. Grist
