Climate change is gator aid: First it was tree-destroying bark beetles and dengue-carrying mosquitoes heading to more northern latitudes thanks to global warming. Now the eastern seaboard has to worry about alligators. The giant reptiles already roam as far north as North Carolina and might even be setting up shop in Virginia as we speak. Dog lovers, you better shorten Fido’s leash. Golfers, watch out for those water hazards. Gator wrestlers, start stretching. Slate
King Corn's empire spreads: Since 2006, Midwestern farmers have converted nearly two million acres of grassland to corn and soy fields — a land conversion rate that would make loggers in Brazilian and Indonesian rainforests blush. This agricultural takeover is what corn-ethanol mandates combined with federally subsidized crop insurance will get you. Throw off your shackles, kale and chard! Rise from your organic gardens and defeat this monstrous tyrant! Mother Jones
Mischievous metal: Bright idea of the day: to avoid enormous nuclear explosions, a la Fukushima, replace some of the zirconium in the reactor core with ceramic. Turns out when zirconium heats up, it releases hydrogen, and hydrogen has this nasty tendency to well, explode. You listening, Indian Point? New York Times
Whale wars heat up: According to activists from Sea Shepherd, a Japanese whaling ship has illegally rammed two of the marine conservation group’s vessels along the Antarctic coastline. Despite the collision, Sea Shepherd seems to be gaining ground in at least one respect: Japanese whalers are expected to kill just 300 whales this year, far less than the 1,000 they typically take. No word on how the Japanese fishing fleet intends to make up the shortfall, but don’t be surprised if it’s a long year for bluefin tuna. The Guardian
Murky math: Everyone’s favorite oil company has struck a deal with the Justice Department to avoid penalties on the barrels of crude that it was able to recapture during the 2010 oil spill. This agreement could save BP billions of dollars in fines, which hinge on how much oil actually flowed into the Gulf. The company and the government, however, still disagree over how much spilled oil there actually was, with the feds saying that 4.9 million barrels spilled and BP claiming the figure was 20 percent less than that. Washington Post
Candid camera: Thanks to a long-term camera trapping project by the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network, scientists know a lot more about how baboons, jaguars, elephants, ocelots, and countless other animals spend their days. Uganda’s gorillas seem to have it best — they apparently spend their days in carefree bliss, putting random objects in their mouths and scratching their bellies in a place called the Impenetrable Forest. (Which demands the question, how did the camera get there…?) Wired Science
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