GMUh-oh: Defenders of genetically modified food often point out that GMOs have never been proven to cause harm. But a team of French researchers is calling that assertion into question. Their research finds rats that ate Roundup Ready corn experienced mammary tumors, kidney and liver damage, and premature death (that last one sounds especially bad). Although the experiment’s sample size was too small to draw firm conclusions, Tom Philpott says that the paper “shows beyond a doubt that further study is needed.” In the meantime, shopping at your farmer’s market may lessen anxiety over those rat deaths. Mother Jones
Pollution does not compute: All those hours spent watching cat videos on YouTube damage more than our brain cells and eyesight. The vast data centers that information companies like Google and Facebook use to house their servers take a steep environmental toll, from the billions of watts they waste to their numerous air quality violations. So, next time you save your data to "the cloud," visualize a bank of smog. (To read about a possible cleaner alternative, see "How Cool Is That?") New York Times
Downcast in DC: The world has gotten a little less cuddly with the death of the National Zoo’s new panda cub over the weekend, less than a week after its birth on September 16. In happier news, this little guy at the San Diego Zoo is still going strong. The Guardian
Chemical consequences: When it comes to toxic three-letter chemicals, DDT, BPA, and PCBs hog the spotlight. But don’t forget about PPB, the flame retardant that Michigan Chemical accidentally mixed in with cattle feed and shipped out to farmers across the state in 1973. Forty years later, scientists are beginning to figure out the long-term health impacts of eating the contaminated beef, which include breast cancer and thyroid problems. As for the place where PPB was manufactured, it remains the biggest Superfund site in the Great Lakes region. Detroit Free Press
Zombie pipeline rises again: Construction on the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline –– the tar sands-carrying monster once briefly thought mostly dead –– has begun in Texas. Ahhh! Shoot it in the head! Shoot it in the head! Or for this extension of the pipeline, shoot it in the foot? Washington Post
Goodbye, gorillas?: Congo’s government recently announced that it will consider allowing oil companies to drill within Virunga National Park, one of the last refuges of mountain gorillas. Remember Congo, that Michael Crichton novel in which swarms of enraged apes attack the humans invading their jungle? Well, we wouldn’t blame Virunga’s gorillas if they decided to stage a re-enactment. But in reality, these peaceful primates won't be much of a match for poachers and habitat degradation. Reuters
Change on the range: Ranchers across the country are starting to come around to organic, holistic techniques, and Will Harris, a cattleman in southern Georgia, is one such enlightened cowboy. Atlanta Journal Constitution
Schools back in session: The oceans are fast running out of fish, but thanks to tough regulations, catches in the United States reached a 17-year high last year, a sign that many depleted stocks may be on the road to recovery. Whether America’s success is exportable to the rest of the world –– we’re looking at you, Japan –– is another story. Washington Post
Natural selection: Nurturing an intimate connection with wildlife and the environment is healthy. Nurturing a physical connection with a tiger in its enclosure at the Bronx Zoo is less so. Los Angeles Times
Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
Image: WayTru
