Catalytic reaction: Canadian scientists are putting down beakers and picking up pitchforks er ... picket signs today. They're taking to the streets of capital city Ottawa, in their white lab coats, to protest the government's sweeping cuts to research budgets and its "pro-industry ideology." The Guardian
Suburban flight: Climate change is definitely playing a big part in this year's early and fierce western wildfire season, but it's not the only factor. Another is the recent trend of suburbanites moving into fire-prone places. In Colorado, for instance, a quarter-million residents have moved into the aptly named "red zones" over the past two decades, as state land-use policies have opened up the areas to exurban residential development. TIME
Historic heat: Yeah, yeah it's been hot ... tell us something we don't know. According to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, the first half of 2012 has been the hottest ever, and the past 12 months have also been the hottest ever. And, oh yeah, the heat over the past year has been a "one in 1.6 million" event, which means "we should only see one more 13-month period so warm between now and 124,652 AD -- assuming the climate is staying the same as it did during the past 118 years." Weather Underground
Deadliest breath: A few weeks ago we pointed to a study suggesting "black lung" wasn't just a disease of the coal industry's past. This week, a West Virginia newspaper, the Center for Public Integrity, and NPR have teamed up to publish a series of stories about how the pulmonary condition has reemerged and still plagues our nation's coal miners. The Charleston Gazette
Hooked on gas: Sales of electric cars in the U.S. have been disappointing their producers, and right now President Obama's goal of having 1 million plug-ins on the road by 2015 seems like a fantasy. Curiously, the article blames "range anxiety" rather than the more obvious factor for why some potential buyers can't commit to an EV: the exorbitant prices. Detroit Free Press
Burns so good: We know finally what actually causes a sunburn. (Don't you dare say "the sun.") The "sunburn cascade" of redness, swelling, and blistering begins with damage to a little piece of RNA that as far as we know has no other function. But if we could figure out how to tinker with this RNA in order to stop this reaction, should we? Not necessarily. The sunburn itself might be the self-destruction of damaged cells that could potentially turn cancerous. So in a way, sunburns are healthy. That said, slather on that SPF already! Los Angeles Times
Al's spaceship: Triana, a satellite that could continuously monitor Earth and beam back images from 1 million miles away was Al Gore's brainchild in the 1990s. The plans for it -- having been stashed away in NASA's back rooms after Gore lost the 2000 presidential election -- have now resurfaced. If the space agency gets its wishes from Congress, Triana could be in deep orbit as early as 2014. (With Gore's name attached to the project? Good luck!) Boston Herald
Tarheel appeal: Apple, Google, and Facebook have all recently built massive data centers in North Carolina. Hmm ... why North Carolina? Here are ten reasons why the state has become so attractive to the companies, and wouldn't you know it, most of them have something to do with the environment or energy (see OnEarth's "How Cool Is That?"). Earth2Tech
