Over-driven: why our cars guzzle gas, what to do about it - Ars Technica - Jonathan M. Gitlin

From more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico to tapping the strategic oil reserve, politicians and pundits spar daily over the best solution to America's ongoing fuel crisis. But no matter which side of the fence they're on, almost everyone can agree on one thing: Americans are going to have to get used to paying more for their gas than they have in years past; possibly much more. The specter of permanently higher gas prices has already driven consumers and automakers to take a long, hard look at the fuel economy ratings on the vehicles that Americans own and produce, and what they've found has sparked an aggressive search for ways to squeeze more miles out of each gallon. In this brief article, I'll take a look at why the current American auto fleet is so inefficient, and at what's being done to improve it.

more ...

Where Is Human Evolution Heading? - U.S. News & World Report

If you judge the progress of humanity by Homer Simpson, Paris Hilton, and Girls Gone Wild videos, you might conclude that our evolution has stalled—or even shifted into reverse. Not so, scientists say. Humans are evolving faster than ever before, picking up new genetic traits and talents that may help us survive a turbulent future.

more ...

How Did Life on Earth Get Started? - U.S. News & World Report

On an arid outcropping of basalt in northwestern Australia, some of the oldest rocks on Earth lie exposed to the fierce sun. Formed at the bottom of an ancient ocean, this volcanic material shelters what one scientist calls the "oldest robust evidence" of life. At a scientific meeting at Rockefeller University in May, Roger Buick of the University of Washington said that the 3.5 billion-year-old rocks hold traces of carbon that once made up living organisms.

more ...

Will Respirators Help Our Olympic Athletes? - Slate

Four members of the U.S. Olympic cycling team sparked outrage Tuesday when they disembarked in Beijing wearing masks covering their mouths and noses. The U.S. Olympic Committee has issued several hundred respirators to its athletes to use as they prepare to compete at the Games. Will those masks actually help?

more ...

U.S. Cyclists Are Masked, and Criticism Is Not - NY Times

After months of speculation about how Olympic athletes would react to the air quality problems here, some answers arrived at the airport Tuesday, when four track cyclists on the United States team stepped off their flight wearing masks over their mouths and noses.

more ....