Beyond Food and Drugs, Biotech Fights Pollution

On the site of a former hat factory in Danbury, Conn., a stand of genetically altered cottonwood trees sucks mercury from the contaminated soil. Across the continent in California, researchers use transgenic Indian mustard plants to soak up dangerously high selenium deposits caused by irrigation of the nation's bread basket. >> Read the Full Article

Solar Power May Trim Cost of Cleaning Brackish Water

Salt, sewer waste and other impurities can be removed from water by forcing it through a very fine filter or membrane -- a process called reverse osmosis. The process requires intense pressure, which is usually created using electricity. >> Read the Full Article

Russia Halts Surveying on Pacific Oil Pipeline Skirting World's Biggest Freshwater Lake

Russia's natural resources ministry said Thursday that surveying work for an oil pipeline to Asian markets had been halted around Lake Baikal, the world's biggest freshwater lake, over ecology fears. >> Read the Full Article

Honda Leases First Fuel Cell Vehicle to a Family

A Los Angeles family became the first in the United States to lease a hydrogen-powered car from Honda Motor Co. Ltd. as the company introduces consumers to the zero-emission technology. >> Read the Full Article

140,000 People Flee Flooded Homes as Heavy Monsoon Rains Lash Eastern India

Heavy monsoon downpours lashed eastern India on Thursday, submerging vast areas in the eastern state of Orissa and forcing around 140,000 people to flee their homes and move to higher ground. >> Read the Full Article

GreenShift Acquires Stake in Ethanol Oil Recovery Systems

GreenShift Corporation today announced the completion of its investment in Ethanol Oil Recovery Systems, LLC. >> Read the Full Article

Hopi Plan Action against Forest Service

"I am disappointed but not at all surprised at this latest decision of the Forest Service to uphold the desecration of Nuvatukyaovi (San Francisco Peaks)," Hopi Chairman Wayne Taylor said. Southwestern Regional Forester Harv Forsgren affirmed the decision by Coconino National Forest Supervisor Nora Rasure, which approved expansion and snow production from recycled water at the Arizona Snowbowl on San Francisco Peaks. >> Read the Full Article

WHO Launches Project to Minimize Risks of Radon

In an effort to reduce the rate of lung cancer around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) is launching the International Radon Project to help countries reduce the health risks associated with radon gas. >> Read the Full Article

E-Tagging of Pygmy Elephants Helps Study

Crouched in the vine-tangled forest of Borneo, where the brightest part of the day seems like dusk, Elis Tambing finally got the elusive animal in his laser sight and fired. The pink-quilled dart found its mark: the rump of the female pygmy elephant, a unique and endangered animal found only in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo Island. >> Read the Full Article

Bush Says Kyoto Treaty Would Have Hurt Economy

President Bush said in a Danish TV interview aired Thursday that adhering to the Kyoto treaty on climate change would have "wrecked" the U.S. economy. "Kyoto would have wrecked our economy. I couldn't in good faith have signed Kyoto," Bush told the Danish Broadcasting Corp., noting that the treaty did not include other nations -- including India and China -- that he called "big polluters." >> Read the Full Article