Archaeology & Paleontology

Recipe for Mass Extinction: Add Algae and Stir Controversy (LiveScience, Oct. 29)

Witch Bottle Discovered; Made to Ward Off Evil Spirits? (National Geographic News, Oct. 29)

Tree "Mummies" Found, Traced Back to Viking Era (National Geographic News, Oct. 28)

Were Eastern Canary Islands Wetter 50,000 Years Ago? [Fossil snail shells point to climate shifts.] (redOrbit, Oct. 28)

Environment

EU leaders seek to break deadlock on climate aid (Google/AP, Oct. 30)

U.N. Needs More Muscle In Environment Fight: Study (Planet Ark/Reuters, Oct. 30)

Global Warming Cycles Threaten Endangered Primate Species (Science Daily, Oct. 29)

Water Use in the US Less in 2005 Than in 1975 (ENN, Oct. 29)

Arctic Sediments Show 20th Century Warming Is An Unnatural Variation (Terra Daily, Oct. 29)

Aerosols make methane more potent (Nature News, Oct. 29)

China outperforms US on green issues (New Scientist, Oct. 29)

Denmark in climate deal warning (BBC News, Oct. 29)

Tuna ban 'justified' by science (BBC News, Oct. 29)

Exploration & Adventure

Reena on the polar express [First Indian woman to visit the South Pole.](Times of India, Oct. 30)

China's Antarctic expedition arrives at supply port in New Zealand (Xinhua, Oct. 29)

Copper clue may solve mystery of doomed Victorian Arctic expedition (Guardian.co.uk, Oct. 28)

Medicine & Health

Dieting 'keeps diabetes at bay' (BBC News, Oct. 29)

Swine Flu Hit Millions in Spring, Agency Says (N.Y. Times, Oct. 29) Site requires free registration

Genome firm finds gene for sneeze, but no diseases yet (New Scientist, Oct. 29)

Autoimmune disease cells harnessed to fight cancer (New Scientist, Oct. 29)

Globalization: Diseases Spreading From Humans To Animals, Study Finds (Science Daily, Oct. 28)

California Awards Grants for Research Projects in Nonembryonic Stem Cells (N.Y. Times, Oct. 28) Site requires free registration

Curry spice 'kills cancer cells' (BBC News, Oct. 28)

Peoples & Culture

Where do ghosts come from? (New Scientist, Oct. 30)

Why We Carve Pumpkins, Not Turnips (LiveScience, Oct. 29)

Internet Turns 40 Today: First Message Crashed System (National Geographic News, Oct. 29)

"Where Do Dust Bunnies Come From?" Finally, an Answer (ENN, Oct. 29)

Bad Driving May Have Genetic Basis, Study Finds (Science Daily, Oct. 29)

Grandma Plays Favorites (ScienceNOW, Oct. 28)

Natural Disasters & Weather

A New Wrinkle In Ancient Ocean Chemistry (Terra Daily, Oct. 30)

Typhoon Mirinae on track to hit flooded Manila (Yahoo!/AP, Oct. 30)

Hong Kong's ghostly seas warn of looming global tragedy (Terra Daily, Oct. 29)

Volcanoes Set The Stage For An Ice Age (Terra Daily, Oct. 29)

Global and U.S. Hazards/Climate Extremes (updated weekly on Wednesdays)

Earthweek: A Diary of the Planet [pdf] (updated late Fridays)

People & Places in the News

Yemen's water crisis a Mideast warning (Terra Daily, Oct. 29)

Getting enough sleep? They aren't in West Virginia (Yahoo!/AP, Oct. 29)

North Carolina Sea Levels Rising Three Times Faster Than In Previous 500 Years, Study Finds (Science Daily, Oct. 29)

Elephants run amok in Indonesia (Terra Daily, Oct. 28)

Plants & Animals

Polar bear plus grizzly equals? (BBC News, Oct. 30)

Frog embryos 'smell' predators (BBC News, Oct. 30)

Ancient Insect Offers Halloween Inspirations (Terra Daily, Oct. 29)

Amphibians rarely give earliest warning of pollution (Nature News, Oct. 29)

Stem Cells Changed Into Precursors For Sperm, Eggs (Science Daily, Oct. 29)

Trees Facilitate Wildfires As A Way To Protect Their Habitat (Science Daily, Oct. 29)

When Ants Attack: Chemicals That Trigger Aggression In Argentine Ants Synthesized (Science Daily, Oct. 29)

Starfish 'pump up' to cool down (BBC News, Oct. 28)

Science & Technology

Clever 'chopped' cars promise cheap electric commuting (New Scientist, Oct. 30)

.The Future of Video Game Input: Muscle Sensors (Yahoo!/LiveScience, Oct. 29)

Slim, warm superconductors promise faster electronics (New Scientist, Oct. 29)

Robot Armada Might Scale New Worlds (Science Daily, Oct. 28)

Space

Russia hopes nuclear ship will fly humans to Mars (Yahoo!/AP, Oct. 29)

7.3 Billion Years Later, Einstein’s Theory Prevails (N.Y. Times, Oct. 28) Site requires free registration

Nasa rocket launches successfully (BBC News, Oct. 28)

Stellar blast is record-breaker (BBC News, Oct. 28)

Lectures, Meetings, & Conferences

Sources:

Conference Calendar for Zoology (BIOSIS)

Meridian International Center Events

National Academy of Sciences Events

National Air and Space Museum Events

National Journal Daybook [includes environment-related events in Washington]

National Museum of Natural History Events

National Press Club

Smithsonian Resident Associate Programs