NASA researchers studying urban landscapes say the intensity of the "heat island" created by a city depends on the ecosystem it replaced and on the regional climate where the city is located. Urban areas developed in arid and semi-arid regions show far less heating compared with the surrounding countryside than cities built amid forested and temperate climates.
Before the tobacco industry gave up the fight over the health effects of smoking, it was common for major cigarette manufacturers like Phillip Morris to fight advertising restrictions on their product in every possible way--even if that meant designing softball regulations that didn't regulate anything. Now researchers are reporting that alcohol manufacturers in Sub-Saharan Africa are following big tobacco's lead.
Discussion of the rise in diagnosed autism is a controversial topic, and I applaud one company that is sidestepping the entire 'why' and 'who is at fault' issue and tackling it like good capitalists. MSNBC writes about Aspiritech's program for training autistics in comp sci -- specifically the area of software testing, bug discovery, and data accuracy.  They write:
This is an experiment to stir up reaction: a significant proportion of the literature is misleading or false, tainting up to 20% of publications. What are the consequences?

1. The wastage of funds on research that is flawed and often misleading. Millions of dollars are spent on research  every year worldwide.

2. This situation is unnecessary, unacceptable, and the antithesis of fundamental scientific principles.

3. Loss of public support for science. The longer the current situation continues, the more likely it is to damage the credibility of science and risk the loss of public funding.