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Two hundred years ago it was enough to rely on natural advantages to build a great city. Cities were built on the intersections of rivers or along gentle bays that launched commerce and trade on mighty oceans. Those days are long gone.

While Irene is posing the greatest danger to lives this weekend, it is not the only tropical woe in the Atlantic Basin. Tropical Storm Jose is nearing Bermuda, while the formation of Katia may be on the horizon.

The future looks warmer for many major cities, that's clear--but perhaps you missed the part where it's also forecast to look wetter. Scientific measurements show that the quantity of rainfall that fell on the Northern Hemisphere intensified in the second half of the 20th century. At least some of that increase can be attributed to anthropogenic climate change, according to a recent study .

A look at whos taking vacation days, the greatest office pet peeves, what drives e-commerce sales, and other intriguing statistics time off Average number of vacation days employees receive annually: Portion of Americans who typically don't use all of their vacation days: 34% Average number of vacation days per U.S. employee that go unused: 3 Expedia e-commerce Amount spent shopping online in the first quarter of 2011: $38 billion (up 12 percent from the previous year) Share of online orders that include free shipping: 47% Portion of customers who say they are at least somewhat likely to cancel their order if free shipping isn't offered: 61% ComScore pet peeves Employee personal habits that business owners find most annoying: Manta office supplies Amount of paper used in U.S.

International scientists searching to solve the greatest riddle in all of physics said Monday that signs are fading of the elusive Higgs-Boson particle, which is believed to give objects mass.

Congrats. You scored a meeting with one of the largest potential clients that you've ever pitched.

The Dominican Republic produces the greatest number of non-Cuban cigars made today, and the company that started it all was La Aurora, which was founded by Eduardo Le

Federal regulators will require sunscreen manufacturers to test their products' effectiveness against sun rays that pose the greatest risk of skin cancer.

The mystery of human consciousness appears routinely as one of the greatest science problems of all time. One way to get a grip on this seemingly ineffable property would be to build a conscious machine.

What the world needs isn't more ideasit's better, more innovative systems for executing them, says author and ChangeLabs founder Peter Sheahan. More than a decade ago Peter Sheahan left his accounting job to work in a pub and manage a hotel in Sydney, Australia. Managing the staff of about 35 wasn't easy—especially difficult was relaying expectations to younger staff members

It has been written that: "At bottom, robotics is about us. It is the discipline of emulating our lives, of wondering how we work." So what can this week's crop of mechanistic marvels tell us about ourselves? Juggling robots Juggling is surely a human-only art

CNBC's Darren Rovell with details on what could be the greatest golf ball ever created, the Polara Golf ball, which guarantees a straight drive every time. But there's a catch. (CNBC)

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In which nations do moms enjoy the greatest well-being? The answer might surprise you

By Gwyneth Dickey Zakaib of Nature magazine On land, the pattern is a sadly familiar one: when an ecosystem is threatened, it is the large predators that usually suffer the greatest decline and therefore are most in need of protection. [More]