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The universe is three-dimensional.

The universe is three-dimensional.

Pluto may not be a full-fledged planet anymore, but it's got its share of moons. Including a tiny moon just recently spotted by astronomers.

Singer Amy Winehouse's fame and infamy have now been forever linked to one word: rehab. She is only one of many recent high-profile cases in which attempts at rehabilitation from substance abuse failed. Amidst strange public outbursts earlier this year, actor Charlie Sheen asserted that it was not rehab, but rather he, himself, that had been his secret weapon against abusing cocaine and booze

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By Sid Perkins of Nature magazine Climate change could increase the number of large wildfires in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, and the surrounding region in the coming decades. [More]

By Geoff Brumfiel of Nature magazine GRENOBLE, FRANCE When its experiments started in earnest earlier this year, many scientists hoped that the world's most powerful collider would turn up new particles, additional dimensions and perhaps even a small black hole or two. [More]

Prolonged dry conditions from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic this summer has some farmers concerned about how it will impact their crops. The corn crop, an important staple along the parched agricultural zone extending from Iowa to Pennsylvania, is already being affected.

A crash involving two trains and a fire aboard a long-distance bus in China caused a total of 80 deaths in a two-day period late last week, raising questions about that nation's safety culture. [More]

Dear EarthTalk : I have a carpet made out of recycled PET bottles in my baby’s room and I started noticing a lot of the fibers on our clothes and even in my mouth! Is it dangerous for me or my baby to be in contact with and possibly ingest these fibers? -- Ashley Riccaboni, via e-mail

Today we are starting a new feature on the Scientific American Blog Network. [More]

For the background on what Open Lab is, see this post. [More]

Two decades ago individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) had an average life expectancy of less than 30 years. A serious hereditary disorder that makes breathing and digestion difficult, cystic fibrosis still cannot be cured, but several drugs and supportive health regimens have helped extend the life span of many people to 40 years or more.

Girls and the rest of us aside, diamonds can be a geologist's best friend--especially if that geologist has a mass spectrometer and is looking for clues about what Earth looked like billions of years ago. [More]

By Ewen Callaway of Nature magazine One of the coral species hit hardest by climate change has become the first to have its genome published. [More]