Romaine cause defies search (New York Times): Even in the era of Big Data, figuring out the origin of romaine lettuce contaminated by disease-causing E. coli bacteria remains elusive as the FDA slowly rolls out new safeguards for the food supply.
D.C. sprays potato pesticide on trees (WAMU-FM): Municipal workers in Washington spray a pesticide, known as Shield potato sprout inhibitor, on 800 female gingko trees each spring to prevent gingko fruit from maturing and emitting a nauseating stench.
Less land for the greater sage grouse (Washington Post): The Interior Department has proposed a reclassification of federal land to allow more oil, gas, and mineral development. The move would risk fragmenting the habitat of the greater sage grouse.
Will calorie counts mean fewer calories? (NPR): Consumer groups say that with the FDA’s menu-labeling rule in effect, Americans are likely to shift modestly toward lower-calorie foods, and restaurants will trim calories as new items go on the menu.
A dead zone the size of Florida (Yale Environment 360): One of the world’s largest marine dead zones encompasses nearly the entire Gulf of Oman, an area of 63,000 square miles.