In July 2006, a monthlong triple-digit heat wave scorched California, killing more than 25,000 cattle and reducing dairy production in the region. Land O'Lakes Creameries, which normally produces six million liters of milk daily, was short 1.5 million liters per day. All told, experts estimate that the high temperatures caused $1 billion worth of dairy shortfalls. [More]

Many older adults might be driving under the influence without even knowing it. Common drugs--from painkillers to beta-blockers--can impair driving abilities by causing dizziness, sleepiness and even disorientation. But seniors, who are more likely to take them, are rarely aware of the risk, according to a recent report [pdf] by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (and highlighted today by the Wall Street Journal ). [More]

Researchers have found that trainee eye surgeons can significantly improve their surgical skills by regulating their own brainwave activity, using a process called neurofeedback.

Chemists are preparing to play an important but often unheralded role in determining the success of one of the largest and most important scientific experiments in history — next year's initial attempts at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to produce the world's first controlled nuclear fusion reaction. If successful in taming the energy source of the sun, stars, and of the hydrogen bomb, scientists could develop a limitless new source of producing electricity for homes, factories, and businesses.

Most melanomas detected in a general-practice dermatology clinic were found by dermatologists during full-body skin examinations of patients who had come to the clinic for different complaints, according to a new study. In addition, cancers detected by dermatologists were thinner and more likely to be in situ (only on the outer layer of skin) than were cancers detected by patients.

Scientists have shown for the first time that a tiny piece of RNA appears to play a major role in the development of invasive breast cancer and identified a gene that appears to inhibit invasive breast cancer.

Scientists have developed a technique that uses light to control protein behavior in cells and animals simply by shining light on the cells where they want the protein to be active.

Dear EarthTalk: What are some simple low cost improvements I can do to my home to make it greener? -- Stefan Lonce, via email

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Yes, people do really walk in circles --but only when stripped of important visual clues, such as the sun or moon, according to a paper published online today in Current Biology . [More]

Yes, people do really walk in circles --but only when stripped of important visual clues, such as the sun or moon, according to a paper published online today in Current Biology . [More]