A new survey from the American Lung Association has revealed the most polluted cities in America. Which cities topped the list? Pittsburgh ranked the highest in short-term pollution, but Los Angeles proved to be the most polluted on a year-round basis, as well as in terms of smog or ozone. Time to whip out the gas mask? If you want to know whether your city made the list, follow the "read more" link below.

Promising development to protect the atmosphere is underway, as NASA just shed light on the launch of its Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS). What's believed to be the most extensive field campaign ever to study the chemistry of the Arctic's lower atmosphere, the project employs three airborne laboratories that intends to explain how pollutants cause climate changes in the Arctic sea. Fly to the full article for more details.

Looking for a car that's as stylish as it is eco-friendly? Then the hydrogen-powered Lifecar is just for you, with its sleek profile and zero-noise (as well as zero-pollution) engine. Developed by a consortium of UK companies and universities, the Lifecar offers top-class performance and looks - and you won't feel the least bit guilty when you're tearing down the road at its top speed, with the car's exhaust consisting of nothing but water vapor. Check out the full article for more details.

Apparently, two new amphibians have been identified to be in danger of extinction. The specie of the Olm, a blind giant salamander, and the Gardiner's Seychelles frogs have their numbers dwindling down to almost zero due to human activities and global warming.

These rather bizarre amphibians are closely being watched by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE). Details on their status in the full article.

 A 46 centimeter (18 inch) fossilized claw of a prehistoric scorpion was recently unearthed at a quarry site in Germany. The huge claw found once belonged to an ancient sea scorpion 8 feet in length!

Want to know more of this nightmarish creature? Read more in the full article.

Care to take a dip at a local beach? Maybe you'll think twice as this bit of news warns us of something quite disturbing: U.S. beaches are polluted. That really isn't news to us, but it's the type of pollution that's a bit surprising. According to a group of experts from Johns Hopkins University, the beaches are polluted with pathogens from... er - poo.

International science magazine New Scientist reports of a recent study by public health expert Thaddeus Gracyzk and some of his colleagues. They tested water taken from Maryland's beaches twice a week for almost three months back in 2006. The water was tested for Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia, a couple of protozoans found in human feces. Both of the said protozoans can cause severe gastrointestinal problems, some might even lead to death.

They found that 30% of samples taken during weekdays had pathogens while it shoots up to 60% on weekends. According to the study, the level changes are proportional to the "bathers in the water."

Where'd all the poo come from? According to Gracyzk, bathers can upset the sediment where the microbes rest - either coming from sewage or from surface run-off after heavy rains.

With international concern for climate change snowballing to pressure industrialized nations to come clean, ethanol is perhaps the most popular solution being touted by scientists and politicians. But some environmentalists and the National Research Center beg to differ.

Ethanol is derived mainly from raw crops such as corn and emits very little pollutants when used as automotive fuel. This would be a logical alternative to fossil fuels, but some scientists say that we'll end up moving the pollution from the air to the Earth's hydrosphere.

For President Bush's plan of increasing ethanol production 300 percent by 2017 to happen, huge amounts of corn crops must be planted to serve the industry.

This could pose a threat to water systems because a huge amount of nitrogen-based fertilizers and pesticides would be used to grow the crops. These fertilizers and pesticides are likely to eventually find their ways into the water of streams, rivers and seas, damaging the ecosystem as a result of microorganism casualties with a chain effect hitting bigger species.

Food supplies in developing nations may also be compromised as they struggle to produce and allocate the crops needed for human and fuel consumption.

Finally, the availability of water to irrigate a huge amount of crops was questioned by the National Research Center report. Not only will it be difficult to find means to water huge tracts of land, it was also a concern as to what quality of water will eventually come out of fields saturated by fertilizers. "From a water quality perspective, it is vitally important to pursue policies that prevent an increase in total loadings of nutrients, pesticides, and sediments to waterways," conclude the experts.

"So long and thanks for all the fish," said a dolphin in a memorable scene in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This was the final farewell of dolphins as they left the planet, because man failed to listen to their warning of impending doom.

This may not be the appropriate epitaph for the Yangtze River Dolphin, but it states clearly how mankind fails to listen as yet another great species is wiped off the face of the Earth.

After scouring the Yangtze river for six weeks in search of the dolphin, called the Baiji, marine biologists found not even a single one. The expedition's goal was to find and place the dolphins within a sanctuary and breeding program but was unfortunately too late.

A year after failing to find a single specimen, the Baiji was officially declared extinct, and its demise was laid on the hands of the great number of container ships and fisherman in the river, whose nets and hooks were the cause of more than half of the dead Baiji in the river.  Pollution and the creation of the dam blocked off most of their food supply. All of these factors could have been avoided with the proper precautions but instead man is again responsible for the extinction of another species.

The Yangtze river dolphin's extinction marks the first of the cetacean family (the same family of whales and dolphins) to be wiped off because of human activity. The dolphin was special in its own way and had its own family branch. Sam Turvey of the Zoological Society of London, who led the expedition to find the dolphin, said:

The loss of such a unique and charismatic species is a shocking tragedy. This extinction represents the disappearance of a complete branch of the evolutionary tree of life and emphasises we have yet to take full responsibility in our role as guardians of the planet. [...] There is a lot of interest now in the baiji - but it has come too late. Why does no one pay attention to a species until there are none left? We really have to use the baiji as a wake-up call to act immediately to prevent it happening again.

The Baiji's death marks the fourth mammal family to become extinct because of humans. There would come a time when there are too many extinctions to mourn and too little left to protect, and all of it weighs on the shoulders of mankind. If not for other species, perhaps man should reconsider its priorities before it starts threatening itself.

Some people believe that it does, including a number of restaurants. One such establishment in California, Chez Panisse, eschewed bottled water in favor of filtered tap water. "For us, it's about doing the right thing," said Chez Panisse general manager Michael Kossa-Rienzi. Many other fine-dining establishments have joined this cause as well.

It's not that the bottled water itself directly affects the environment - it's the fumes and gases generated by the manufacturing process of bottled water, and the fuel consumed by transporting these to stores that contribute to pollution.

Shipping bottled water, which is heavier than most other commodities, expends more fuel. ABC News also calculated that drinking 1 liter of bottled water in Chicago which was transported from France amounts to consuming about 2 ounces of fuel oil. And this estimate does not include the oil used to make the plastic. By contrast, delivering tap water use little or no fuel at all.

Ruth Caplan of Sierra Caplan offers more numbers to chew on regarding bottled water harming the environment."Each year, people are drinking 30 billion throwaway bottles of water," she said. "If you put them end to end, it would go around the world more than 150 times." She adds that 4 out of 5 plastic water bottles end up in landfills instead of getting recycled.

In an effort to curb the pollution problem - as well as save taxpayers' money - even San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered local city departments not to buy bottled water.

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), however, reminds people that bottled water also helps the environment. IBWA member Stephen Kay says that bottled water promotes the use of lighter and biodegradable plastics, as well as encourages the habit of recycling (ever notice the recycling-related symbols on bottled water and other packaged beverages?).

He also points out that it is quite unfair that bottled water is singled out among many other packaged consumables reportedly threatening the environment, and that people are also making a mistake by not looking at the big picture when it comes to preserving the environment.

Wind power is becoming popular as the world combats the effects of pollution. Countries all around the globe are beginning to look toward renewable, alternative forms of producing electricity. One such country to hop on the band wagon is Turkey.

It has recently been reported that another wind park, this time powered by G.E. Wind turbine technology, is coming up. With 52 turbines churning out 130-megawatts of renewable energy, this is the largest wind-power project undertaken by the country.

The energy produced by this park, which is estimated at 500 million kilowatt-hours annually, will be purchased by independent power consumers. "Renewable energy interests are a priority for our company, and the new Bahce project with GE is a major step toward our goal," said Ahmet Zorlu, Chairman of the Zorlu Group, owner of the wind park.

As a trend, wind energy today costs at most a fifth of what it used to back in the 80s. However, this is offset by the increasing installation costs for each park. However, investments in renewable energy pay for themselves in the long run, and we can expect more parks like these in the years to come.