Mountain pine beetles appear to be doing more than killing large swaths of forests in the Rocky Mountains. Scientists suspect they are also altering local weather patterns and air quality.

In a potential boon for agriculture, a NASA-funded effort that involves NCAR and the private firm DTN/Meteorlogix has produced one of the world’s most accurate systems for predicting soil temperature up to two days in advance.

Research from MIRAGE (Megacities Impacts on Regional and Global Environments), a field campaign held in Mexico City in 2006, is coming to fruition as scientists begin to publish their findings. A new paper details the ozone “weekend effect” in Mexico City and its implications for local air pollution.

Plants in a forest respond to stress by producing significant amounts of a chemical form of aspirin, scientists have discovered.

This year is proving unusually active for Atlantic storms. The hurricane season is only at its midpoint, but already there have been 10 named storms—which is the average number for an entire year.