"Long before the first winter frost, hundreds of drinking fountains in Chicago parks have been shut off after testing revealed high levels of brain-damaging lead in the water."
"Tasmanian devils have developed a natural immune response to the deadly facial tumour disease, confirming research that suggested the animals were rapidly evolving in response to the overwhelming threat."
"NASA has all but declared this year to be the hottest yet recorded, after September narrowly turned out the warmest in modern temperature monitoring."
"The United States expects Islamic State to use crude chemical weapons as it tries to repel an Iraqi-led offensive on the city of Mosul, U.S. officials say, although adding that the group's technical ability to develop such weapons is highly limited."
"The scale of a cholera outbreak in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew may be underreported because remote areas are cut off, a United Nations official in charge of controlling the disease said on Tuesday, adding protests over slow aid made the problem worse."
"Venezuela has no shortage of problems, but one of the more curious is its cheap prices at the gas pump. ... Venezuela is hardly the only developing country wasting oil and natural gas with consumer subsidies."
"Unanimous ruling against seizing private land for gas storage has potential implications for at least one major proposed fracking-related pipeline across the state."
"Currently there are no federal regulations on gas storage. A federal task force aims to change that in the wake of the largest-known release of climate-changing methane in US history."
"The third presidential debate, scheduled for Wednesday, might seem like a rerun. Chris Wallace, the moderator and an anchor for Fox News, has chosen topics familiar from previous debates, including debt, immigration, foreign affairs, the economy and the Supreme Court. Notably missing is any mention of climate change, which was also almost ignored in the earlier debates."
"Researchers estimate the United States economy takes a $340 billion hit annually as endocrine-disrupting compounds lower IQs, increase behavior problems and exacerbate health woes like obesity and diabetes."
