“Like death and taxes, there is a virtual certainty that Indiana bats will be harmed, wounded, or killed imminently by the Beech Ridge Project.”

US judge Roger Titus says a Chicago-based energy company needs a special permit before it can build any new wind turbines in Greenbrier County because the blades would slice up threatened bats (Washington Post).

“It’s a travesty that only a small fraction of tobacco settlement funds is actually being used to support tobacco prevention programs in states.”

Nancy Brown, chief executive of the American Heart Association, comments on a new report claiming that although revenues from tobacco taxes are up less money is being spent on antismoking initiatives (NY Times).

“Young adults who engage in casual sexual encounters do not appear to be at greater risk for harmful psychological outcomes than sexually active young adults in more committed relationships.”

Marla Eisenberg, of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and colleagues report on their study of the mental health impacts of so-called ‘Friends with Benefits’ relationships and the oft-repeated claim that “sexual encounters outside a committed romantic relationship may be emotionally damaging for young people” (Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health).

“Playing with dolphins is enormously seductive but there are long term consequences.”

Mark Orams, a marine biologist from Auckland Technical University, blames people for the increasingly aggressive behaviour of ‘Moko’, a dolphin who resides off the coast of Gisborne, New Zealand (Times).

“We are the targets of lies, damn lies and science and scientists are rapidly becoming as trustworthy as politicians.”

Rush Limbaugh is angry about … well … a lot of stuff, but mainly about scientists at the moment.