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Rinse, Repeat -

The FDA “does not use statistically valid methods” to test for pesticide residues on food, says a new report by the Government Accountability Office. Although the FDA claims that pesticide violation rates are low, the agency checks less than one-tenth of 1 percent (quick math: that's < 0.1%, a really, really tiny amount) of imported fruits and vegetables for harmful residues. And the agency doesn’t test for many of the most common agricultural pesticides—including Roundup—at all. Washington Post

Masters of Disguise -

“To ensure that they get laid, the smaller males of the giant Australian cuttlefish (Sepia apama) sometimes become drag queens. Their trick is to impersonate females in both appearance and behavior. In the blink of an eye, their skin becomes mottled, they hide their masculine fourth pair of arms underneath their body, and they position their other arms like an egg-laying female.” —From "These Males Are Cheating Animals," by Alex Riley for Nautilus, on the incredible lengths animals will go to in the quest to pass on their genes

Is There an Echo in Here? -

With industry itching for a vote on the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline in the wake of Tuesday's GOP gains in Congress, the White House faces a steady drumbeat of questions about a veto. Wednesday, President Obama told reporters he wanted to let the State Department's environmental review "process play out." Thursday, a White House spokesman said again that Congress should let the process play out. Wonder what the answer will be on Friday? National Journal

Trust Issues -

“A recent survey by the National Science Foundation found that a quarter of Americans did not know if the earth moved around the sun or vice versa. Meanwhile, 33 percent of Americans deny the reality of evolution and still believe that humans and the rest of the animal kingdom have always existed in their present form. Americans have extremely high expectations of and confidence in science and technology and think of it as a national priority—yet they also distrust its results. How to explain this?” —From "What Scientists Really Do," by Priyamvada Natarajan for the New York Review of Books, on three volumes that offer a view into how science actually works

California Steaming -

It's been so scorching in the Golden State this year that even with two months to go, the National Weather Service is already 99 percent certain 2014 will be the hottest in the state's recorded history. Climate Central

No Bull -

It's not all that surprising when communities in places like Vermont or upstate New York vote to ban fracking. But…Texas? Fracking's birthplace? Woah. Reuters