How Trees Talk To Each Other: “Simard discovered that trees communicate with one another. Her initial discovery was that trees pass carbon to one another through their roots, and that the ebb and flow changes with seasons (for example, at certain times of year, birch will pass more carbon to a fir). As she continued her investigation, she discovered that not just carbon was transmitted, but nitrogen, phosphorus, water, and defense signals, as well…”

Dude…Seriously?: “Every time it rains, a toxic brew of stormwater runoff spills into San Diego’s world-class surf breaks. In some cases, the water can become so polluted that it’s unsafe to swim or surf—no matter how glassy and idyllic the waves may look.”

Evolution Is Happening Faster Than We Thought: “Many wild bird species — like the peregrine falcons, red-tailed hawks and laughing gulls of New York — have set up camp in cities. But the thing about Europe’s urban blackbirds (a relative of the American robin, not to be confused with North American blackbirds, which belong to a different family) is that they are very different from their forest-dwelling relatives.”

Now this is how you design a freeway underpass: “Like most places in the U.S., the Silicon Valley city of Campbell made a big mistake a half-century ago. When California State Route 17 came plowing through town, transportation planners located it so close to Campbell’s historic downtown that it sheared the picturesque streets off from the surrounding neighborhoods…This week, a smart redesign of Campbell’s busiest underpass revealed a well-lit path fringed with public art, landscaping, and a sweeping 26-foot-wide sidewalk.”

Israel Proves the Desalination Era Is Here: Drought-stricken California take note: “Just a few years ago, in the depths of its worst drought in at least 900 years, Israel was running out of water. Now it has a surplus. That remarkable turnaround was accomplished through national campaigns to conserve and reuse Israel’s meager water resources, but the biggest impact came from a new wave of desalination plants.”