In the papers...

Cannabis use doubles testicular cancer risk 

Men who regularly smoke the drug are more likely to get an aggressive form of testicular cancer. The testes are one of the few organs in the body which have receptors for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). These receptors normally bind a naturally occuring compound to protect the testes against tumours, but THC disrupts this process, making cells more susceptible to the cancer, scientists have found. 
The Guardian, 9 February 2009 

Manchester lab contaminated

The Manchester University lab where Rutherford conducted his famous experiments has been closed under suspicion of mercury contamination. The labs were being assessed following claims that radioactive residues from Rutherford's time had contributed to the cancers of six occupants of the building. 
Manchester Evening News,  9 February 2009 

Judge fortifies phthalate toy ban 

A New York judge has ruled that all toys containing phthalate plasticisers should be off the shelves by 10 February. The US Consumer Safety Commission had previously said that the ban would only apply to toys manufactured after this cut-off date, but his ruling closes that loophole. 
New York Times, 6 February 2009 

Biofuels left out in the cold 

It's not just the UK that grinds to a halt in the snow - schoolchildren in the Bloomington area of Minneapolis, US, were stranded in freezing weather after the biodiesel that the state dictates must be used in their school buses froze to a gel and clogged the engines. 
Minnesota StarTribune, 6 January 2009 

China's rainmaking ineffective 

Efforts to ease the drought in northern China by cloud-seeding have met with limited success. 

The 2800 chemical-filled rockets and shells that were fired into the clouds produced some scattered showers of rain and sleet, but nowhere near enough to quench the worst drought in over 50 years. 
Associated Press, 9 February 2009