People may argue about why Earth is warming, how long its fever will last and whether any of this warrants immediate corrective action. But whether Earth is warming is no longer open to debate. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has just published domestic examples to reinforce what Americans witnessed last month — either on TV or in their own backyards.

Fungus products among us Fungal-derived estrogen mimics may delay puberty in girls, an ongoing study concludes. Experts have widely believed that the compounds would never be detectable in humans. Yet urine from 58 adolescents tested as part of a project called the Jersey Girl Study contained the estrogen mimics zearalenone — which is produced by fungi that infect grains — or zeranol, a synthetic muscle-boosting analog administered to livestock. Girls who ate beef the day before the testing excreted zeranol, and eating popcorn was linked to zearalenone. Compared with others their age, ... (p. 18)

Sixty-two years later — to the day — after Science News ran its first story on the growth-promoting effects of antibiotics, a federal judge ordered the Food and Drug Administration to resume efforts to outlaw such nonmedical use of antibiotics.

Tiny particles alter normal vessel functions, animal studies show. (p. 18)

As sodium in diet increases, a coronary risk factor independent of blood pressure escalates, according to a study in middle-aged U.S. men.