It sounds like science-fiction but is in fact science fact: a killer, brain-eating amoeba.

Encounters with the microscopic bug are rare, but so far in 2007, it has killed six people already. The amoeba lives in lakes and enters the body through the nose, causing olfactory necrosis. It then follows the nerves into the cranial cavity where it begins feeding on brain tissue. The host falls into a coma before usually dying within a few weeks.

NASA scientists have discovered that Antarctic snow has been melting further inland and at higher altitudes that over the past twenty years.

Antarctica holds 90% of the Earth’s fresh water and has a surface size of around 1.5 times the size of the United States (although much of the water is in a frozen state). Because of this, Antarctica is the largest potential source of rising sea levels as a result of global warming.

Hydrogen power actually makes a lot more sense for trains than it does for cars – no need to add hydrogen pumps to gas filling stations and smaller distribution networks needed (only certain train depots need to be retrofitted and have hydrogen deliveries).

So it makes sense to look at hydrogen power for trains, and this is precisely what the Premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty has suggested. It has been reported that he has already been in talks with Bombardier, a train manufacturer, to build a hydrogen train. It is envisaged that a new line will be built between Montreal and Toronto. McGuinty is hoping the first train will be in service by 2010.

Sales of hybrid cars in the US are up 49% so far this year, with the largest growth seen in the Midwest. Oklahoma is the state that has seen the largest increase with a 143% growth in hybrid sales from January – July 2006 with Hawaii being the only state that had a decrease in hybrid sales over the same period. The most popular manufacturer of hybrid vehicles remains Toyota with the Prius and the Camry being their two most popular hybrid models.

The retailer Marks & Spencer is hoping to lead the way in eco-stores by opening up two ‘green’ shops in Scotland next month. The new stores are part of a £200 million project to make the company carbon-neutral.

Shoppers are unlikely to notice any difference at the new stores, however behind the scenes, there are a myriad of technologies aimed at helping the company reduce it’s energy usage. M&S claim that the new stored will use 25% less energy than their standard stored, and will cut carbon dioxide emissions in half.