Young Americans use the word awesome somewhat loosely. This satellite image of Hurricane Rita over mainland United States, is, in fact, awesome.

Europe’s great heatwave of 2003, which claimed an estimated 35,000 lives and cost the continent’s economies an estimated £7bn altogether, may also have fuelled further global warming. A team of more than 30 scientists reports in Nature today that the scorching temperatures and prolonged drought have stifled Europe’s forest growth and released huge quantities of [...]