Here's today's roundup of science, nature and environment news from the Bay Area and beyond.
Giant ice telescope hunts for dark matter's space secretsMELBOURNE (Reuters) - Scientists are using the world's biggest telescope, buried deep under the South Pole, to try to unravel the mysteries of tiny particles known as neutrinos, hoping to shed light on how the universe was made. The mega-detector, called IceCube, took 10 years to build 2,400 meters below the Antarctic ice.

Eagle-killing rule changes proposedOfficials are proposing changes to extend the lifetime of the federal permits used by businesses for the unintentional killing of eagles. U-T San Diego reported (bit.ly/PFv3i9) Monday that the proposed changes would lengthen the duration of a permit from five years to 30.

Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill removing water bond from November ballotWith his signature, Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday pulled an $11-billion water bond measure from the November ballot, delaying it until the 2014 election. The governor signed legislation introduced by supporters who worried that a separate ballot measure by Brown that would raise taxes might be jeopardized if it was on the same ballot as a massive water bond.

'Frankenstein' mummies provide breakthrough to researchersThis mixing of remains was perhaps designed to combine different ancestries into a single lineage, archaeologists speculated. Mummies found off the coast of Scotland are Frankenstein-like composites of several corpses, researchers say. Skip to next paragraph This mixing of remains was perhaps designed to combine different ancestries into a single lineage, archaeologists speculated.

Organically Grown Corn Outperforms Non-Organic in Drought ConditionsAnother stat you should remember regarding organic farming, and apropos of heatwaves and drought: According to Rodale Institute's long-running side-by-side trials of organic and non-organic farming, in conditions of drought organic corn yields were 31% higher than non-organic.
