Crikey

Joe Environment. In a 3 a.m. blast of emails and text messages, Democrat Barack Obama announced that his selection for a vice presidential candidate is Delaware Sen. Joe Biden. And, for the most part, representatives from the environmental community were pleased with the news they awoke to Saturday morning. — Grist

Converting Sunlight To Cheaper Energy. Scientists are working to convert sunlight to cheap electricity at South Dakota State University. Research scientists are working with new materials that can make devices used for converting sunlight to electricity cheaper and more efficient. — Science Daily

Hot asphalt as better energy collector than solar panels? Researchers in Massachusetts are working on a technique to turn heat gathered by asphalt into useable energy via water pipes. Their paper, released this week, posits that asphalt roads could be better than solar panels in gathering energy.  — Ecogeek

Chowing down on endangered fish. A high school project using DNA barcoding of fish in New York City restaurants has revealed that some endangered species like the Acadian redfish are showing up on plates, even though they are being sold as more common fish varieties. — Yale Environment 360