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According to UN experts, the number of "dead zones" in the world's seas and oceans has risen more than a third in the past two years because of fertilizer, sewage, animal waste, and fossil fuel burning. The damage is caused by explosive blooms of phytoplankton, which die and sink to the bottom, and are then eaten by bacteria that use up the oxygen in the water. Those blooms are triggered by too many nutrients — particularly phosphorous and nitrogen.

DEFINITION: (noun) A cruel and brutal fellow. SYNONYMS: bully, hooligan, roughneck. USAGE: He had been a bully in grade school, so no one was surprised to hear that he is still considered a ruffian.

Nobel was a Swedish chemist and engineer who invented dynamite, the smokeless powder Ballistite, and an explosive gelatin more powerful than dynamite. In his last will, he left his enormous fortune in trust for the endowment of the Nobel Prizes, which continue to recognize outstanding achievements in the fields of science, literature, economics, and peace. What was the content of the prematurely published obituary that is said to have made Nobel resolve to leave a better legacy?

The US-North Korean Nuclear Pact included a pledge from North Korea to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for massive economic aid from Japan, South Korea, and the US. In 2002, North Korea admitted to violating this agreement, and, in 2003, the agreement largely broke down when North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, claiming that economic aid had been inadequate. What are the Six-party talks?

Rice paddies are flooded parcels of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. They are a typical feature of rice-growing countries of east and southeast Asia, where they occur naturally along rivers, or are constructed. The water in the paddies prevents weeds from outgrowing the crop, and once the rice has established dominance of the field, the water can be drained in preparation for harvest. What is the origin of the word "paddy?"