Happy Fourth of July! Let’s celebrate with some links. Science:

The Desert is not “Nowhere” (Alex is 100% right; healthy deserts aren’t ’empty’, they contain biodiversity and perform important ecosystem functions, such as preventing soil erosion and dust storms)
Type 1 diabetes vaccine hailed as ‘significant step’
Canadian Food Inspection Agency nails lab that found Infection Salmon Anemia virus (ordinarily I would be skeptical, but with the Harper government, who knows?)
Unclean at Any Speed: Electric cars don’t solve the automobile’s environmental problems
The Cultural Evolution of Ineffective Medicine

Other:

Rant: Eliminating The Liquor License Cap?
Long copy isn’t back
Who Really Controls Rick Perry and David Dewhurst?
Payroll Cards…Gouging Those Most Who Can Afford It Least.
Skepticism About Syria Isn’t A Left Or Right Problem
Emergency Manager Wants to Sell Off City’s Precious Art, While Banks Get Fatter
Retired General Cartwright as Alleged Stuxnet Leaker & Why Media Expressed Disbelief
Texas Women: Stop Having Sex With Men Who Vote Against Your Best Interests
Texas Journalists: Lt. Gov’s Threat To Arrest Reporters “Worrisome” (FREEDOM!)
Edward Snowden’s Long Flight: What a Whistleblower Thinks a Fellow Whistleblower Might Have Thought
That’s funny, I don’t remember electing a Comcast executive as our education czar
Economics is better (in some ways) than it used to be
Wendy Davis Was a Brunette. Feminism Is a Lie.