Scientific press releases, from http://eurekalert.org. Note that these results might turn out to conflict with reality.
Public Release: 7-Nov-2008
Open Atmospheric Science Journal
Revised theory suggests carbon dioxide levels already in danger zone
If climate disasters are to be averted, atmospheric carbon dioxide must be reduced below the levels that already exist today, according to a study published in Open Atmospheric Science Journal by a group of 10 scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
http://www.eurekalert.org/...
Political implications: rather obvious, I think. Governments will have to do something, rather than discuss doing something.
Public Release: 7-Nov-2008
Science
U of Minnesota researchers uncover surprising effects of climate patterns in ancient China
University of Minnesota geology and geophysics researchers, along with their colleagues from China, have uncovered surprising effects of climate patterns on social upheaval and the fall of dynasties in ancient China. Their research identifies a natural phenomenon that may have been the last straw for some Chinese dynasties: a weakening of the summer Asian Monsoons. Such weakening accompanied the fall of three dynasties and now could be lessening precipitation in northern China.
National Science Foundation, National Science Foundation of China, Gary Comer Science and Education Foundation
http://www.eurekalert.org/...
The study also showed that the ample summer rains of the Northern Song Dynasty coincided with the beginning of the well-known Medieval Warm Period in Europe and Greenland. During this time--the late 10th century--Vikings colonized southern Greenland. Centuries later, a series of weak monsoons prevailed as Europe and Greenland shivered through what geologists call the Little Ice Age. In the 14th and early 15th centuries, as the cold of the Little Ice Age settled into Greenland, the Vikings disappeared from there. At the same time, on the other side of the world, the weak monsoons of the 14th century coincided with the end of the Yuan Dynasty.
Political implications: This time, the lack of rain is caused by soot in the atmosphere rather than global cooling. If the Chinese government does something effective about the pollution, that will have political effects elsewhere. If they don't do anything effective -- I don't think the Communist dynasty will collapse, but China would be weaker.
Public Release: 7-Nov-2008
Physics Review Letters
Physicists create BlackMax to search for dimensions in space at the Large Hadron Collider
A team of theoretical and experimental physicists, with participants from Case Western Reserve University, have designed a new black hole simulator called BlackMax to search for evidence that extra dimensions might exist in the universe.
http://www.eurekalert.org/...
Political implications: None, but I think this is cool.
Public Release: 6-Nov-2008
Growing problem for veterans: Domestic violence
The increasing number of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder raises the risk of domestic violence and its consequences on families and children in communities across the United States," says Monica Matthieu, an expert on veteran mental health at Washington University in St. Louis. Matthieu and Peter Hovmand, domestic violence expert at the University, are merging their research interests and are working to design community prevention strategies to address this emerging public health problem.
http://news-info.wustl.edu/...
Political implications: The Federal Government will have to deal with this problem. So will state and local governments.