Here are some of the latest news stories about water and the environment:

Salamanders Learn to Live With Pollution: “Salamanders whose forebears had to live with roadside pollution are more capable of surviving in that hostile environment, a study shows.”

How Dry Weather in Argentina Could Affect Chicken Prices in Chicago: A South American drought keeps global grain reserves tight, but it could mean good things for North American corn producers.

Indian Villagers Create Artifical Glaciers to Conserve Water: A remote Indian village is responding to global warming-induced water shortages by creating large masses of ice, or “artificial glaciers,” to get through the dry spring months.

Environmental Pollutant Level During Pregnancy Linked With Grown Daughters Who Are Overweight: It is suspected that diet and exercise alone cannot explain the recent large weight increase of children and adults worldwide. In a new study, Norwegian researchers suggest that increasing levels of certain chemicals that pregnant women are exposed to may contribute to obesity in their grown children.

Here are some of the latest news stories regarding water and the environment:

US to make ‘wild’ public land eligible for protection: “Environmental groups have called on the Obama administration to restore wilderness protections. The order reverses former President George W Bush’s policy forbidding the government from doing so.”

Chromium-tainted drinking water: Time for a federal crackdown?: A type of chromium linked to cancer is turning up in tap water in 31 cities, according to an independent study that urges federal regulators to adopt tougher standards.

Facing threat to food supply, China invests in water conservation: “China plans to invest 30 billion dollars on water conservation projects in 2011 to reduce the impact of natural disasters on grain production, state media said Saturday.”

Syria Launches its First “Water Scarcity Park” : “Following five years of drought which has driven nearly half a million people away from drought-hit areas and put the country at risk of increasing desertification, Syria has inaugurated a water scarcity park to highlight the need to conserve dwindling water supplies.”

Plastic Bag Ban in Italy Starting Jan 1: “’Sustainability is made of little changes to our lifestyle that don’t cost us anything and can save the planet,’ said Stefania Prestigiacomo, Italian Environmental Minister, as she confirmed that a ban on non-biodegradable, single-use plastic bags will take effect on 1 January 2011, for all of Italy.”

Once again, the latest in water news:

Terrible flooding in Machu Picchu, Peru this week has left thousands of tourists stranded.

American helicopters have been airlifting citizens out of danger, but what will happen to Peruvian locals who are now homeless and vulnerable to the elements?

This video outlines the efforts made by the Chinese government to curb the effects of a drought that is effecting three million people in the southwest region.

Newport, Rhode Island, a popular tourist destination, suffers the same problems as many other old cities– water pollution caused by deteriorating sewage systems and urban storm runoff. Watch the video here.