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Science Progressing is your weekly guide to the science and technology policy news you shouldn’t have missed. Did we leave anything out? Tweet or facebook us and let us know.

GEOLOGY AND ENERGY
There’s Much Less Shale Gas Available in US Than Previously Thought
Natural gas industrialists and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have been citing the vast supply of natural gas recently discovered in the United states as a reason to continue investing in fossil fuel based energy. A new study from the non-partisan Energy Information Agency however could put a damper on that message.

INTERNET PRIVACY
Here’s Google’s Response to Your Privacy Anger
Google writes a letter to Congress to do damage control after its abrupt announcement about consolidating personal information spooked internet users around the world.

STEM CELLS
Crystal ball gazing: human embryonic stem cells in 2012
BioNews gives a roundup of human embryonic stem cell research in 2011, and speculates about the new developments to come in 2012.

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
Study explains why it’s useless to argue with climate deniers
It’s not that climate deniers, birthers, and 9/11 “insider jobers” are ignorant to the facts, they just don’t trust you or the authority your information came from, according to a Kent University study of the psychology of conspiracy theorists.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
North Carolina launches FCC-approved TV White Space network in Wilmington
A wired internet connection may soon become a thing of the past. The town of Wilmington, North Carolina recently became the first city in the country to put unused TV frequencies to use to distribute long distance wireless internet services. Developers hope that this demonstration test of commercial TV White Space, or TVWS, will be just the beginning of a multi-billion dollar wireless internet market transformation.

EVOLUTION
Evolution in Action: Study Finds Virus to Be Fast Learner
In a new study published on Thursday in the journal Science, a team of scientists at Michigan State University describes how viruses evolved a new way of infecting cells amazingly quickly—in less than 2 weeks. The lambda virus showed just how powerful the force of natural selection can be by overcoming one in a thousand trillion trillion (1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) odds to successfully evolve to infect a new kind of host in 25 percent of experiments.

GREEN TECHNOLOGY
Chevrolet pioneers Ecologic auto environmental label
It seems that green conscious products sell, and Chevy is betting the trend will continue by labeling its new vehicles with “ecologic” environmental labels. The new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic will roll out with the new label touting its environmental benefits.

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Extreme droughts could increase by 15 percent in Spain by the middle of the century
New methodology developed by Polytechnic University of Cartagena to track and predict drought conditions projects a 15 percent increase in climate change induced drought in Spain by mid-century. With water reserves already low, an increase in drought of that scale gives farmers and the people they feed much to worry about.

NUCLEAR ENERGY
After the nuclear disaster, Japan considers a green future
Following the 9.0 earthquake, devastating tsunami, and nuclear meltdown that ravaged Japan last year, the nation is beginning to rebuild under the slogan “build back better.” This will mean a comprehensive approach to sustainability, as well as a possible phasing out of nuclear in favor of renewable energy.

NUCLEAR ENERGY
Department of Energy Soliciting Proposals for manufacture of small scale, modular nuclear reactors
The DOE issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement, or FOA, for two grants worth $452 million over five years to fund research and deployment of Small Modular Reactors, or SMRs. The goal is to deploy the new technology by 2022 with the grant process considering the ability to implement the SMR’s earlier more favorably.

INVESTING IN SCIENCE
President Obama calls for sustained investment in research
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology supports President Obama’s call sustained investment and his “federal commitment to research.” When it comes to tightening the federal belt, cutting investments in research for the biomedical sciences works against job creation.

This week’s news compiled by Science Progress intern Jason Thomas.