Record high temperatures are occurring with far greater frequency than in decades past, and crop yields decline sharply in extreme heat.

CNN: Extreme heat and droughts -- a recipe for world food woes

Short interest on the shares rose by 5.9% over the past month, as a new crop of skeptics placed their bets against AMZN.

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Here, then, is a retrospective look at some of the scariest side effects to crop up over the past 12 months--from rare events like liver failure or brain-wasting diseases to more common ones such as heart attacks or strokes.

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And cotton, the main cash crop, has succumbed over the past decade to disease, credit shortages and cheaper imports.

ECONOMIST: Brazil

Many Americans doubt that the current crop of senators measures up to the stalwarts of the past.

CNN: Senate holds key to fixing Washington

If a peek at the current lives of several past all-tournament players is any indication, today's crop will develop into tomorrow's mix of success and disappointment.

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Over the past decade, however, Costa Rica's fastest-growing crop has been a collection of opulent hotels and resort communities, complemented by marinas, golf courses, gourmet restaurants, hot springs and other world-class facilities.

CNN: Living large in Costa Rica

Even though that great pastoral era is a thing of the past, the loss now of Toorale, considered the region's most productive livestock and crop property, is another symbolic turning point.

ECONOMIST: A land of drought

Mr. Musk also has recruited a crop of young, hard-charging engineers, attracted by the company's freewheeling culture and past accomplishments despite long odds.

WSJ: SpaceX's Pioneering Flight Plans