Slate: The Aral Sea--a huge part of it at least--is no more. According to NASA, "for the first time in modern history, the eastern basin of the South Aral Sea has completely dried.' Humans have been farming the Aral Sea area in Central Asia for centuries, and the lake has gone through spectacular boom-and-bust cycles in the past. But the lake hasn't been this dry in a long, long time. Speaking with NASA, Philip Micklin, a geographer emeritus from Western Michigan University, said, "it is likely the first...