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Oil company ‘fesses up, feigns surprise about spill

Well, now we know the source of the renewed oil assault on Louisiana's shores. Oil company Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners has admitted that it had a "minor leak" while plugging a disused oil well. In some kind of Chanukah miracle, the five gallons of crude they admit to spilling turned into a 30-mile-long wash of oil […]

For sheer deadliness, nuclear can’t hold a candle to coal

Chart: Seth Godin Relative to watts produced, coal kills 4,000 times more people than nuclear power. Our pervasive sense that nuclear is more dangerous, when the opposite is so clearly true, comes at least in part from a cognitive bias called the "availability heuristic" — memorable events that are easier to think of, like nuclear […]

Louisiana’s new oil plague sounds tasty, is terrifying

Remember tar balls? Those were just an appetizer. The scary new oil formations washing up on Louisiana’s beaches sound like you’d get them at Whole Foods — “emulsified oil,” “oil mousse.” Um, yum? This comes right on the heels of the government approving deepwater exploration plans for the first time since last year’s disaster. Sure, […]

Keep It Fresh: On the Campus Consciousness Tour with Wiz Khalifa

While you were brushing your teeth this morning, did you ever, for a moment, think that the water coming out of your faucet would make you nauseous or damage your kidneys? Probably not. But, unfortunately, not everyone has that luxury. One in three people lack access to quality water. At least fourteen states are currently […]

On world water day, kids try to figure out how to prevent the deaths of 100,000 of their peers

Almost half of Pakistanis drink unsafe water. It's World Water Day 2011, and this year's theme is "Water for cities: responding to the urban water challenge." In Pakistan, unsafe drinking water kills 100,000 children per year — equivalent to a third of the children born in Canada every year. So it's either cute or tragically […]

Instead of putting the brakes on nuclear plants, should we be building safer ones?

In the wake of a massive quake and a tragic, deadly tsunami, Japan is also dealing with a nuclear catastrophe. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) has said that this should inspire us to “put the brakes on” nuclear development until further notice, and China and Germany are shutting down development and existing reactors. But what about […]

Featured Friend: Michelle Vigen

Each month, we showcase one of our beloved Friends with Benefits — folks who have donated to support our work. Want to take your relationship with Grist to the next level? Just donate any amount to join the fun.  Michelle Vigen “I give to Grist because their articles are witty, snarky, and captivating — that’s how I […]

Featured Friend: Sally Smyth

Each month, we showcase one of our beloved Friends with Benefits — folks who have donated to support our work. Want to take your relationship with Grist to the next level? Just donate any amount to join the fun.  Sally Smyth “Grist is the best. I simply could not get by without it — that’s why I […]

Friday music blogging: Middle Brother

I don’t know if you’re allowed to call a band a “supergroup” if the bands of which it is composed are all fairly obscure. But as someone who loves the constituent parts of Middle Brother — singer/songwriters John McCauley of Deer Tick, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit — I’m happy […]

Japan’s 200 mph trains sail through earthquake with flying colors

Train, to earthquake: “Suck it!”Photo: kiyoshi.beThe tsunami that struck Japan had a devastating effect on at least four trains closest to the epicenter of the quake, washing them away completely. But in the rest of the country, it appears that the earthquake and its aftershocks only derailed a single passenger train, even through the entire main […]