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Friday music blogging: Jens Lekman

Today we bring you a Swedish singer-songwriter named Jens Lekman. On the surface, Lekman’s music is a bit of a throwback: mannered, melodic, occasionally orchestral pop, delivered with a precise baritone. It wouldn’t be out of place alongside Frank Sinatra. But listen a little closer and you hear a deadpan wit, a post-ironic self-effacement that […]

Romantic underwater secrets revealed

I came across this nugget of information when looking for something else, but thought it was worth sharing:

Scott Cummins and his colleagues at The University of Queensland have uncovered a potent mix of chemicals which acts like a cross between Chanel No 5 and Viagra -- but only if you are a sea slug.

Who knew things grew in NYC?

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (Brooklyn), I got lunch with one of our Gristmill readers, Marielle Anzelone, who works as a botanist for the city of New York. We talked for well over an hour. I learned more about plants, invasive species, urban ecology, and biodiversity than I could possibly […]

Readers write in about presidential candidates, green lists, and Grist’s “suck-it” chauvinism

  Dear Editor: OK, John Edwards seems to have a really good plan, so why cast doubt on his sincerity? (“What mixture of genuine sentiment and political calculation is behind that strategy only he and Elizabeth know…”) We can’t be sure what any candidate has in his or her heart, so we can only judge […]

Sorry, Grandchildren

Climate tipping points could happen sooner than expected, says research You thought the predictions of climate chaos by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were scary? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. The IPCC predicted that the massive Greenland ice sheet could completely melt in 1,000 years, raising sea levels by almost 23 feet. But in […]

This Gives Us Paws

Flame retardants linked to thyroid disease in house cats Thyroid disease in house cats may be linked to common flame retardants called PBDEs, according to U.S. EPA researchers. In a small study of 23 cats, all the felines had blood concentrations of the chemical 20 to 100 times higher than average U.S. adults — who, […]

Scaling Down

Another judge rules that hatchery fish don’t count when determining ESA status The federal government does not have to count hatchery fish along with wild fish when deciding whether to protect dwindling Northwest populations under the Endangered Species Act, U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan ruled yesterday. In 2001, Hogan had ruled in favor of builders […]

Environmental scientist Theo Colborn warns about the chemicals all around us

This guest essay comes from Theo Colborn, an environmental health analyst, professor of zoology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and president of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX). She's one of the experts featured in Leonardo DiCaprio's new eco-documentary The 11th Hour, which opens in L.A. and New York on Aug. 17 and in other spots around North America on Aug. 24.

What a crazy world we live in when almost everyone knows what the acronym ED stands for. Millions of dollars have been poured into creating awareness of ED, erectile dysfunction, because it is profitable. This 21st-century sales-pitch strategy -- "disease mongering" -- has proven to be good for the bottom line. The irony of all this is that there is another ED out there into which millions have also been poured -- to keep it a secret. That ED is endocrine disruption, and if the public were to learn about it, bottom lines could shrink instead of grow.

Endocrine disruption should be right at the top of the list of most critical technological disasters facing the world today, up with climate change. With little notice, vast volumes and combinations of synthetic chemicals have settled in every environment in the world, including the womb environment. Synthetic chemicals at very low concentrations in the womb change how genes are programmed, cells develop, tissues form, and organs function, and thus undermine the potential and survival of developing animals, including humans. The chemicals threatening the integrity of future generations are derived from the processing of crude oil and natural gas, the same processes that are driving climate change. This is an integral part of the climate change story.

Twice the Grist with half the pain: Netvibes and Twitter

For all of you tech-savvy Grist readers, we've added two more methods of getting yer Grist:

Twitter is "a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send 'updates' (text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) via SMS, instant messaging, email, the Twitter website, or an application such as Twitterrific." In other words, it's Facebook statuses mashed up with RSS and IM. In nontechnical terms, it's everyone in the same room together yelling out what they're doing every so often. You can follow what Grist is shouting about here.

Netvibes, along somewhat similar lines, is "a multi-lingual Ajax-based personalized start page ... [which] includes an RSS/Atom feed reader, local weather forecasts, a calendar supporting iCal, bookmarks, notes, to-do lists, multiple searches, support for POP3, IMAP4 email as well as several webmail providers including Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, and AOL, Box.net web storage, del.icio.us, Meebo, Flickr photos, podcast support with a built in audio player," among other features. Basically, it's the kitchen sink for the Web you always wanted, and now there's Grist-flavored water in the tap. You can access Grist via Netvibes in one of two ways: the Grist Universe, or the Grist Tab.

Peekaboo, ICU

Hospitals opt for less-toxic medical equipment As the wee tots who end up in neonatal intensive care tend to be a bit on the vulnerable side, leading medical organizations are urging hospitals to swap medical equipment containing icky chemical DEHP — which can include IV tubing and blood bags — for safer alternatives. The good […]