Latest Articles
-
![]()
![]()
GZA and Neil deGrasse Tyson team up on a hip-hop record about science
I do not know much about writing rap lyrics, but I’m guessing that most rappers do not meet with physicists and cosmologists from MIT and Cornell before sitting down to write. But that’s exactly what Wu-Tang Clan founding member GZA did during the creation of his new album, Dark Matter — a project the rapper […]
-
![]()
![]()
How to make a fold-out window garden
This garden design gives you three times as much growing space as a window box.
-
![]()
![]()
Climate change’s worst enemy is its first victim: The city
A group of 58 cities are working together to develop thousands of tools to address climate change. They'd better.
-
A cell phone charger made out of viruses
Except for the whole “make you sick and can’t be killed” thing, viruses are basically the ultimate renewable resource. They’re natural. They’re numerous. They replicate themselves. And, after some tinkering by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, they can generate electricity. A project at the lab has incorporated genetically modified viruses into a piezoelectric system — […]
-
![]()
![]()
Mill for the Grist: Fresh, whole-brain news
Introducing the new Gristmill, our home for the latest breaking news items, links, and commentary.
-
![]()
![]()
Meet renewable energy’s new ally
Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way up front. The renewable energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) is an incentive provided to energy producers equal to 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour, adjusted annually for inflation. If you generate electricity using a renewable system — geothermal, wind, solar, etc. — you’re eligible. For now, anyway. The […]
-
![]()
![]()
The coolest images and video of the transit of Venus
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured terrific footage of Venus' path across the sun.
-
![Photo by Sue Peacock]()
![Photo by Sue Peacock]()
Election recap: Much ado (and cash) results in nothing
What do millions of dollars in television ads and mail and voter outreach get you? The status quo in Wisconsin and California.
-
![]()
![]()
Pushing for local food in the farm bill: An interview with Chellie Pingree
Rep. Chellie Pingree introduced the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act to make sure small-scale agriculture doesn't get left out of this year's farm bill.
-
![]()
![]()
Greening the ghetto: From survival to sustainability
Artist and activist Marc Bamuthi Joseph says the first step toward greening the inner city is fostering an appreciation for life. The next step? Take the green brand back from the Prius-driving vegans.
