Articles by Grist staff

Pup Tense

Parks ban dogs from hiking trails to protect wildlife You might find it heartwarming to see Rover frolicking in the wilderness, but residents of the backcountry may not share your joy. Hiking with dogs is hugely popular, but some park rangers and biologists worry hikers don’t follow the rules, letting their dogs run riot and […]

This Is Why We Don’t Clean

Bacteria-killing goods may threaten human health and environment Antimicrobial products — towels, sponges, cutting boards, and other household goods that promise to kill bacterial beasties and fungi — are now a $1 billion-a-year industry, but they may be harming human health and the environment. Triclosan, a popular microbe-icide, can combine with chlorine in tap water […]

Balked Alaska

House GOPers oppose legislative maneuver to open Arctic Refuge Two dozen House Republicans have publicly criticized the GOP leadership’s plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling by attaching language to a filibuster-proof budget measure. In a letter to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and other House leaders, the rebel GOPers — including three […]

Doubter Darkness

Another climate-skeptic argument bites the dust Another argument treasured by climate-change skeptics may be headed the way of the dinosaurs. For years, doubters have made much of the fact that the troposphere (the lower part of the earth’s atmosphere) didn’t seem to be warming as fast as the earth’s surface, as climate models had predicted […]