Articles by Grist staff

DNA Check, Aisle Seven

Scientists begin project to catalog life with DNA barcodes Of an estimated 10 million plant and animal species on Earth, less than a fifth have been identified and named. That might change, however, with a new bar-coding initiative launched today, which aims to use snippets of genetic material to characterize all living organisms in a […]

Gene Hackmen

Open-source biotechnology boasts first big success Though some enviros are opposed to genetic engineering of any kind, other critics have a more specific complaint about biotechnology: that restrictive patents held by companies like Monsanto and Syngenta impede research and development into biotech applications that could help developing countries or smaller, more specialized crops in the […]

Why Do Fish & Wildlife Scientists Hate America?

Fish & Wildlife Service scientists report political pressure, distortion When two public-interest groups sent a survey on scientific integrity to 1,400 scientists at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, agency administrators warned the scientists not to respond — not even in their personal time. Now that 414 of them have defied the warnings, it is […]

Enviros join chorus against class-action bill, but measure still likely to pass

Will class-action plaintiffs still get their day in court? The Erin Brockoviches of America could have a much tougher time going after polluters if the Class Action Fairness Act — which the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve last week — is signed into law. The bill, which will be put to a full Senate […]