Articles by Grist staff

Spare the Rod or You’ll Spoil the Child

Half of All Freshwater Fish in U.S. High in Mercury In the 21st century, it seems, having kids and eating fish do not mix. The bad fish news just keeps on coming: Yesterday, a new analysis showed that more than half of the freshwater fish in the U.S. contain levels of mercury unsafe for children […]

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Any More)

Mountains in Peru, Italy Falling Apart; Global Warming to Blame Global warming is destroying some of the world’s tallest and most stunning mountains. In Peru, the glaciers capping 18 peaks in the Andes are melting, and if “climatic conditions remain as they are, all the glaciers below 18,000 feet will disappear by around 2015,” said […]

X-Trees

Scientists Genetically Engineer Trees for Environmental Mitigation The fledgling practice of genetically engineering trees for specific traits or purposes is starting to catch on, but despite the potential for mitigation of some environmental problems, enviros remain wary. Richard Meagher at the University of Georgia engineers trees that absorb mercury from the soil. Steven Strauss at […]

Readers sound off on “sustainable” buildings that ain’t, Clinton’s record, and more

  Semanticable Re: Lofty Ambitions Dear Editor: I absolutely applaud Boyle and Brown’s efforts to create such an amazing living space. Their commitment to reusing materials is exactly the direction that construction, as well as industry, should be headed. My point of polite criticism concerns semantics. With the terms “sustainable” and “green” becoming so trendy, […]