Articles by Grist staff

Congo Drummed

The Ebola virus may be wiping out a number of endangered western lowland gorillas in the conflict-torn border region between Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An Ebola outbreak in the area has killed hundreds of people in recent years, and perhaps thousands of gorillas, say scientists. “Chimpanzees and gorillas are already endangered, […]

Deep Thoughts

Japanese ingenuity may soon bring both potable water and clean energy to a number of periodically parched Pacific island nations, thanks to a new desalination technology that exploits the temperature difference between the ocean’s surface and its depths. The Republic of Palau in the western Pacific has teamed up with Japan’s Saga University to build […]

Petroleum Jelly-legs

U.S. petrochemical plants pose security risks to millions of Americans and could be targets of terrorist attacks, but the government has no idea how secure the plants are from such attacks, according to an audit released last week by the General Accounting Office. The audit found that both U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman and Homeland […]

You Can Hardly Prius Out of ’em

Some stars toned down the glitz at last night’s Academy Awards ceremony in acknowledgement of the war in Iraq, while others toned down their energy consumption, arriving at the event in gas-electric hybrid cars instead of gas-guzzling stretch limos. Actress Cameron Diaz was chauffeured to the Oscars in her own Toyota Prius. “I drive it […]