Articles by Grist staff

Drilling a hot topic as Congress gets back in action

Drilling will be a hot topic as Congress swings back into action for the next three weeks. Having heard the GOP convention delegates’ none-too-subtle chants of “drill, baby, drill,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says that next week will be “Energy Week” in the chamber: “We are offering Republicans multiple opportunities to vote for increased […]

Could invasive species be a good thing?

Could invasive species’ bad reputation be undeserved? Bucking conventional wisdom, new research suggests that if exotic species aren’t predators of natives, competition by nonnative species can actually improve biodiversity. A recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences notes that just three of New Zealand’s 2,065 native plants have gone extinct, despite […]

Russia’s Lake Baikal under threat from massive lead and zinc mine

One-fifth of the world’s freshwater could be under threat from heavy-metals pollution if a giant lead and zinc mine opens as planned upstream from Russia’s giant Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world. Mine advocates say leaving the world’s third-largest lead and zinc field unmined would be a waste of natural resources regardless of […]

Exposure to pesticides in utero linked to obesity, study says

Exposure to pesticides in utero can double a child’s chances of becoming obese, a new Spanish study has concluded. The study, published in the journal Acta Paediatrica, measured the level of the internationally banned (yet still freakishly persistent) pesticide hexachlorobenzene in the umbilical cords of over 400 children born on the Spanish island of Menorca. […]