Articles by Grist staff

New pedal from Nissan pushes back against excessive acceleration

Want to be an eco-driver but can’t seem to keep the pedal off the metal? Meet Nissan Motor Co.’s ECO pedal, which pushes back against excess foot pressure to encourage fuel-efficient driving. The ECO accelerator will be installed in some Nissan cars starting next year and be accompanied by a real-time dashboard display of fuel […]

High fuel prices causing globalization to lose momentum

It was unthinkable mere years ago, but globalization is starting to lose momentum. High and holding fuel prices — shipping a 40-foot container from Shanghai to the U.S. will cost ya $5,000 more today than a decade ago — are making global supply chains look far less attractive. Goods headed for the maw of the […]

House, car of animal researchers bombed; animal-rights groups suspected

This weekend, two University of California-Santa Cruz scientists who use animals in their experiments were the target of two separate bombings. One scientist who uses mice in his research on brain development had a firebomb ignited on his front porch while he and his family were home early Saturday morning. The other researcher’s unoccupied car […]

Obama softens opposition to offshore drilling, and more political news

Barack Obama opened the door to offshore drilling on Friday, saying, “My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices. If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed […]