Articles by Grist staff

Scent From Above

Professional noses sniff out pollutants in China Got a sensitive schnoz? Your services may be needed in southern China, where air-pollution experts at an environmental monitoring station are training the sharp-nosed to sniff out chemicals in the air. “We have honed our smelling skills from various sources of pollution. It will help in the detection […]

Well, There’s One Thing They Can Agree On

National party conventions aim to go green You’ve maybe noticed that green is the Hot New Thing these days — and the U.S. political arena is no exception. The 2008 Democratic and Republican national conventions both plan to get hip to the greenness. Denver, Colo., site of the Democratic potlatch, is primed to beat eco-friendly […]

What Role Coal?

U.S. Rep. Edward Markey weighs in on the controversial fuel Coal is the central, vexing question facing anyone attempting to create a 21st-century energy policy. So says Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, who drops by Grist today to lay out his thoughts on the mineral […]

Orange You Glad We Didn’t Say Switchgrass?

Fruit may be the latest source for biofuel madness Could your kumquat power your Kia? A team of U.S. scientists has made a low-carbon fuel from fructose, the sugar in many fruits. It could be a better bet than ethanol, with 40 percent more energy, less vulnerability to water, and more stability; since it can […]