Grist List
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The oldest living thing on Earth is 6,000 tons of grass
Meet Posidonia oceanic, a type of Mediterranean seagrass that is also the longest-lived thing on Earth. What’s its secret? The usual — clean living, plenty of exercise, asexual reproduction, being 6,000 tons of grass, and not getting flattened by climate change … YET.
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Critical List: GM seed plantings expand; restaurants for vultures
Last night’s caucus put GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum back in the game, so we could be hearing a lot more about how global warming is a “hoax.” The total area planted with GM seed around the world rose 8 percent last year, according to the biotech industry; a food and water NGO is disputing […]
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Why buildings haven’t gotten more efficient in 20 years
Everything single part of a building has become significantly more energy efficient over the past 20 years, yet buildings are using the same amount of energy they always have. Why?
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Australia contemplates rewilding with elephants, rhinos
Good luck containing these giant herbivores with an "elephant-proof fence."
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Animated guide to building a Keystone XL
Turns out it's just a long concrete tube buried three to four feet under ground, rambling on for mile after mile, narrated by a guy with an adenoid problem.
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![New York subway]()
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Why do we suck at building subways?
At Salon, Will Doig asks why American public transit projects have decades-long time lines, while in China, new transit projects open in a heartbeat. And as Matt Yglesias points out, American transit projects are also more expensive than comparable build-outs in other big, rich cities, like London. So what’s our problem?
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You can make fuel cells out of cockroaches
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have figured out how to make cockroaches into creepy-crawly batteries. Finally, living in filth can pay off by lowering your electrical bill!
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The world’s most environmentally outspoken president steps down
Mohamed Nasheed, the Maldives leader known for his international climate campaigning, stepped down from his office on Tuesday.
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How to cut carbon emissions: Get rid of middle-aged people
Don’t trust anyone over 30 (or under 70) when it comes to carbon emissions. According to data from the Max Planck Institute, your individual emissions rise steeply from birth through the early 20s, then keep rising a little less sharply for the next 40 years. Your carbon footprint doesn’t peak until after age 60, at […]
