Environment

City Life Disrupts Daily Rhythm Of Birds

7:08am June 10, 2013

by Rhitu Chatterjee

City life can be harsh on people. For example, it pushes people to work longer and sleep less. A new study suggests that city life can have a somewhat similar effect on birds too. It shows urban blackbirds wake up earlier and go to bed later than their forest dwelling cousins.

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Plug Pulled On California Nuclear Plant, For Good

8:29pm June 07, 2013

by Ina Jaffe

Southern California Edison announced Friday morning that it will not restart the troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant. The facility has been offline for a year and a half after a leak in a steam tube created safety concerns.

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Strengthening Buildings In Tornado Alley

1:33pm June 07, 2013

Scenes of destroyed homes and businesses were common following the recent Oklahoma tornadoes. David Prevatt, a structural engineer at the University of Florida, says that improving resistance to tornadoes will require better building materials and techniques, plus a strong dose of political will.

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Environment

When It Snows Ash: Life In Wildfire Country

4:04pm June 04, 2013

In Southern California, a massive wildfire, called the Powerhouse fire, has consumed 50 miles of land northwest of Los Angeles. California residents face wildfire season every year. Grist staff writer Susie Cagle talks about what it's like to live in wildfire country.

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Genetically modified wheat has been discovered growing in a field in Oregon. GMO wheat is not approved for sale in the U.S. Above, a wheat field in Arkansas.

GMO Wheat Found In Oregon Field. How Did It Get There?

2:03pm June 03, 2013

by Dan Charles

An Oregon farmer discovered genetically engineered wheat growing in his field. Nobody knows how it got there. GMO wheat is not approved for sale in the U.S.

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A screen grab from an animation explaining the lung gizmo.

Gizmo Uses Lung Cells To Sniff Out Health Hazards In Urban Air

9:23pm May 31, 2013

by Richard Harris

Scientists are trying to figure out how chemicals in the air interact with each other to make people sick. So they're building an instrument — a "lung in a box" — that goes way beyond the usual chemical monitors.

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This photo shows a heavily logged concession affiliated with Asia Pulp and Paper, or APP, one of the world's largest papermakers, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, in 2010.

Battling Deforestation In Indonesia, One Firm At A Time

8:57pm May 31, 2013

by Anthony Kuhn

Environmentalists are focusing on big corporations to prevent the destruction of rain forests cut down for paper products. With help from some unlikely characters, they've scored a success against one of the world's largest paper companies.

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Researchers Revive A Plant Frozen In Time

12:09pm May 31, 2013

It sounds like something from the movies — scientists uncover a sample of plant material frozen inside a glacier for hundreds of years, bring it back to the lab, and watch as it comes back to life. Catherine LaFarge describes the work, and what it means for plant scientists.

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Cooking With Cicadas: No Weirder Than Eating Cheese?

7:18pm May 29, 2013

by Maria Godoy

We know, eating bugs sounds strange, but 2 billion people already do it — and the U.N. has made the case for insects as a key protein source. For U.S. East Coasters, the coming of the 17-year cicadas provides an opportunity to cook with bugs. If you want to try your hand at it, there's a cookbook to guide your way.

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Environment

Colorado Crisis: America's Great River Dwindles in Drought

4:15pm May 29, 2013

The Colorado River serves 40 million people across Western states and is critical for farmers and ranchers who rely on its water for irrigation. Drought remains a serious problem as the summer begins. Writer and photographer Peter McBride talks about the state of the region and the response.

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