From recycling to food: Can we eat plastic-munching microbes?
Researchers are trying to turn plastic-eating bacteria into food source for humans. Enlarge (credit: Olga Pankova/Moment via Getty Images) In 2019, an agency within the US Department of Defense released a call for resear.....»»
Life can maintain a habitable environment in hostile conditions, research suggests
Everybody knows that for life to thrive on any world, you need water, warmth, and something to eat. It's like a habitability mantra. But, what other factors affect habitability? What if you relaxed the conditions conducive to life? Would it still exi.....»»
This might be the secret that unlocks real-life human hibernation
One way that animals like bears deal with food scarcity, especially during winter, is to hibernate. This allows them to conserve their energy by slowing … The post This might be the secret that unlocks real-life human hibernation appeared first.....»»
Understanding the influence of specific gene mutations on starch properties in barley
Cereals such as rice, wheat, maize, and barley are essential in the human diet and have various uses in the food industry. Their suitability for different industrial applications depends on the properties of their grains. The major component of these.....»»
Insect and spider biodiversity increases organic nutrient availability across ecosystems, large-scale study shows
Insects and spiders are important elements in the food webs of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. With declines in their biodiversity, the food supply for birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals is not only becoming scarcer, but also poo.....»»
Compost produced from organic solid waste could replace 21% of industrial fertilizers in urban agriculture
The organic solid waste that citizens deposit in brown recycling bins could currently produce the amount of compost needed to satisfy 8% of the nutrients demanded by urban and peri-urban agriculture, reducing environmental impacts such as soil eutrop.....»»
Simplified menus could reduce food waste and save cafes thousands
A new Australian study of small- to medium-sized cafes has found making small changes could prevent hundreds of tons of food waste while saving struggling businesses thousands of dollars......»»
Climate change projected to deplete food sources of endangered whale sharks
As part of her Ph.D. research at The University of Queensland, lead investigator Dr. Samantha Reynolds, now a Research Fellow from Murdoch University's Harry Butler Institute, used three future climate change scenarios from CMIP6 climate models to in.....»»
Mexico announces food and agriculture plan that could take the country back to the 1980s
Mexico announces food and agriculture plan that could take the country back to the 1980s.....»»
Biodegradable microplastics study helps quantify their climate change and ecotoxicity impacts
Over 20 million tons of plastic are estimated to end up in the environment every year, with much of it breaking down into microplastics that are harmful to the health of humans and wildlife. Biodegradable and bio-based plastics made from organic mate.....»»
On Lake Erie, getting rid of problem algae starts with giving it less food
On a warm late-summer evening, a small speedboat motored across a pea-green stretch of Lake Erie past a beach where a child sat splashing and a pair of newlyweds waded for a portrait photographer. On the sand, unseen or ignored, bright red signs warn.....»»
Huge volumes of whey go to waste. We could do much more with this nutrient-rich liquid
Every year, 7.6 million tons of food is lost or wasted in Australia. When we think about this, we might picture moldy fruit, stale bread and overly full fridges. But in fact, almost half of this waste happens before food ever gets to us. Waste is com.....»»
Mercedes-Benz opens its own recycling facility for EV batteries
Making new EV batteries from old EV batteries is a no-brainer. Today, Mercedes-Benz opened its first battery-recycling plant in Germany. The new plant will use an "integrated mech.....»»
Accurately weighing costs and benefits of different methods for controlling invasive species
Invasive insect species bring a host of health, social, ecological and economic consequences, including crop damage, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, ecosystem disruption, human disease transmission and rising allergy rates......»»
Unexpected beauty and major antimicrobial power boost as phages form into surprising flower shapes
A group of McMaster researchers who routinely work with bacteriophages—viruses that eat bacteria—had a pleasant and potentially very important surprise while preparing slides to view under a powerful microscope......»»
Microbes in environment drove methane emissions more than fossil fuels between 2020 and 2022, analysis finds
Microbes in the environment, not fossil fuels, have been driving the recent surge in methane emissions globally, according to a new, detailed analysis published Oct 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by CU Boulder researchers a.....»»
Understanding the relationship between food waste, climate change and an aging population
Producing food and getting it to people's plates entails a significant expenditure of energy and resources. Unfortunately, approximately one third of all food produced globally is not consumed and discarded. Hence, to build sustainable societies, it.....»»
Invasive flathead catfish impacting Susquehanna"s food chain, researchers find
Flathead catfish—native to the Mississippi River basin—were first detected in the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania in 2002, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In the two decades since then, the invasive species has spread throughout the ri.....»»
Scientists find southern killer whales of the Pacific have access to enough food, deepening mystery of their struggles
A pair of marine mammal scientists at The University of British Columbia, has found that claims that a lack of access to salmon is what is driving the crash in population numbers for southern resident killer whales of the Pacific are wrong......»»
Dolphins Are Exhaling Microplastics
New research highlights how extensive plastic pollution is—and how nonhuman species, including dolphins, are exposed......»»
Drones prove effective way to monitor maize re-growth, researchers report
Maize, or corn, grows tall, with thin stalks that boast ears of the cereal grain used in food production, trade and security globally. However, due to rain, wind and other increasingly extreme weather events, the maize falls down, risking the entire.....»»