Swiss farmers contributed to the domestication of the opium poppy
Fields of opium poppies once bloomed where the Zurich Opera House underground garage now stands. Through a new analysis of archaeological seeds, researchers at the University of Basel have been able to bolster the hypothesis that prehistoric farmers.....»»
Penalties for dropping out of ecosystem services incentive programs should equal lost environmental benefits
Payment for Ecosystem Services programs (PES) are important tools that governments around the world use to improve water quality, protect forests and wildlife habitat, and sequester carbon. Under these programs, landowners—usually farmers—are pai.....»»
Study reveals how media representations of animal rights advocacy contribute to its depoliticization
Despite the pervasive public interest in animal welfare, the framing of animal rights activism in the media has largely contributed to its depoliticization, argues a paper in Polity. "Vegans and "Green-Collared Criminals,'" by Serrin Rutledge-Prior,.....»»
How do we reduce pesticide use while empowering farmers? A more nuanced approach could help
Pesticides threaten humans, wildlife and our environment. Food production must change......»»
Iceland"s "Mammoth" raises potential for carbon capture
With Mammoth's 72 industrial fans, Swiss start-up Climeworks intends to suck 36,000 tonnes of CO2 from the air annually to bury underground, vying to prove the technology has a place in the fight against global warming......»»
White Sands propulsion team tests 3D-printed Orion engine component
When the Orion spacecraft carries the first Artemis crews to the moon and back, it will rely on the European Service Module contributed by ESA (European Space Agency) to make the journey. The service module provides electrical power generation, propu.....»»
Global meta-analysis quantifies benefits of cover crop use
For years, both scientists and farmers have debated whether the use of cover crops—plants used to cover the ground after harvesting of main crops—have a positive or negative impact on subsequent crop yield. Hundreds of studies have been performed.....»»
No One Knows How Far Bird Flu Has Spread
With little incentive for US farmers to test their cattle, and many undocumented laborers on dairy farms, the full scale of the outbreak is unclear......»»
Researchers develop near-chromosome-level genome for the Mojave poppy bee
Scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university research partners have developed a near chromosome-level genome for the Mojave poppy bee, a specialist pollinator of conservation co.....»»
Improved AI process could better predict water supplies
A new computer model uses a better artificial intelligence process to measure snow and water availability more accurately across vast distances in the West, information that could someday be used to better predict water availability for farmers and o.....»»
Gene seekers discover atypical genes that control multiple valuable soybean traits
A team led by Purdue University soybean geneticist Jianxin Ma has developed a new biotechnological tool for the domestication of desirable traits from wild soybeans, such as resistance to leafhopper insect pests. The use of such tools, called de novo.....»»
Hong Kong team plants seeds to safeguard legacy grains
Far from the soaring skyscrapers synonymous with Hong Kong, scientists and farmers labor in a paddy field on the city's outskirts to revive dormant rice varieties that once sprung from local soil......»»
African farmers look to the past and the future to address climate change
From ancient fertilizer methods in Zimbabwe to new greenhouse technology in Somalia, farmers across the heavily agriculture-reliant African continent are looking to the past and future to respond to climate change......»»
Pretax charges drop Sonic Automotive"s Q1 net income
The company said $7 million in pretax charges contributed to a 12 percent dip in first-quarter net income......»»
In south China, silkworm farmers reel from deadly floods
Hose in hand, 40-year-old Zhu Huangyi cleans a small concrete room once home to his silkworms, two thirds of which were lost in deadly floods hitting southern China this week......»»
Sugar in baby food: Why Nestlé needs to be held to account in Africa
Nestlé has been criticized for adding sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries. The Swiss food giant controls 20% of the baby-food market, valued at nearly US$70 billion......»»
International study produces a comprehensive "tree of life" for flowering plants
With their own botanical collection material and their research knowledge on the evolution of cruciferous plants (plants of the cabbage family), bioscientists at Heidelberg University have contributed to a large-scale international study that has pro.....»»
A leader in US seaweed farming preaches, teaches and builds a wider network
Bren Smith and his GreenWave organization are helping lay the foundations for a generation of seaweed-growing farmers in the United States, while working to build a network of producers and buyers......»»
"Harvesting data": Latin American AI startups transform farming
For centuries, farmers used almanacs to try to understand and predict weather patterns......»»
The Rise of the Carbon Farmer
Farmers around the world are reigniting the less intensive agricultural practices of yesteryear—to improve soil health, raise yields, and trap carbon in the atmosphere back down in the soil......»»
Fluctuating coffee prices are putting mental pressure on Vietnamese farmers
While your invigorating morning coffee may become cheaper when there are large fluctuations in the world market price, they are a major additional psychological burden for the farmers who grow the coffee......»»