The origins of farming insects
A beetle bores a tree trunk to build a gallery in the wood in order to protect its lay. As it digs the tunnel, it spreads ambrosia fungal spores that will feed the larvae. When these bore another tree, the adult beetles will be the transmission vecto.....»»
In Sri Lanka, Organic Farming Went Catastrophically Wrong
Faced with a deepening economic and humanitarian crisis, Sri Lanka called off an ill-conceived national experiment in organic agriculture this winter. From a report in March: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised in his 2019 election campa.....»»
Intercropping and sustainable farming practices increase soil carbon reserves
The Diverfarming project evaluates the impact of intercropping and agricultural management on the dynamics of soil organic carbon in four climate regions in Spain, Italy, and Finland.....»»
Root-farming gophers might be our closest agricultural relatives
Although you'll probably never see them, you can spot them by the tell-tale mounds of sandy soil dotting a field: pocket gophers. Beneath your feet, the gophers continuously create and remold a labyrinth of winding tunnels hundreds of feet long......»»
Weather extremes to change future farming
The agricultural sector will increasingly need to adopt new technologies and entrepreneurial flair, along with more flexible land use, to provide secondary income and to combat weather extremes such as floods and drought, according to new research......»»
500-million-year-old fossilized brains of Stanleycaris prompt a rethink of the evolution of insects and spiders
Royal Ontario Museum revealed new research based on a cache of fossils that contains the brain and nervous system of a half-billion-year-old marine predator from the Burgess Shale called Stanleycaris. Stanleycaris belonged to an ancient, extinct offs.....»»
Is There Good News for Monarch Butterflies? Scientists Disagree
A recent study suggests that gains during the summer breeding season are making up for losses during migration. But the insects’ fate is far from assured......»»
NASA releases James Webb telescope "teaser" picture
NASA has a provided a tantalizing teaser photo ahead of the highly-anticipated release next week of the first deep-space images from the James Webb Telescope—an instrument so powerful it can peer back into the origins of the universe......»»
Evidence found that insects are possibly able to feel pain
A trio of researchers, two from Queen Mary University of London, the other from the University of Tehran, has found evidence that suggests insects might be able to feel pain. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Matilda Gib.....»»
Coastal fishing and farming at risk from climate change
Coastal communities could face losses of food from both fisheries and agriculture as a result of climate change, a study of five Indo-Pacific countries suggests. The research is published in Nature Communications......»»
More retro games should adopt Sonic Origins’ Anniversary Mode
Anniversary Mode in Sonic Origins gave me an easier time playing the classic Sonic games than the Sega Genesis did......»»
Scientists decipher, catalog the diverse origins of Earth"s minerals
A 15-year study led by the Carnegie Institution for Science details the origins and diversity of every known mineral on Earth, a landmark body of work that will help reconstruct the history of life on Earth, guide the search for new minerals and ore.....»»
Study begins to unravel the mysterious evolution of fatherless male insects
It's not often that you see genetic systems described as "bizarre" in the title of a scientific research paper. That is unless it's from the lab of San Francisco State University Associate Professor of Biology Scott Roy, who has a particular penchant.....»»
Borrowed gene helps maize adapt to high elevations, cold temperatures
Researchers at North Carolina State University show that an important gene in maize called HPC1 modulates certain chemical processes that contribute to flowering time, and has its origins in "teosinte mexicana," a precursor to modern-day corn that gr.....»»
Long-term study suggests climate-friendly practices could increase crop yields and improve farm ecosystems
An international team of researchers conducting a long-term study has found that climate-friendly farming practices could lead to higher crop yields, reduced costs and improved local ecosystems. In their paper published in the journal Nature Sustaina.....»»
Highly antibiotic-resistant strain of MRSA that arose in pigs can jump to humans
A new study has found that a highly antibiotic-resistant strain of the superbug MRSA—methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus—has emerged in livestock in the last 50 years, probably due to widespread antibiotic use in pig farming......»»
Virus discovery offers clues about origins of complex life
The first discovery of viruses infecting a group of microbes that may include the ancestors of all complex life has been found, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin report in Nature Microbiology. The discovery offers tantalizing clues abo.....»»
Rich people from humble origins are less sensitive to the challenges of poverty than those born rich, research finds
People who become wealthy in the United States may tend to boast of their humble beginnings, but new research finds that they may, in fact, be less sympathetic to the difficulties of being poor than those who were born rich......»»
Observing different mating tactics in the Japanese scorpionfly
Owing to the high competition and the prevalence of natural selection, many male insects must develop alternative tactics to mate with a female. Weaker males who lose in a competition (or loser males) may resort to hovering or sneaking around in orde.....»»
Mormon crickets swarms spur Oregon push to fight pests
Driving down a windy canyon road in northern Oregon rangeland, Jordan Maley and April Aamodt are on the look out for Mormon crickets, giant insects that can ravage crops......»»
Automation builds bigger, better ice tower reservoirs for high, dry farming
Towering artificial ice reservoirs called "ice stupas" have emerged since 2014 as an accessible means of storing irrigation water in dry, high-altitude mountain villages. Now, experiments with automated systems have demonstrated that construction of.....»»