Using less-profitable farmland to grow bioenergy crops also supports biodiversity
An analysis by Oak Ridge National Laboratory showed that using less-profitable farmland to grow bioenergy crops such as switchgrass could fuel not only clean energy, but also gains in biodiversity......»»
The high and mighty Himalayas: A biodiversity hotbed facing significant challenges
The Himalayas are home to a vast diversity of species, consisting of 10,000 vascular plants, 979 birds and 300 mammals, including the snow leopard, the red panda, the Himalayan tahr and the Himalayan monal......»»
Researchers uncover natural variation in wild emmer wheat for broad-spectrum disease resistance
Bread wheat is one of the most important staple crops for millions of people and is apparently the largest cultivated and traded cereal worldwide. Bread wheat is a hexaploid species with three subgenomes (2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD) that has undergone two.....»»
Green Roofs Are Great. Blue-Green Roofs Are Even Better
Amsterdam is experimenting with roofs that not only grow plants but capture water for a building’s residents. Welcome to the squeezable sponge city of tomorrow......»»
Research suggests ways to ensure more sustainability in global agricultural trade
The EU wants to ensure greater sustainability in agricultural trade with the Global South—with the aim of minimizing the environmental and climate-damaging effects of importing crops such as soya, palm oil, coffee, and cocoa. However, this aspirati.....»»
iPhone 15 Issues Grow in April
We’ve been tracking issues plaguing iPhone 15 users in the weeks since Apple last released software. And a list that was already fairly substantial has grown in size. The last update Apple released for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 P.....»»
Researchers crack mystery of swirling vortexes in egg cells
Egg cells are the largest single cells on the planet. Their size—often several to hundreds of times the size of a typical cell—allows them to grow into entire organisms, but it also makes it difficult to transport nutrients and other molecules ar.....»»
Scientists grow human mini-lungs as animal alternative for nanomaterial safety testing
Human mini-lungs grown by University of Manchester scientists can mimic the response of animals when exposed to certain nanomaterials. The study is published in Nano Today......»»
On-demand nutrient production system for long-duration space missions
When astronauts embark on long space missions, they'll need to grow their own food because pre-packaged meals from Earth lose their nutritional value over time. The BioNutrients project at Ames Research Center's Space Biosciences Division has solved.....»»
Honey bees experience multiple health stressors out in the field
It's not a single pesticide or virus stressing honey bees, and affecting their health, but exposure to a complex web of multiple interacting stressors encountered while at work pollinating crops, new research from York University has found......»»
Type of plastic film on high tunnels can filter sunlight, influence plant growth
High-tunnel growing systems, sometimes called hoop houses, have gained popularity for their ability to enhance growth conditions and extend the growing season of horticultural crops. Now, a team led by Penn State researchers has demonstrated that gro.....»»
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......»»
Study investigates coronavirus dynamics in bats: Lower biodiversity means more pathogens
The loss of biodiversity poses a challenge for nature and humans alike. A study led by Ulm University shows that a decline in biodiversity promotes the spread of potentially zoonotic pathogens......»»
Making crops colorful for easier weeding by robots
To make weeding easier, scientists suggest bioengineering crops to be colorful or to have differently shaped leaves so that they can be more easily distinguished from their wild and weedy counterparts. This could involve altering the crops' genomes s.....»»
A nematode gel to protect crops in Africa and Asia
The fall armyworm is a destructive corn pest that recently arrived in Africa and Asia from the Americas and began causing major yield losses and increased use of insecticides, which pose environmental and human health risks......»»
Schiller doesn’t know whether the App Store is profitable; there are no minutes of meetings
Phil Schiller has told a court in an antitrust case that he doesn’t know for sure whether the App Store is profitable, and never considered the return on investment when launching it. He’s also explained the reason that there are very few writ.....»»
CO₂ worsens wildfires by helping plants grow, model experiments show
By fueling the growth of plants that become kindling, carbon dioxide is driving an increase in the severity and frequency of wildfires, according to a UC Riverside study......»»
Pioneering crop productivity and sustainability in the face of water scarcity
A research team has shed light on the early morning "golden hours" as a pivotal time for achieving optimal water use efficiency (WUE) in crops, revealing that plants can maintain lower transpiration rates and higher photosynthetic activity under favo.....»»
Persistent questioning of knowledge takes a toll: New study supports theories that baseless discrediting harms
It can be demoralizing for a person to work in a climate of repetitive skepticism and doubt about what they know, a new study shows......»»
Palladium nanocluster catalyst supports highly efficient and regioselective hydrogenation of epoxides
Alcohols are widely applied in life sciences and the chemical industry. Selective hydrogenation of epoxides using hydrogen molecules as a reductant is considered to be one of the most facile and atom-economical strategies for alcohol synthesis. Howev.....»»
Reptiles in South Africa are under threat, but there"s good news too
Media reports about the biodiversity crisis and what researchers have argued qualifies as a mass extinction event tend to focus on the big ecological effects. Melting ice sheets, severe weather events, droughts, habitat loss and wildfires dominate he.....»»