Agriculture

  1. screwworm fly
    Agriculture

    50 years ago, screwworm flies inspired a new approach to insect control

    The United States has wiped out screwworm flies repeatedly since 1966 using the sterile male eradication technique.

    By
  2. male flowers and bees
    Animals

    Hemp fields offer a late-season pollen source for stressed bees

    Colorado’s legal fields of low-THC cannabis can attract a lot of bees.

    By
  3. thale cress
    Agriculture

    Plants engineered to always be on alert don’t grow well

    Scientists bred a type of weed to lack proteins that help stem the production of bitter chemicals used to ward off insect attacks.

    By
  4. beer
    Agriculture

    Add beer to the list of foods threatened by climate change

    Barley crops around the world will be threatened by drought and heat.

    By
  5. impossible burger
    Agriculture

    Can science build a better burger?

    Researchers hope to replace whole animal agriculture and feed the world with lab-made meats or plants.

    By
  6. forest in Indonesia
    Earth

    A new map reveals the causes of forest loss worldwide

    A new study shows where global forest loss is due to permanent deforestation versus short-term shifts in land use.

    By
  7. Koolau mountain range
    Agriculture

    How plant microbes could feed the world and save endangered species

    Scientists have only scratched the surface of the plant microbiome, but they already believe it might increase crop yield and save species from extinction.

    By
  8. wheat
    Climate

    As temperatures rise, so do insects’ appetites for corn, rice and wheat

    Hotter, hungrier pests likely to do 10 percent to 25 percent more damage to grains for each warmer degree.

    By
  9. algal bloom off Florida's west coast
    Health & Medicine

    As algae blooms increase, scientists seek better ways to predict these toxic tides

    Scientists around the United States are developing programs that can predict harmful algal blooms in advance.

    By
  10. a bee on a flower
    Animals

    Why humans, and Big Macs, depend on bees

    Thor Hanson, the author of Buzz, explains the vital role bees play in our world.

    By
  11. food shopping
    Environment

    A big analysis of environmental data strengthens the case for plant-based diets

    A new study calculates the bonus for the planet of choosing more foods from plants.

    By
  12. rice paddy
    Climate

    As CO2 increases, rice loses B vitamins and other nutrients

    Field experiments add vitamins to list of nutrients at risk from a changing atmosphere.

    By