Environment

Seed Dormancy Existed 360 Million Years Ago

Scientists have found that seed dormancy, a property that prevents germination when conditions are not right, was present in the first seeds 360 million years ago. Seed dormancy is a phenomenon that has intrigued naturalists for decades, since it conditio ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 19 2014 - 1:45pm

'Green Revolution' Has Changed How The Biosphere Breathes

In the 1960s, there was talk of a dystopian future where the masses starved because the ghost of Malthus came home to roost and the world could no longer feed its people. Instead, Norm Borlaug and science ushered in a "Green Revolution" and coun ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 20 2014 - 8:00am

Part I: Bee Deaths Mystery Solved? Neonicotinoids (Neonics) May Actually Help Bee Health

Reports that honey bees are dying in unusually high numbers has concerned many scientists, farmers and beekeepers, and  gripped the public. There have been thousands of stories ricocheting across the web, citing one study or another as the definitive expl ...

Article - Jon Entine - Mar 17 2015 - 11:41am

In A Snowstorm, Do You Want Salt Or Vegetable Juice On Your Road?

Vegetable juice ice-melt?  Ice-free pavement? "Smart snowplows"?   Cold-climate researchers at Washington State University are clearing the road with 'green' alternatives to salt. ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 21 2014 - 4:11pm

Part II: Bee Deaths And CCD- Flawed Chensheng Lu Harvard Studies Endanger Bees

Last week, in Part I of this two part series, "Bee Deaths Mystery Solved? ...

Article - Jon Entine - Nov 26 2014 - 4:53pm

How To Make A Profit In The World's Driest Wheat Region

Take a spot that only gets 6 to 8 inches of rain per year, with erosion causing such blinding dust that there is zero visibility, and build a wheat farm. Wait, why would you do that? Washington State University researchers do it in the Horse Heaven Hills ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 25 2014 - 2:47pm

Australian Farmers Face Increasing Threat Of New Diseases

Honeybees pollinate a third of Australia's food crops. Losing them due to varroa might would cost the economy billions of dollars. David McClenaghan, Author provided By Gary Fitt, CSIRO A nationwide outbreak of foot and mouth disease; an invasion of ...

Article - The Conversation - Nov 24 2014 - 7:56pm

PCBs, Banned Since 1979, Could Have Changed Thyroid Levels In Pregnant Women

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) found in flame retardant cloth, paint, adhesives and electrical transformers, have been banned since 1979, but if you live on top of a waste disposal site or you have a 40 year old couch, you could still be exposed to them. ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 4 2014 - 2:45pm

Organic Yields Are Only 20 Percent Lower Than Traditional Agriculture, Says Meta Analysis

The $105 billion organic food industry is not terribly worried about yields. Their customers are primarily wealthy and concerned more about the perception of benefit than they are cost. But to the real evangelists, who insist that the organic process can ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 9 2014 - 9:45pm

The Hydrological Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire

The Roman empire stretched over three continents, had 70 million people, and had a logistics and infrastructure system that kept them going for centuries. They had smart agricultural practices and an extensive grain-trade network that enabled them to thri ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 11 2014 - 1:09pm