Environment

Fungi Are At The Root Of Tropical Forest Diversity, Or Lack Thereof

The types of beneficial fungi that associate with tree roots can alter the fate of a patch of tropical forest, boosting plant diversity or, conversely, giving one tree species a distinct advantage over many others, finds a study in Ecology Letters which s ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 22 2016 - 2:43pm

Science-Based Data Collection Key To Better Wildland Fire Defense

A new report describes how researchers analyzed a major 2011 Texas wildfire using a scientifically based post-fire data collection approach, a system they believe will lead to improved defensive measures and strategies for significantly reducing structura ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 25 2016 - 7:30am

Why We Should Use Rainwater To Flush Toilets

If you live in one of four major U.S. cities chances are you're letting the benefits of a ubiquitous natural resource go right down the drain instead of using it to cut down your water bill. Toilet flushing is the biggest use of water in households i ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 7 2016 - 12:49pm

GMO Anthocyanin-Expressing Citrus Developed

Anthocyanins, pigments that give plants their red, blue, or purple hues, are not typically produced in citrus fruits grown under tropical or subtropical conditions. Now, scientists have genetically engineered a lime that contains anthocyanins, which they ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 25 2016 - 8:33am

Jonathan Lundgren Says USDA Suppressed Him Over Neonicotinoids- They Say He's An Activist Not Doing His Job

Jonathan Lundgren, a US Department of Agriculture currently on leave facing misconduct charges, says the government is suppressing information about the dangers of pesticides, which he believes are endangering the health of bees around the world. ...

Article - Jon Entine - Mar 16 2016 - 2:48pm

Into the New Wild

Book review: The New Wild: Why invasive species will be nature's salvation by Fred Pearce Icon Books 2015 In 1910  New Zealand's great botanist Leonard Cochayne described the dramatic change in  plant communities which had occurred since the fir ...

Blog Post - Graham Strouts - Mar 22 2016 - 6:33am

Permaculture and the Edible Forest Garden: a Critical Analysis

I've been interested in the edible forest garden idea for over twenty years and have planted and designed several myself in Ireland in that time, and visited several others. But they have never lived up to my expectations and were largely unproductiv ...

Blog Post - Graham Strouts - Mar 26 2016 - 6:48pm

Near 20-Year High: Bee-pocalypse Postponed Again, Until 2017

Despite the hype, there’s still no bee-pocalypse. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Department Agriculture released its latest count of commercial honeybee hives, and although the figure dipped 2.9 percent from the 20-year record-high set in 2014, the overall count ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 3 2016 - 4:30pm

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your...Nuclear Waste?

A very unusual exchange is about to take place over the Atlantic. The UK is sending some 700 kilograms of highly enriched uranium to be disposed of in the US, the largest amount that has ever been moved out of the country. In return, the US is sending oth ...

Article - The Conversation - Apr 6 2016 - 6:30am

People Who Eat Fast Food Have More Phthalates

A recent survey revealed that people who claimed to eat more fast food also had possible exposure of higher levels of  phthalates. Is that bad? In 2016, when all chemicals are scary, it certainly is, and environmental groups have raised a fortune claiming ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 13 2016 - 6:54am