Agriculture
EPA refuses to ban coyote-killing poison traps
The sodium cyanide bombs are deployed to kill livestock predators, but opponents claim that the traps are inhumane and have many unintended victims -- including pets and endangered species. Wolves...
Saving the bees: Small prairies around agricultural fields can help bees get through the winter
Late-blooming prairies can provide a much-needed respite to farm bees.
Europe needs massive agriculture overhaul to protect wildlife, researchers urge
A letter signed by 2,500 scientists pleads for more sustainable agricultural practices. They call on policymakers “to act on the science, and undertake a far-reaching reform of the EU’s Common...
Bee-killing pesticides offer negligible benefits to soy farmers — but farmers are not convinced
These pesticides are threatening bee populations, while providing marginal benefits at most.
Human encroachment on the world’s protected natural areas is increasing
Protected areas support the climate and wildlife -- it is our responsability to look after them properly.
Badger culling is probably counterproductive and actually helps spread tuberculosis
Vaccination can be much more effective and humane, the researchers suggest.
Global antibiotic resistance in food animals has become a major issue
Reducing antibiotic usage in animals should be a priority, new research concludes.
How plants decide when to flower and when to grow
Flower life seems simple enough, but there is some important decision-making involved.
Blend solar panels with agriculture, new study recommends
Solar panels and plants can work well together, the research shows.
Meat consumers need to accept their own role in the destruction of the Amazon
It boils down to eating beef.
This mineral could become a replacement for potassium fertilizers
As the world tries to find more eco-friendly alternatives to pesticides, a team of Russian and Indian scientists has an interesting idea.
How plants evolved to follow gravity
It's common sense that a plant's roots grow downward in the soil -- but it hasn't always been like this.
Grasshoppers, silkworms, giant cicadas are a good source of antioxidants — if you eat them
"In the future, we might also adapt dietary regimens for insect rearing in order to increase their antioxidant content for animal or human consumption," say the authors.
Grazing animals drove the domestication of grain crops
This might solve a long-standing puzzle about plant domestication.
Ancient Celts had good taste in their drink, new study shows
The wine wasn't restricted to the higher echelons of Celtic society -- the craftsmen also enjoyed a glass from time to time.
How much would you pay to eliminate child slavery from your cocoa?
Three percent, ten percent, forty-seven percent -- what's a reasonable price?
Nitrate pollution in US tap water causes 12,500 cancers each year
Agricultural pollution causes a concerning number of cancers, a new study finds
A grape variety used to produce wine today can be traced back 900 years to an ancestral plant
Who doesn't love a glass of wine?
Honey bee colonies dropped by 16% worldwide in the winter of 2017-18
Out of the 544,879 colonies these beekeepers managed, 89,124 were lost over the winter of 2017-18.
