Eat Less Meat to Prevent Climate Disaster
Fertilizers used in growing feed crops for cattle produce the most potent of the greenhouse gases causing climate change
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Is Corn Syrup Killing the Honeybees?
A trio of recent studies faults a common family of corn pesticides for disorienting honeybees, potentially leading to colony collapse disorder. The German chemical company Bayer, which manufactures the pesticides, disagrees.
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Hyenas Give Up Scavenging for Lent
Many Christians give up certain foods for Lent, however ecologists have discovered these changes in human diet have a dramatic impact on the diet of wild animals. In Ethiopia, members of the Orthodox Tewahedo Church stop eating meat and dairy products during a 55-day fast before Easter. As a result, spotted hyenas too change their…
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Controversial Pesticide Linked to Bee Collapse
A controversial type of pesticide linked to declining global bee populations appears to scramble bees’ sense of direction, making it hard for them to find home. Starved of foragers and the pollen they carry, colonies produce fewer queens, and eventually collapse. The phenomenon is described in two new studies published in Science. While they don’t…
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Farming Needs ‘Climate-Smart’ Change
Major changes are needed in agriculture and food consumption around the world if future generations are to be adequately fed, a major report warns. Farming must intensify sustainably, cut waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farms, it says. The Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change spent more than a year assessing evidence from…
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Fatty Diet Leads to Fat-Loving Brain Cells
Cheeseburgers pack on the pounds, but in mice a high-fat diet also packs on new nerve cells in the brain. More brain cells may seem like a good thing, but these newly sprouted cells appear to trigger weight gain in the animals, a new study finds. The results offer insight into how the brain controls…
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Researchers Reveal ‘Fat Gene’ Role
Researchers believe they have identified why a mutation in a particular gene can lead to obesity. Mouse experiments suggested the body’s message to “stop eating” was blocked if the animals had the mutation. The study, published in Nature Medicine, said the brain’s response to appetite hormones was being disrupted. The Georgetown University Medical Center researchers hope…
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Can High-Power Ultrasound Protect Produce From Pathogens?
A litany of food scares–and rules for organic produce–have pushed the industry to seek new solutions for food safety.
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Plant Movement From Climate Change Revealed in Interactive Map
Nationwide, gardeners have been experimenting with their newly assigned plant hardiness zones, a guide provided by the USDA that maps how well a plant will survive winter temperatures in a certain region. The map divides regions into different growing zones based on the average lowest temperature. Since the 1960s, growers have used it as a…
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Oceans Acidifying Fastest in 300 Million Years Due to Emissions
The Earth’s oceans may be acidifying faster than at any point during the last 300 million years due to industrial emissions, endangering marine life from oysters and reefs to sea-going salmon, researchers said. Scientists found surging levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere forced down the pH of the ocean by 0.1 unit in the…