Sustainability & Climate Change
Food production needs are expected to roughly double over the next 35 years as the world population grows and people in under developed countries become more affluent and demand more calories. Healthy ecosystems are vital to the survival of all organisms. How can we grow crops without harming the environment? How can we balance technology and global food security? What is the right balance of organic and conventional farming? What role can genetics and biotechnology play without compromising the needs of tomorrow?
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Can we prevent future pandemics while transforming more forests into farms?
Viruses that jump from animals to people, like the one responsible for COVID-19, will likely become more common as people ...
Viewpoint: How consumer fear and misguided regulation limit the progress of crop biotechnology
There is a profound disconnect between the modern science of crop improvement and the farmer ...
Drones, big data and AI help China’s farmers weather the coronavirus pandemic
The Covid-19 or coronavirus outbreak has led to an economical standstill worldwide. Agriculture is no exception. China’s agricultural industry is ...
Gene from grass-dwelling fungus may help safeguard global wheat production against deadly disease
Wheat scab hits farmers with a double punch. The fungal disease, also known as Fusarium head blight, shrivels grain and ...
How the ‘seductive myth of nature’s goodness’ infiltrated our thinking about food, medicine and even makeup
“Humankind is poised to make monumental decisions,” Alan Levinovitz warns, “about the meaning and importance of natural goodness.” ... His ...
Viewpoint: The dark side of biodiversity—Why living ‘in harmony’ with nature is a fantasy
The coronavirus is a brutal reminder to citizens abused by the rhetoric of conservationist movements that biodiversity is also a ...
Genetically engineered biofuels might be able to compete with gasoline ‘within reach’
Berkeley Laboratory scientists designed simulations to determine how much biofuel is needed for the whole bioproduct extraction process to be ...
Soil fungus could suppress soybean cyst nematodemore—cause of over $1 billion in yield losses every year
The soybean cyst nematode sucks the nutrients out of soybean roots, causing more than $1 billion in soybean yield losses ...
Synthetic biology will help us feed ourselves with drought-tolerant crops as climate change accelerates
Drought stress has been a long-time limitation to crop production that is being exacerbated by climate change and associated reductions ...
With consumers still fearful of synthetic chemicals, biotech firms spend billions on biopesticide development
Major players like Bayer and start-up companies are spending billions to identify fungi, bacteria and organic compounds in plants that ...
Native Australian plant may help develop disease-resistant crops—and a COVID-19 vaccine
A team from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) spearheaded the genome sequencing of an ancient Australian plant years before ...
CRISPR could yield herbicide-resistant, non-GMO soybeans to help combat stubborn weeds
It is often said that a soybean’s maximum yield potential is when it is still in the bag .... [E]verything ...
Temperature-sensing plant molecule could help breed food crops optimized for changing climate
In a paper published in Nature Communications, a group of cell biologists .... reveal the phytochrome B molecule has unexpected ...
Rising food prices amid coronavirus pandemic stress already fragile economies in developing world
As the coronavirus pandemic penetrates more deeply into global supply chains, prices for key staples are starting to soar in ...
GMO and organic crops can coexist with minimal risk of contamination, multiple studies confirm
In 2020, the world accommodates nearly 7.8 billion people. By 2050, world population is expected to reach 9.8 billion. With ...
Online grocers struggle to meet demand as COVID-19 keeps shoppers away from supermarkets
A pandemic forcing everyone to stay home could be the perfect moment for online grocery services. In practice, they’ve been ...
Video: As coronavirus closes restaurants, farmers sell produce directly to consumers
Farming is becoming a forgotten business due to the coronavirus. Normally, around this time of year, farmers in Florida would ...
Many grocery stores are running low on milk, so why are dairy farmers throwing out their supplies?
We are holding our breath waiting for the call that others have received telling them that the milk their farm ...
Tequila-powered cars: Will biofuel from agave plants help avert energy shortages?
The agave plant used to make tequila could be established in semi-arid Australia as an environmentally friendly solution to Australia's ...
Soy protein could help turn lab-grown steaks into realistic beef alternatives
Currently scientists have only produced relatively tiny nuggets of lab-grown meat, which can imitate ground beef for use in hamburgers ...
Could indoor ‘freight farms’ provide ideal growing conditions for CRISPR-edited crops?
The technology and innovation moving within modern day agriculture is so fast-paced and expansive, you can find futuristic solutions, ideas, ...
How GMO, gene-edited crops can help feed billions of people without fueling climate change
We face a formidable challenge in the years ahead. We need to reduce [carbon] emissions and also sustain a growing ...
Video: What would happen if all the world’s farmers grew organic food?
Stuck at home without your usual organic veggies? Just buy regular ones. They're safe, nutritious and might even be better ...
‘Unforgiving math’: Why intensive agriculture is needed to fight climate change and feed 10 billion people
There is an unforgiving math at the interface of agriculture and the environment ...
Glyphosate and other pesticides pose little threat to soil health, many studies show
Most no-tillers use some external inputs like herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, though there are certainly those who have or are ...
New GMO crops are coming, but why do just four companies develop so many of them?
In November, Science magazine .... described how corn breeding researchers were able to activate a gene that regulated corn growth ...
Low-toxicity pesticide tricks fungi into ‘committing suicide’, safeguarding key food crops from disease
Pathogenic fungi pose a huge and growing threat to global food security. Currently, we protect our crops against fungal disease ...
