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.
Saving our soil: 4 new microbial technologies that keep soil healthy and us fed
Soil microbes are hard to see and understand, yet we know that they have a significant impact on plant health, ...
When it comes to evolution, could humans be more impactful than nature?
The composition of our air and water is different from what it was even a few decades ago. There is ...
Vaccine in development that could protect honeybee populations from pesticide poisoning
The solution is about the size of a grain of pollen, and when ingested by bees, allows the creatures to ...
How genetic engineering will help make fishing more sustainable
After an arduous process that took more than 25 years from time of conception to commercialization, the GMO salmon was ...
Forest of the future: Maine conservationists plant American genetically modified chestnut trees in hopes of reviving near-dead species
Though some are still scattered across the country, the [American] chestnut has been functionally extinct for 70 years. But science ...
CRISPR 3.0: A giant leap forward in the quest for climate-conscious farming
In a study in Nature Plants, Yiping Qi, associate professor of Plant Science at the University of Maryland (UMD), introduces a ...
80% less greenhouse emissions generated: The world’s first cell-based, lab grown meat factory just opened in Israel
Israeli biotech company Future Meat has opened what it claims to be the “world’s first industrial cultured meat facility,” a ...
Cow-free milk? Chicken-free eggs? Inside the quest to create real animal proteins with fermentation
[S]cientists are figuring out how to make animal protein without using any animal cells at all – by using fermentation ...
‘Why is the US so retrograde when it comes to biotech?’ — ‘Supertrees’ engineered to capture more carbon stir anti-GMO backlash
Capitalizing on trees’ ability to function as natural carbon capture machines, Reddit’s former CEO is now running a company that ...
Does ‘intensive agriculture’ make pandemics more likely? That’s the claim. Here are the facts
Animals can cause diseases in humans. That won't surprise you. What may surprise you is to read that these diseases ...
Viewpoint: Why banning neonicotinoids is a well-meaning but misguided strategy to protect bees and other pollinators
Unfortunately there is quite a bit of dis-and misinformation about what harms bees. For instance, [Maine] lawmakers recently passed a ...
Cow methane ‘burps’ are one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions. Could bovine genetic selection reduce climate change impacts?
Using genetics… scientists have isolated the gene in cattle which causes excess methane production. Through selective breeding, it claims this ...
Viewpoint: Can we adequately feed 10 billion people by 2050? Dutch scientists say yes, but the key is genetic engineering breakthroughs
The goal is to produce twice as much food using half the land and half the inputs. These changes are ...
Facing an uncertain, climate-altered future, here is how scientists are revamping crops
[A new wheat variety called] Kernza brings higher yields and can contain more seeds per stem than average wheat. And ...
‘No-kill meals’ made from lab-grown meat promise huge environmental and ethical benefits. What are the downsides?
We have pescatarians, vegans, flexitarians, locavores and of course vegetarians. But what’s the word for those of us who make ...
Viewpoint: Can agroecology cut European food imports and grow more on less land all while cutting greenhouse gas emissions? It would take a lot
Europe currently is heavily dependent on imports for food products as well as animal feed, particularly soy and corn. But ...
These genetically-modified poplars are easier to cut down — and can produce more bioethanol
Wood mainly consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin… In [genetically] modified poplars, one of the molecules involved in the production ...
Genome editing helps African researchers develop disease-resistant banana varieties
Though breeding programs using genome editing remain in their infancy on the African continent, public research institutions are leading the ...
Don’t believe the hype: Organic produce is not healthier than conventionally-grown fruit and vegetables
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture starting to implement its organic food rules. They allow ...
‘Protein transition’: Everything you need to know about the coming clean, cultured, alternative meat revolution
The cultured meat revolution is also sometimes called ‘the protein transition’ and its advocates are confident that this transition will ...
Viewpoint: Regenerative ranching – promoted by organic activists from Vandana Shiva to the Organic Consumers Association — has turned out to be a massive scam
While the regenerative potential of many agricultural techniques is widely accepted among ecologists, the inclusion of ranching is disputed. ...
How California is teaming up with conservation groups to rescue the western monarch butterfly from extinction
Monarch butterflies, known for their distinctive orange and black pattern, once flocked to California in the millions, spending the winter ...
Humanity has tipped the Earth’s nitrogen cycle out of balance. Here’s how we can reduce the use of synthetic fertilizer and address climate change dislocations
As nations and industries try to cut greenhouse gas emissions to tackle climate change, agricultural practices are in the spotlight ...
1/3 of 1%: Alternative protein sources such as Impossible Burger still represent a tiny share of consumer purchases — but polling shows consumers are open to switch
If you had three options in front of you: farm-raised beef, lab-grown meat and Impossible Foods protein — what would ...
Viewpoint: Can regenerative agriculture save the beleaguered coffee industry from climate change devastation?
[A]fter generations of cultivating coffee as a crop, irresponsible farming practices such as poor water management and dependency on harmful ...
Gene editing can prevent eucalyptus from becoming invasive
Gene editing can prevent eucalyptus — a tree highly valued in Kenya and elsewhere for its hardy timber, wood fuel ...
Viewpoint: Thinking about carbon as a crop
“The idea behind carbon farming is pretty simple — remove excess carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the ...
