Food and Agricultural Science News and Research

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Cover crop roots are essential to judge their overall effectiveness

To judge the overall effectiveness of cover crops and choose those offering the most ecosystem services, agricultural scientists must consider the plants' roots as well as above-ground biomass, according to Penn State researchers who tested the characteristics of cover crop roots in three monocultures and one mixture.

14 Aug 2020

Flavonoids in sorghum roots may lead to development of frost-resistant crop

Flavonoid compounds -- produced by the roots of some sorghum plants -- positively affect soil microorganisms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery is an early step in developing a frost-resistant line of the valuable crop for North American farmers.

14 Aug 2020

New research suggests pollution is also a cause for antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is an increasing health problem, but new research suggests it is not only caused by the overuse of antibiotics. It's also caused by pollution.

From University of Georgia 14 Aug 2020

Seafood study finds plastic in all samples

A study of five different seafoods has found traces of plastic in every sample tested.

From University of Exeter 13 Aug 2020

Study finds agricultural additions as largest human source of sulfur in the environment

A new paper out today in Nature Geoscience identifies fertilizer and pesticide applications to croplands as the largest source of sulfur in the environment--up to 10 times higher than the peak sulfur load seen in the second half of the 20th century, during the days of acid rain.

11 Aug 2020

Personal connections can help communities adapt to climate change, shows study

Connections with friends and family are key to helping communities adapt to the devastating impact of climate change on their homes and livelihoods, a new study shows.

11 Aug 2020

Many consumers are confused by whole grain labels on food packaging

Whole grain labels on cereal, bread, and crackers are confusing to consumers and could cause them to make fewer healthy choices, according to the results of a study that tested whether people are able pick out the healthier, whole grain option based on food package labels.

11 Aug 2020

A genetic switch in brain cells can toggle between sex-specific states when necessary

Biological sex is typically understood in binary terms: male and female. However, there are many examples of animals that are able to modify sex-typical biological and behavioral features and even change sex.

11 Aug 2020

Adapting the equipment and expertise of agtech labs could help combat pandemics

Just as redeploying a fleet of small British fishing boats helped during the Battle of Dunkirk, marshalling the research equipment and expertise of the many agtech labs around the world could help combat pandemics, say the authors of a just-published article in Nature Biotechnology.

11 Aug 2020

Scientists resolve photosynthetic bottlenecks to increase crop productivity

Plants are factories that manufacture yield from light and carbon dioxide--but parts of this complex process, called photosynthesis, are hindered by a lack of raw materials and machinery.

11 Aug 2020

Researchers use genome editing to facilitate drug discovery based on natural fungus

Rice University scientists have won federal support for their pursuit of novel drugs to treat human disease.

11 Aug 2020

Researchers describe a previously unknown phylum of aquatic Archaea

In a publication in Nature Communications last Friday, NIOZ scientists Nina Dombrowski and Anja Spang and their collaboration partners describe a previously unknown phylum of aquatic Archaea that are likely dependent on partner organisms for growth while potentially being able to conserve some energy by fermentation.

11 Aug 2020

Intensive land use may reduce pollination and reproductive success of wild plants

Leipzig/Halle. Human changes to the environment have been linked to widespread pollinator declines. New research published in Nature Communications shows that intensive land use will further decrease pollination and reproductive success of wild plants, especially of those plants that are highly specialized in their pollination.

11 Aug 2020

Finned nanoporous materials can speed up molecular transport

Thousands of chemical processes used by the energy industry and for other applications rely on the high speed of catalytic reactions, but molecules frequently are hindered by molecular traffic jams that slow them down.

11 Aug 2020

Researchers are developing therapeutic treatments for acute stroke

Every year in the United States, about 800,000 people experience a stroke. Many are left with neurological complications such as paralysis on one side of the body, speech and language problems, vision issues, behavioral changes, and memory loss.

10 Aug 2020

Study shows how legumes recognize beneficial microbes from harmful ones

Legume plants can recognize their friends from their foes, and now scientists have found out how they do it at the molecular level.

10 Aug 2020

Researchers find new way to create natural compound that shows promise as anti-cancer agent

Scripps Research chemists Hans Renata, PhD, and Alexander Adibekian, PhD, have discovered a way to efficiently create a synthetic version of a valuable natural compound called cepafungin I, which has shown promise as an anti-cancer agent.

7 Aug 2020

Study could advance the field of beef production

While it's long been said "you are what you eat," a team of animal scientists in the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is taking an in-depth look at how what you are is influenced by your ability to eat, at least in cattle.

7 Aug 2020

Researchers identify strategies to improve livelihoods through sustainable agricultural development

The Barotse Floodplain in Zambia is one of Africa's largest wetlands, representing varied ecotypes and high biodiversity conservation value.

7 Aug 2020

Rutgers expert highlights the effects of climate change on allergies, autoimmunity and the microbiome

Climate change and disruption of the ecosystem have the potential to profoundly impact the human body. Xue Ming, professor of neurology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, who recently published a paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health on the effects of climate change on allergies, autoimmunity and the microbiome -- the beneficial microorganisms that live on and inside the human body -- discusses how the delicate balance of the environment affects conditions such as allergies, autism and immune disorders.

6 Aug 2020

Food and Agricultural Science News and Research

Cover crop roots are essential to judge their overall effectiveness

Flavonoids in sorghum roots may lead to development of frost-resistant crop

New research suggests pollution is also a cause for antibiotic resistance

Seafood study finds plastic in all samples

Study finds agricultural additions as largest human source of sulfur in the environment

Personal connections can help communities adapt to climate change, shows study

Many consumers are confused by whole grain labels on food packaging

A genetic switch in brain cells can toggle between sex-specific states when necessary

Adapting the equipment and expertise of agtech labs could help combat pandemics

Scientists resolve photosynthetic bottlenecks to increase crop productivity

Researchers use genome editing to facilitate drug discovery based on natural fungus

Researchers describe a previously unknown phylum of aquatic Archaea

Intensive land use may reduce pollination and reproductive success of wild plants

Finned nanoporous materials can speed up molecular transport

Researchers are developing therapeutic treatments for acute stroke

Study shows how legumes recognize beneficial microbes from harmful ones

Researchers find new way to create natural compound that shows promise as anti-cancer agent

Study could advance the field of beef production

Researchers identify strategies to improve livelihoods through sustainable agricultural development

Rutgers expert highlights the effects of climate change on allergies, autoimmunity and the microbiome

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