Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Latest Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Are online grocery stores being designed to support consumer nutrition information needs?

With steady growth in online grocery shopping, a new study examines the availability of nutrition-related information on leading grocery store websites.

7 Oct 2020

Cyanobacteria As "Green" Catalysts In Biotechnology

Cyanobacteria are known as "blue-green algae", and convert light energy into chemical energy effectively thanks to their active photosynthetic cells.

7 Oct 2020

Dried plum diet prevents bone loss associated with spinal cord injury

Findings from a new study among mice show a diet high in dried plum (prunes) completely prevents bone loss associated with spinal cord injury (SCI), while also restoring some of the bone lost following SCI.

7 Oct 2020

Scientists fine-tune plasma treatment to optimize plant growth and yield

Ever since scientists discovered that plasma treatment leads to faster growth and higher yields of some agricultural crops, physicists, chemists, and biologists have been working together to tease out the mechanisms driving this phenomenon.

7 Oct 2020

Food scarcity and pesticide exposure reduce blue orchard bee reproduction

The loss of flowering plants and the widespread use of pesticides could be a double punch to wild bee populations. In a new study, researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that the combined threats reduced blue orchard bee reproduction by 57 percent and resulted in fewer female offspring.

From The University of California, Davis 7 Oct 2020

Researchers demonstrate new method to increase catalytic activity of cyanobacteria

Although cyanobacteria are known to stain water green through their unique pigments, they are colloquially referred to as “blue-green algae.”

6 Oct 2020

Insufficient food supply causes animals to engage in higher-risk behavior

Whether animals are investigating new habitats or looking for new food sources, they always have a risk of being caught and killed by predators.

6 Oct 2020

Fly larvae extract could protect plants from pathogenic bacteria

Biotechnologists from MIPT have developed a method for extracting the active constituents from the fat of black soldier fly larvae.

6 Oct 2020

High folic acid levels during pregnancy affect brain development of mouse embryos

A UC Davis MIND Institute study of pregnant mice found that high amounts of folic acid during pregnancy harmed the brain development of embryos.

From The University of California, Davis 6 Oct 2020

Researchers identify gene related to seed dispersal in green millet

For years, Elizabeth (Toby) Kellogg, PhD, member and Robert E. King Distinguished Investigator and other researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (Danforth Center) drove up and down the highways of the continental United States, occasionally pulling over to the side of the road to collect small weedy plants and bring them back to the lab.

6 Oct 2020

Study finds how the malaria parasite can withstand fever's heat

Even when a person suffering from malaria is burning up with fever and too sick to function, the tiny blood-eating parasites lurking inside them continue to flourish, relentlessly growing and multiplying as they gobble up the host's red blood cells.

6 Oct 2020

Why are there Anaphylaxis Spikes in Children at Easter and Halloween?

Melanie Cheung speaks to AZoLifeSciences about the importance of raising awareness of nut allergies, especially in children at Halloween and Easter.

6 Oct 2020

Efficient Pollen Identification

From pollen forecasting, honey analysis and climate-related changes in plant-pollinator interactions, analysing pollen plays an important role in research.

5 Oct 2020

40 Percent Of Amazon Could Now Exist As Rainforest Or Savanna-Like Ecosystems

A part of the Amazon rainforest is at risk of crossing a tipping point where it could become a savanna-type ecosystem, according to new research.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers identify new DNA fragment that forms male sex organs in mice

Researchers have identified a new piece of DNA that is crucial for the formation of male sex organs. This discovery may require the revisal of biology textbooks.

5 Oct 2020

MASBio aims to advance renewable biomass and bioproducts industries

The Mid-Atlantic region has some 10 million acres of agricultural and mining land that is rich in natural resources but currently underutilized.

5 Oct 2020

Harvesting vegetation on riparian buffers minimally impacts water quality

Allowing farmers to harvest vegetation from their riparian buffers will not significantly impede the ability of those streamside tracts to protect water quality by capturing nutrients and sediment -- and it will boost farmers' willingness to establish buffers.

5 Oct 2020

Novel tool can screen cereal crops for frost damage

Agricultural scientists and engineers at the University of Adelaide have identified a potential new tool for screening cereal crops for frost damage.

5 Oct 2020

Fungus in some organic pesticides can cause severe cob rot in maize

Protecting crops against pests and diseases is essential to ensure secure food supply. Around 95 percent of the food comes from conventional agriculture, which uses chemical pesticides to keep crops healthy. Increasingly, however, organic pesticides are also being sought as an alternative.

1 Oct 2020

New project to advance technologies for carbon capture through catalysis

Climate-conscious consumers often take steps to curb their emissions of greenhouse gases. For example, you might drive a hybrid car to reduce your use of fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during combustion.

1 Oct 2020