Agriculture
Seeds May Use Tiny "Brains" to Decide When to Germinate
Two clumps of cells send hormone signals to each other to help determine when the time has come to sprout
Domestic Rice Was Grown in China 9,400 Years Ago
A new study offers evidence that prehistoric villages in the area of Shangshan were growing half-domesticated rice
Why an Alabama Town Has a Monument Honoring the Most Destructive Pest in American History
The boll weevil decimated the South's cotton industry, but the city of Enterprise found prosperity instead
Meet Stinky ‘Bucky,’ the Bulbophyllum Orchid that Shutdown a Smithsonian Greenhouse
Orchid expert Tom Mirenda says history records the stench of this plant as reminiscent of a thousand dead elephants rotting in the sun
This 1000-Mile Long Storm Showed the Horror of Life in the Dust Bowl
In the American history of extreme weather events, ‘Black Sunday’ sticks out
How Ants Became the World’s Best Fungus Farmers
Ancient climate change may have spurred a revolution in ant agriculture, Smithsonian researchers find
The Science Behind Your Cheap Wine
How advances in bottling, fermenting and taste-testing are democratizing a once-opaque liquid
The Bittersweet Story of Vanilla
Today, less than 1 percent of vanilla flavoring comes from the vanilla flower. Is that a good thing?
The Bee That Breaks Your Heart
Insects are hard-pressed to get protection as endangered species. Can one fuzzy anomaly beat the odds?
New Map Highlights Bee Population Declines Across the U.S.
As wild bee populations continue to fall, new research identifies counties that will be hit the hardest
Genome Mapping Could Lead to Cheaper and More Abundant Quinoa
New data on the "superfood" could help breed varieties that require less processing and can thrive in poor soil conditions
How the U.S. Postal Service Could Tackle Food Insecurity
A team of Washington University students has a plan: use postal workers to pick up food, deliver it to food banks and even store it in post offices
Diet Deficiency Can Lead to Cannibal Hamsters
A new study may explain why the rodents are declining in western Europe
Mexico’s Famous Floating Gardens Return to Their Agricultural Roots
One of the capital city’s iconic tourist sites doubles as an experiment in urban farming
The Quest to Return Tomatoes to Their Full-Flavored Glory
We’ve bred the original tomato taste out of existence. Now geneticists are asking: Can we put it back?
The Northwest’s Earliest “Garden” Discovered in British Columbia
The 3,800-year-old stone platform was used to cultivate wapato—wild water potatoes—a staple crop for many North American peoples
Increase and Diffuse Knowledge for the Holidays With These Smithsonian Curated Books
Books recommended by Smithsonian Institution scholars
A Photographic Chronicle of America's Working Poor
<i>Smithsonian</i> journeyed from Maine to California to update a landmark study of American life
Why Winemakers are Turning to Falconry to Tackle Pests
Napa Valley vintners are finding this tried-and-true deterrent more effective than modern technology
Could These College Inventors Tackle the Global Pesticide Problem?
Developed by a team of University of Virgnia students, AgroSpheres break down pesticide residues on crops hours after they are applied
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