Agriculture

New Research

You Can Thank the Ancient Maya for Your Grocery Store’s Papaya

New research suggests the Mesoamerican civilization was responsible for first cultivating the hermaphrodite version of the plant favored by growers

March 19, 2015

The World of Chocolate

A Special Facility in England Keeps the World’s Chocolate Safe

The cocoa tree is very sensitive to disease and pests, so someone checks every plant bound for international trade

March 16, 2015

A Norwegian Company is Transforming Deserts Into Farmland

Solar power plants in Qatar and Jordan, not far from the sea, are powering desalination systems that irrigate plants in and around greenhouses

March 6, 2015

New Research

City Bees Are Actually More Diverse Than Country Bees

Other pollinators don’t like urban areas as much as rural, but bees live in similar numbers across different landscapes

February 12, 2015

Cool Finds

Farm Animals Could Soon Carry Wi-Fi

In a few years, shepherds might be monitoring their flocks with networks of wireless sensors

February 10, 2015

New Research

Before Agriculture, Human Jaws Were a Perfect Fit for Human Teeth

The emergence of agricultural practices initiated major changes to the jaw structure of ancient humans, leading to dental problems we still experience

February 6, 2015

New Research

Life-Giving Rain Also Spreads Deadly Plant Disease

High-speed cameras show how leaf flexibility influences raindrop dispersal into the air — along with pathogens picked up from infected plants

February 5, 2015

The World Hit “Peak Chicken” in 2006

The popular poultry is just one of many key food resources that hit peak production between 5 and 30 years ago

January 27, 2015

New Research

Commercial Hives Might Be Saving Crops, But They’re Killing Wild Bees

Diseases known to affect commercial bees are having a troubling impact on the wild population

January 19, 2015

Trending Today

Iowa GMO Banana Trial Halted

Twelve volunteers were supposed to one whole GMO banana each — but so far they have eat zero

January 14, 2015

Cool Finds

America’s Goats Are Concentrated in Texas

In 2012, famers reported more than 2 million goats living in the U.S.

January 13, 2015

Cool Finds

The 1887 Blizzard That Changed the American Frontier Forever

A blizzard hit the western open range, causing the “Great Die Up” and transforming America’s agricultural history

January 9, 2015

Cool Finds

Watch How Farm Machines Shake Down Almond Trees

California grows 80 percent of the world’s almonds, for now

January 2, 2015

Trending Today

Chances Are Your Supermarket Tomatoes Were Picked By Mexican Workers Living in Terrible Conditions

An investigation reveals practices in Mexican farm labor camps that resemble slavery

December 12, 2014

New Research

How One Crop Allowed Humans to Conquer the Himalaya

Hardy barley enabled us to survive at altitudes that were previously beyond reach

November 21, 2014

We’re Running Out of Chocolate

We’re eating so much chocolate that plants can’t keep up

November 17, 2014

Holy Smokes! Tobacco May Fuel Planes in the Future

The seeds from a new type of tobacco plant grown in South Africa release an oil that can be made into biofuel

November 12, 2014

Trending Today

It’s Still Possible to Stop the Worst of Climate Change

Say so long to fossil fuels

November 3, 2014

Cool Finds

How the Gates Foundation Is Making Cassava the Next Corn

Sophisticated plant breeding techniques (but no GMOs) and lots of money are aimed at improving this staple crop of the tropics

October 24, 2014

Halloween

How to Grow a Giant Pumpkin

Science!

October 24, 2014