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Extinct plant species discovered in amber
Biologists have described a new species of extinct plant, based on two fossil flowers that were trapped in chunks of amber for at least 15 million years. Strychnos electri belongs to the genus whose tropical shrubs, trees and vines are famous for producing the deadly toxin strychnine. The US Read More...
How Costa Rica is becoming one of the most environmentally friendly places on earth
Costa Rica's emerging status as a green energy leader has won renewed praise from experts discussing the country's 99 per cent fossil-free electricity use. The central American country achieved an almost completely carbon-neutral footprint when sourcing electricity for its citizens in 2015, Read More...
Yemenis fight drought by harvesting fog and turning it back into water
Yemen is in crisis. The Middle Eastern country has become a failed state, ravaged by internal war and running out of resources quick, especially water. One resource though that Yemen has a lot of is fog, and the country has now successfully experimented ways to “harvest” moisture from the air Read More...
Organic farming could be the key to feeding the world as global warming takes hold
Organic farming has long been considered irrelevant when it comes to tackling hunger, but one of the biggest studies ever carried out on the practice has concluded that it could play a major role as global warming starts to take effect. The study out of Washington State University found that Read More...
Feeling a need for physical contact, some are cuddling up with strangers
Cuddling releases oxytocin—the love hormone—which can ward off depression and loneliness, reduce pain and even lower blood pressure, according to research. So in our culture, with more and more couples divorced and lose ties in our communities, isn't it only logical that there's now a "cuddle Read More...
Free-range education: Why the unschooling movement is growing
"Unschooling" is an educational theory that suggests children should follow their own interests, without the imposition of school. In this report by Christian Science Monitor, one home-schooling mother says, "This life is about freedom and not having limits. It’s about really trusting your kids." Read More...
Get dirty: Gardening can help your immune system
It's still a counter-intuitive idea to many, but exposure to dirt leads to a healthier immune system. The naturally occuring microbes in our outdoor environment help program the body to learn what types of foreign agents are actually harmless. This prevents it from later attacking innocuous Read More...
The moral case for cultured meat
Last Monday, the Wall Street Journal announced the creation of the “world’s first cultured meatball.” Memphis Meats, the startup behind the dish, revealed its ambitious plans to produce beef and pork using cell cultures. Per its name, the company plans to eventually debut their Read More...
Cow gas smells like success for organic farmer
In a land famous for cutting-edge agricultural technology, one Israeli farmer gets his sustainable ecological solutions not from a computer – he doesn’t own one – but from the backside of his cows. That’s right: We’re talking about methane, the odiferous, Read More...
Climate-smart agriculture: Building resilience to climate change
The current El Niño weather phenomenon has brought devastating drought to parts of Ethiopia, showing the urgent need for farming to adapt to new weather patterns. With global populations expanding rapidly, it has been estimated that agricultural production will have to rise by as much as 70% by Read More...