The verdict on genetically modified crops is still not settled globally, with some countries allowing their use and some wary of their potential environmental impact. A new process might make the promise of scientific advancement in food production more digestible. Scientists … [Read more...] about Scientists improve crops without genetic modification
pesticides
Owls are helping winemakers stay away from pesticides
Winemaking is a delicate and millennia-old craft. To achieve a desirable product, vintners have to pay close attention to soil, rain, heat, and sunlight. Mice and gophers are other problems that vintners often turn to rodenticides to solve. In a bid to provide a more natural … [Read more...] about Owls are helping winemakers stay away from pesticides
New “bee vaccine” can help pollinators become immune to pesticides
Without pollinators, our food security and survival as a species would be seriously at risk. But even with this knowledge, humans continue to perpetuate practices that endanger bees and other pollinators, one of the biggest being the growing use of pesticides in agriculture. … [Read more...] about New “bee vaccine” can help pollinators become immune to pesticides
Scientists create eco-friendly pesticide using brewing waste
While conventional pesticides can be beneficial for ensuring crop yields, they are also ecologically damaging. In a bid to provide a greener alternative, a team of scientists has developed a natural pesticide — that’s also a fertilizer — made out of a combination of agricultural … [Read more...] about Scientists create eco-friendly pesticide using brewing waste
Sigh of relief: UK will not use bee-harming pesticide after all
Earlier this year, the British government reversed a ban on a bee-harming pesticide called neonicotinoid in order to kill off virus-transmitted aphids that threatened the UK’s sugar beet fields. Environmentalists were obviously not pleased with the reversal of the ban as the … [Read more...] about Sigh of relief: UK will not use bee-harming pesticide after all