Vermont passes bill restricting the use of pollinator-killing pesticides
Pesticides are one of the main reasons why bee populations have plummeted at an incredible rate in the past couple of years. In Vermont, for example, beekeepers reported losing an average of 57 percent of their hives from 2017 to 2018, and that’s even higher than the national average of 40 Read More...
A newly identified gene in wild tomatoes could lead to pest-resistant tomatoes
As crops become more and more resistant to pesticides, researchers are on the lookout for better alternatives that don’t require chemicals. At Michigan State University, researchers have identified an evolutionary function in wild tomato plants that modern plant breeders could use to create Read More...
EPA to finally ban dangerous pesticide linked to development problems in kids
For decades, staple food crops in the United States, such as corn, wheat, apples, and citrus have been sprayed with chlorpyrifos – a dangerous pesticide linked to development problems in children and generally known to harm human health, water, and wildlife. Public health advocates have been Read More...
This robot could eventually rid the agricultural sector of pesticides
Nowadays, the adoption of automated robots is a common practice among many industries that seek to improve their effectiveness – from automated robots that are tightening the knots and bolts on cars to automated hoovers that clean your home. Now, in efforts to stop the use of pesticides, Read More...
The EU has banned one of agriculture’s most-used pesticides to save the bees
Although you may not be a big fan of bugs, it’s bad news for everyone that insect populations are rapidly dwindling around the world. Insects are the foundation of nature’s ecosystems, and without them, we would run the risk of a ‘catastrophic collapse’ of those ecosystems. Still, if we Read More...
Monsanto’s cancer-causing herbicide is being banned in cities across America
Los Angeles didn’t wait a moment to act when a second jury in a matter of months declared that the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, glysophate, causes cancer. Following the case, the county of Los Angeles banned any further use of the toxic weedkiller by all county departments. Read More...
These robots provide a win-win scenario for farmers and the environment
When you think about Silicon Valley, you probably don’t think of companies that specialize in farming equipment. But there’s one startup by the name of Blue River Technology that’s making waves in Silicon Valley with their special robotic farming machines. The robots they develop help farmers Read More...
Scientists are honing in on a safer, natural alternative to pesticides
Pesticide-free farming would do wonders for the world's declining insect populations, but not all farmers are willing to take the risk of switching to more sustainable farming techniques. In an attempt to create a safer strain of pesticides that will do less harm to the planet, researchers at the Read More...
Organic food diet linked to dramatic drop in level of pesticides in the body
The health benefits of organic foods have been recently put into question in the United States by various studies with scientific credentials. This is a rather interesting development given the steady growth of the American organic foods segment in an otherwise stagnant food market. It turns out Read More...
Pesticides linked to Parkinson’s disease
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles have identified 11 pesticides that more than double the risk of Parkinson’s disease—and at much lower concentrations than they are currently used. Furthermore, people with a common genetic variant are particularly susceptible to the Read More...