Algae-based feed could help save struggling bee colonies

As factors such as habitat loss decrease the number and variety of flowering plants in the environment, beekeepers are increasingly starting to augment their insects’ diet with artificial feeds. It now turns out that microalgae may be a particularly go… Continue reading Algae-based feed could help save struggling bee colonies

Stressed-out plants pass down “memories” to make offspring stronger

Like any good parent, it turns out that plants can use their own experience to teach their offspring about how to overcome tough times. Geneticists at Penn State University have manipulated the expression of one gene in a plant that makes them more res… Continue reading Stressed-out plants pass down “memories” to make offspring stronger

Fiber optic tech could save date palms from infestations

Responsible for millions of dollars in crop losses annually, the red palm weevil is a flying beetle that lays its eggs inside date palm trees. It could soon be possible to detect such infestations earlier than ever, using fiber optic cables.Continue Re… Continue reading Fiber optic tech could save date palms from infestations

MIT’s new microneedle patch is made just for plants

When it comes to safer, less painful, slow-release alternatives to the hypodermic injection of medications, “microneedle patches” show a lot of promise. Now, MIT scientists have adapted the technology for use on plants.Continue ReadingCategory: Science… Continue reading MIT’s new microneedle patch is made just for plants

Ancient settlers once farmed on thousands of artificial forest islands

Over 10,000 years ago, ancient human settlers began the construction of around 4,700 artificial forest islands in ancient Amazonia, according to the results of a recently-published paper. Archaeologists believe that the islands were used for farming, a… Continue reading Ancient settlers once farmed on thousands of artificial forest islands

Hearing Plants Giggle Is Just As Creepy As You Think

While best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl wrote quite a few similarly oddball stories in his time. One of them, The Sound Machine, is about a device that allowed the user to hear the anguished screams of trees as they were cut down. Sounds …read more

Continue reading Hearing Plants Giggle Is Just As Creepy As You Think

Dietary supplement reduces methane emissions from cows by a quarter

Cows are a huge source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, so more and more scientists are looking at how we could tweak their diets for the good of the environment. Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have made yet another discovery in this a… Continue reading Dietary supplement reduces methane emissions from cows by a quarter

ISS-grown “space lettuce” is just as good as its Earthly counterparts

A few years ago, for the first time ever, astronauts ate lettuce that had been grown aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It has now been determined that the “space lettuce” was at least as nutritious as similar plants grown on Earth.Continue … Continue reading ISS-grown “space lettuce” is just as good as its Earthly counterparts