Collaborate Disseminate
While manually hoeing weeds out of crops can be very time- and labor-intensive, spraying those crops with herbicides is definitely not eco-friendly. A German consortium is developing a third choice, in the form of the AMU-Bot weed-killing robot.Continu… Continue reading AMU-Bot robot kills weeds as it makes its way through crops
With large high-tech sustainable farming facilities located in Northern California and Texas, Silicon Valley-based startup Iron Ox relies heavily on robots to help shoulder the workload. The company’s latest bot, named Grover, can lift over 1,000 lb (4… Continue reading Grover robot does the heavy lifting in high-tech greenhouses
Researchers have isolated a compound from an Australian desert shrub with a long history of medicinal use by the Indigenous peoples of Australia that could help cancer patients better respond to chemotherapy.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTa… Continue reading Ancient Australian plant promises to expand chemotherapy effectiveness
Scientists at the Italian Institute of Technology have developed what they describe as the first biodegradable version of Velcro. While it won’t keep your shoes on, the material can be harmlessly attached to plants for the purposes of environmental mon… Continue reading Biodegradable take on velcro latches on like a parasitic climbing plant
Although pest insects may decimate crops, the use of traditional pesticides can definitely harm the environment. Spanish scientists have now developed a possible alternative to those chemicals, in the form of plants that produce insect-confusing pherom… Continue reading Modified plants designed to save crops by producing insect pheromones
An interesting new research project out of Sweden’s Linköping University has demonstrated how plant roots can be used as energy storage devices. The scientists see the process, which requires the plants to be watered with a special solution to make the… Continue reading Plants with electronic roots act as energy storage devices
When it comes to detecting biomarker chemicals in a person’s body, sweat-analyzing sensors offer a less painful alternative to blood sampling. A new wearable sensor takes a unique approach to collecting that sweat, by mimicking cactus needles.Continue … Continue reading Sweat-analyzing sensor copies the cactus to gather more liquid
Researchers have identified the anti-inflammatory mechanism behind a plant used for centuries in traditional Samoan medicine. The new study found the plant, known as matalafi, is as effective at reducing inflammation as ibuprofen.Continue ReadingCatego… Continue reading Traditional Samoan plant rivals anti-inflammatory effects of ibuprofen
Ordinarily, if you want to check if two plants of the same species come from genetically different populations, you have to analyze their DNA. A new study, however, has found that an analysis of the reflective qualities of their leaves is a much quicke… Continue reading Leaf-reading tool could replace DNA analysis for plant identification
Uber Eats deliveries to Mars are going to be expensive, so the first colonists of the Red Planet will need to figure out how to grow their own food locally. A new study has shown that dosing plants with symbiotic bacteria can drastically improve their … Continue reading Crops grow better in Mars soil when given good bacteria, study finds