Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Latest Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Urban air pollution may make COVID-19 more severe for some

In a recent study, researchers at Emory University found that long-term exposure to urban air pollution may have made COVID-19 more deadly.

8 Oct 2020

Global food production poses an increasing climate threat

According to a new study, rising nitrous oxide emissions are putting reaching climate goals and the objectives of the Paris Agreement in jeopardy.

8 Oct 2020

Climate change could mean fewer sunny days for hot regions banking on solar power

While solar power is a leading form of renewable energy, research suggests that global warming could be less viable in the future.

8 Oct 2020

Grant awarded to study how plants affect microbiomes

For centuries, scientists have worked above ground, studying plants and their effect on biodiversity.

7 Oct 2020

Are online grocery stores being designed to support consumer nutrition information needs?

With steady growth in online grocery shopping, a new study examines the availability of nutrition-related information on leading grocery store websites.

7 Oct 2020

Cyanobacteria As "Green" Catalysts In Biotechnology

Cyanobacteria are known as "blue-green algae", and convert light energy into chemical energy effectively thanks to their active photosynthetic cells.

7 Oct 2020

Dried plum diet prevents bone loss associated with spinal cord injury

Findings from a new study among mice show a diet high in dried plum (prunes) completely prevents bone loss associated with spinal cord injury (SCI), while also restoring some of the bone lost following SCI.

7 Oct 2020

Scientists fine-tune plasma treatment to optimize plant growth and yield

Ever since scientists discovered that plasma treatment leads to faster growth and higher yields of some agricultural crops, physicists, chemists, and biologists have been working together to tease out the mechanisms driving this phenomenon.

7 Oct 2020

Food scarcity and pesticide exposure reduce blue orchard bee reproduction

The loss of flowering plants and the widespread use of pesticides could be a double punch to wild bee populations. In a new study, researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that the combined threats reduced blue orchard bee reproduction by 57 percent and resulted in fewer female offspring.

From The University of California, Davis 7 Oct 2020

Researchers demonstrate new method to increase catalytic activity of cyanobacteria

Although cyanobacteria are known to stain water green through their unique pigments, they are colloquially referred to as “blue-green algae.”

6 Oct 2020

Insufficient food supply causes animals to engage in higher-risk behavior

Whether animals are investigating new habitats or looking for new food sources, they always have a risk of being caught and killed by predators.

6 Oct 2020

Fly larvae extract could protect plants from pathogenic bacteria

Biotechnologists from MIPT have developed a method for extracting the active constituents from the fat of black soldier fly larvae.

6 Oct 2020

High folic acid levels during pregnancy affect brain development of mouse embryos

A UC Davis MIND Institute study of pregnant mice found that high amounts of folic acid during pregnancy harmed the brain development of embryos.

From The University of California, Davis 6 Oct 2020

Researchers identify gene related to seed dispersal in green millet

For years, Elizabeth (Toby) Kellogg, PhD, member and Robert E. King Distinguished Investigator and other researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (Danforth Center) drove up and down the highways of the continental United States, occasionally pulling over to the side of the road to collect small weedy plants and bring them back to the lab.

6 Oct 2020