A new study sheds light on how human gut microbes break down processed foods — especially potentially harmful chemical changes often produced during modern food manufacturing processes.
Read moreResearchers report that the growing appetite for animal protein in low- to middle-income countries has resulted in a smorgasbord of antibiotic consumption for livestock that has nearly tripled the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria between 2000 and 2018. The researchers found that antibiotic resistance in livestock was most widespread in China and India, with Brazil and Kenya emerging as new hotspots.
Read moreMany farmers across sub-Saharan Africa try to coax crops out of sandy soils that are not ideal for holding water and nutrients. Traditional approaches would have them apply more fertilizers and use irrigation, but both require access to resources and infrastructure that many do not have. A relatively new technology modeled for eight African countries, and currently being tested in Zimbabwe, shows potential for improving harvests through increased water retention and accumulation of organic material.
Read moreA new study has found that culling drives badgers to roam 61% further afield — helping to explain why the practice, intended to reduce bovine TB transmission, can sometimes exacerbate the problem instead.
Read moreWhen you're sleep deprived, you reach for doughnuts and pizza. A new study has figured out why you crave more calorie-dense, high-fat foods after a sleepless night. Blame it on your sleepy nose — or olfactory system. First, it goes into hyperdrive, sharpening the food odors for the brain. But then there is a breakdown in communication with brain areas that receive food signals. Then decisions about what to eat change.
Read moreScientists have developed a new approach enabling researchers to more efficiently identify the genes that control plant traits. This method will enable plant breeders and scientists to develop more affordable, desirable, and sustainable plant varieties. The application will be most valuable for the fruit, vegetable and grain crops that are critical for global food security and human nutrition.
Read moreIrrigation significantly exacerbated the earthquake-triggered landslides in Palu, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, in 2018, according to an international study.
Read moreIn an industry struggling to maintain profitability, it's curious that U.S. processing sweet corn – the corn that ends up in cans and freezer bags – is falling so far below its potential. Yet, that's what a new study clearly demonstrates.
Read moreNew evidence in Belize shows the ancient Maya responded to population and environmental pressures by creating massive agricultural features in wetlands, potentially increasing atmospheric CO2 and methane through burn events and farming, according to geographical research.
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