Scientists have long speculated that the “dirtier” the environment we grow up in—with lots of germs from different people and even animals—the better off our immune system and physical health ultimately will be. A new study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science provides early evidence that a dirty world might even be better for our mental health, too. Read More >>
Chilli peppers in Australia have been turning black and rotting on the vine, seemingly without explanation. Now researchers have finally identified just what’s been killing these poor chillies. Read More >>
A huge vertical farm—where crops are planted, grown, and harvested all with neither sun nor soil—is being built in New Jersey. When it’s finished, it will be the largest one in the world. Read More >>
By 2026, there’s going to be a lot less hunger worldwide—and that’s something to celebrate. The reason is not that we’re growing more food, however. Food is just getting cheaper. Read More >>
The world is drying up all around us, but which crops can we use to shift the blame away from our cars, pools, and cartons of almond milk? Cast your eyes hard on these two culprits, right in your very own kitchen cabinet. Read More >>
Amid the clamour over genetically modified crops, there’s an underlying point that’s still being missed: nobody really knows what constitutes a genetically modified crop. Read More >>
It’s been thirty years since the Chernobyl disaster and radiation levels in plants seemed to have died down. So why are levels of radiation in milk still peaking? Read More >>
Three of the world’s most troubling crop diseases were just hit with three new disease-resistant crops varieties, thanks to genetic modification—each with a slightly different mechanism. The details of these modifications appear in three new papers out today in Nature Biotechnology. Read More >>
Researchers have successfully grown a crop of tomatoes, peas, and radishes harvested in Martian soil—and with those comes an answer to one of the big questions we have about how to farm in space. Read More >>
It’s just one-degree, right? So, how big a difference can it really make? There’s a place in the world where we can already look at for an answer. Read More >>
The world has faced down some incredibly large-scale natural disasters lately and the wreckage they left in their wake has been considerable. But the one that is most threatening to our food supply is a natural disaster that has been unfolding very slowly. Read More >>