Category: How do we feed people now and in the future?

How do we make farming more sustainable? What does sustainable even mean? What kinds of farming do researchers study and what are the improvements?

Fresh anchovies at the fish counter of a grocery store

Anchovy-lovers, your favorite pizza topping may get harder to find! Back when the Earth was warmer, a part of the ocean called the Humboldt Current used to be dominated by goby-like fish instead of the modern, more valuable anchovy. This could happen again as the oceans warm up.

Posted on August 29, 2022August 29, 2022 by Erica Curles 310 views

Back when the Earth was warmer, a part of the ocean called the Humboldt Current used to be dominated by goby-like fish instead of the…

Could quantum dots reduce the cost of indoor farming? Quantum dots are synthetic crystals that are only a few nanometers across, comparable in size to the width of a DNA strand. When light shines through them, they turn unusable ultraviolet light into wavelengths of light that are useful to plants.

Posted on May 9, 2022May 9, 2022 by Sam Humphrey 645 views

Why does this help plants? Plants can capture energy from many colors of light, but they cannot use energy from ultraviolet radiation. By…

New rice growing method is environmentally friendly and more effective Growing rice using an alternating wet and dry method can boost plant health and the amount of nutrients it carries thanks to plant-growth-promoting microbes found in the drier, oxygen-rich soils.

Posted on April 20, 2022April 20, 2022 by Hunter Dulay 600 views

Growing rice using an alternating wet and dry method can boost plant health and the amount of nutrients it carries thanks to…

Future telescopes could search for alien farms Simulations suggest that the light observed from a distant planet around another star might be able to show evidence of ammonia and nitrous oxide in the air from large-scale farming if the population were large enough.

Posted on April 12, 2022April 26, 2022 by Jacob Haqq Misra 373 views

Simulations suggest that the light observed from a distant planet around another star might be able to show evidence of ammonia and nitrous…

Fish behavior is affected by microplastics in water Microplastics and nanoplastics affect gut bacteria and neurotransmitter levels in discus fish, potentially explaining changes in fish behavior when microplastic levels are high.

Posted on April 7, 2022April 7, 2022 by Erica Curles 720 views

Microplastics and nanoplastics affect gut bacteria and neurotransmitter levels in discus fish, potentially explaining changes in fish…

Can dead fish still pass on their genes to a new generation? Transplanting immature reproductive cells into other fish may be a way to save valuable genetic information in case of mass death of rare breeds.

Posted on March 3, 2022March 3, 2022 by Erica Curles 335 views

Food producers and aquarium enthusiasts alike are interested in preserving rare breeds of fish. Fish such as platinum arowana and large…

How do we reduce toxic byproducts of washing lettuce? Chlorine sanitizers used in the produce industry makes some byproducts in spent wash water that are not super healthy for us. These researchers are still searching for the best strategy to reduce toxic byproducts of chlorinated lettuce sanitizers using a technique called pre-oxidation.

Posted on February 17, 2022February 17, 2022 by Gina Misra 421 views

Chlorine sanitizers used in the produce industry makes some byproducts in spent wash water that are not super healthy for us. These…

Bacteria that live on plant roots are important for farming Scientists used DNA sequencing to identify what microbes live on or near the root systems of farmed and wild wheat. They found that farmed and wild wheat had different microbial communities, but what does this mean for farming?

Posted on January 24, 2022January 12, 2022 by Catherine V Batchelder 588 views

Scientists used DNA sequencing to identify what microbes live on or near the root systems of farmed and wild wheat. They found that farmed…

Can traps be an alternative to pesticides in aquatic farms? Creating traps based on what attracts parasites may provide a more effective and less harmful way to reduce infection rates than chemical treatments.

Posted on December 13, 2021November 29, 2021 by Erica Curles 291 views

Using traps to lure parasites away may be a good alternative to pesticides for aquatic farms. But what attracts them?

Hundred-year-old dirt may be able to help restore damaged desert Transplanting masses of microscopic organisms called "biocrusts" to damaged drylands has been shown to successfully increase soil stability and plant drought resistance both in the field and in greenhouse plots.

Posted on December 2, 2021November 29, 2021 by Sophia Salazar 671 views

Scientists hope to restore biocrusts by transplanting healthy salvaged biocrusts to damaged areas. This method was found to successfully…

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