24/7 Farm  News Coverage
December 26, 2017
FARM NEWS
Florida orange industry hit by hurricane, disease



New York (AFP) Dec 24, 2017
Hit by Hurricane Irma and a citrus ailment known as "Yellow Dragon Disease," Florida orange growers are bracing for potentially the worst harvest in more than a half century. Forecasters are projecting a yield of 46 million boxes of oranges for the 2017-2018 Florida orange season, a drop of 33 percent from last year and the lowest output since at least 1944-1945, according to the US Agriculture Department. Some areas have lost as much as 90 percent of their fruit due to winds from Irma, or root ... read more

FARM NEWS
Oil palm plantations threaten protected Malaysian forests in unexpected ways
Washington (UPI) Dec 21, 2017
The growth of oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia is responsible for the clearing of thousands of acres of forest. But new research suggests the threat of oil palm plantations extends beyond habitat destruction. ... more
FARM NEWS
Pesticides, poor nutrition deadly one-two combo for honey bees
Washington (UPI) Dec 20, 2017
Lack of nutrition and exposure to pesticides are a deadly combination for honey bees, new research shows. ... more
FARM NEWS
Heat patterns help bees pick which flowers to pollinate
Washington (UPI) Dec 19, 2017
Heat plays an important role in flower-pollinator interactions. According to new research, heat patterns serve as signatures for flowers, advertising their availability to passing bees. ... more
SOLAR DAILY
India faces painful move to cleaner energy
Uncha Amirpur, India (AFP) Dec 10, 2017
Subedar Singh bears the scars of India's painful reliance on dirty power and its struggle to pay for the costly transition to the brave new world of solar and renewable electricity. ... more
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FARM NEWS
How much soil goes get washed down the drain
Basel, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
According to a new study by the University of Basel, the European Commission - Joint Research Centre and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH, UK), almost 36 billion tons of soil is lost every ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
UCI scientists unveil new satellite-based global drought severity index
New Orleans LA (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Just in time for the holidays, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions are rolling out a new satellite-based drought severity index for climate watchers worldwide. ... more
FARM NEWS
Meadows beat out shrubs when it comes to storing carbon
Trondheim, Norway (SPX) Dec 12, 2017
Excess carbon dioxide, emitted by burning fossil fuels like coal and petroleum, is one of the most important factors in driving global warming. While the world is focused on controlling global warmi ... more
FARM NEWS
Uncovering varied pathways to agriculture
Rehovot, Israel (SPX) Dec 12, 2017
Around 15,000 years ago, the Natufian culture appeared in what is today's Middle East. This culture, which straddled the border between nomadic and settled lifestyles, had diverse, complex origins - ... more
FARM NEWS
Archaeologist says fire, not corn, key to prehistoric survival in arid Southwest
Cincinnati OH (SPX) Dec 12, 2017
Conventional wisdom holds that prehistoric villagers planted corn, and lots of it, to survive the dry and hostile conditions of the American Southwest. But University of Cincinnati archaeology ... more
FARM NEWS
In food waste fight, Brits turn bread into beer
Driffield, United Kingdom (AFP) Dec 12, 2017
At a brewery nestled in rolling farmland in northern England, the process of making beer begins with dropping dozens of unwanted loaf ends, thrown away by a sandwich factory, into a large stainless steel tank. ... more


US transportation and water infrastructure not broken

FARM NEWS
Soil researchers quantify an underappreciated factor in carbon release to the atmosphere
Amherst MA (SPX) Dec 11, 2017
Soil plays a critical role in global carbon cycling, in part because soil organic matter stores three times more carbon than the atmosphere. Now biogeochemist Marco Keiluweit at the University of Ma ... more
FARM NEWS
Shining a light on plant growth and development
Riverside CA (SPX) Dec 12, 2017
Plants don't have eyes, but they do "see" their surroundings using light. That's made possible by proteins called photoreceptors that absorb light and convert it into a signal that turns genes ... more
FARM NEWS
NASA, University of Maryland Join Forces on Food Security
College Park MD (SPX) Dec 08, 2017
NASA has tapped the University of Maryland to lead a new consortium focused on putting satellite data to use to enhance food security and agriculture around the world. The Earth Observations f ... more
FARM NEWS
Drought-resistant plant genes could accelerate evolution of water-use efficient crops
Oak Ridge TN (SPX) Dec 07, 2017
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have identified a common set of genes that enable different drought-resistant plants to survive in semi-arid conditions, which ... more





Air Force Secretary unveils final DMSP satellite at SMC
Los Angeles AFB CA (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
With the help of Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, the Space and Missile Systems Center has unveiled the final Defense Meteorological Support Program satellite, DMSP-20, for display at the Schriever Space Complex within the Gordon Conference Center. "This display represents a nearly 60-year history of environmental monitoring success by a satellite constellation that continues to ... more
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 26, 2017
Prototype space sensors take test ride on NASA ER-2
Jiuquan, China (XNA) Dec 26, 2017
China launches land exploration satellite
Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Space Mystery Solved by Student Satellite
US military imagines war without GPS
Washington (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
With GPS-guided bombs, armed drones beaming footage via satellite and spy cameras scooping up intel from the heavens, America's military machine is growing ever more reliant on space-based technology. But what would happen if an enemy were to target the military's satellites, or somehow jam their signals? The disastrous scenario is one the Pentagon knows all too well could happen, and fo ... more
Washington (UPI) Dec 22, 2017
Raytheon to provide GPS-guided artillery shells
Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
New satellite tracking of in-flight aircraft to improve safety
Denver CA (SPX) Dec 15, 2017
First GPS 3 satellite receives commands from new OCX ground control segment


North Atlantic Oscillation dictates timing of tree reproduction in Europe
Washington (UPI) Dec 20, 2017
Trees synchronize their reproductive schedule with the North Atlantic Oscillation, a climate pattern that influences zonal winds and the strength of storms. The NAO describes fluctuations in the region's air pressure differences. Shifts in the region's pressure gradients affect atmospheric circulation and Europe's climate patterns. And according to the latest analysis, the oscill ... more
New Haven CT (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
African deforestation not as great as feared
Munich, Germany (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Cascading use is also beneficial for wood
New York NY (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
New maps show shrinking wilderness being ignored at our peril
NREL develops novel method to produce renewable acrylonitrile
Golden CO (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
A new study from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) establishes a novel catalytic method to produce renewable acrylonitrile using 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which can be biologically produced from sugars. This hybrid biological-catalytic process offers an alternative to the conventional petrochemical production method and achieves unprecedented acrylonitrile ... more
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
Microbes help turn Greek yogurt waste into fuel
Bristol UK (SPX) Dec 12, 2017
Bristol scientists turn beer into fuel
Golden CO (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
NREL research finds a sweet spot for engineering better cellulose-degrading enzymes


India faces painful move to cleaner energy
Uncha Amirpur, India (AFP) Dec 10, 2017
Subedar Singh bears the scars of India's painful reliance on dirty power and its struggle to pay for the costly transition to the brave new world of solar and renewable electricity. Last year, the farmer walked into a field in his village and suffered 70 percent burns to his feet and ankles from an underground coal fire caused by a nearby power plant. Singh said he dragged himself out of the ... more
Washington (UPI) Dec 14, 2017
U.S. solar power group says it sees headwinds ahead
London, UK (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
Global solar photovoltaic installations to exceed 100 Gigawatts in 2018
Washington (UPI) Dec 22, 2017
French company ENGIE lays out 5.2 GW renewable goal
Oil-rich Alberta sees momentum for wind energy
Washington (UPI) Dec 14, 2017
The provincial government in Alberta said the industry response to a renewable energy program was better than expected, with almost $1 billion committed. Along with much of the Canadian economy, Alberta is adding layers of diversity with low-carbon ambitions. Solar power in the province doubled in 2015 thanks in part to municipal and farm-area incentive programs. Since a municipal rebat ... more
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
Construction to start on $160 million Kennedy Energy Park in North Queensland
Washington (UPI) Nov 30, 2017
U.S. wind turbines getting taller and more efficient
Washington (UPI) Nov 22, 2017
New wind farm in service off the British coast


Scientists develop new mode of energy generation from bituminous coal
Yekaterinburg, Russia (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
Bituminous coal comprises over 90% of organic fuels in the lithosphere of the Earth. By burning coal and other fossil fuels one can get electrical power (which is mainly happening at HPPs). However, the existing generation methods are not efficient, bad for the environment, and extremely resource-demanding (i.e. producing a lot of waste). Coal production and burning lead to soil and air pollutio ... more
Warsaw (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
Poland opens Europe's largest coal-fired power unit
Washington (UPI) Dec 18, 2017
Coal demand falling, IEA says
Sydney (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
BHP to exit global coal body over climate change policy
At least 10,000 killed in 1989 Tiananmen crackdown: British cable
Beijing (AFP) Dec 23, 2017
At least 10,000 people were killed in the Chinese army's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in June 1989, according to a newly released British diplomatic cable that recounts the bloodshed in gruesome detail. The document, made public more than 28 years after the event, describes injured girls being bayoneted, bodies being ground up by armoured vehicles and h ... more
Tianjin, China (AFP) Dec 26, 2017
Chinese activist jailed for 8 years after major crackdown
Beijing (AFP) Dec 18, 2017
Chinese convicts executed after stadium trial; Chinese ink-brush artwork sells for $144M
Beijing (AFP) Dec 25, 2017
Artist 'released' in China after Liu Xiaobo tribute


Engineers program tiny robots to move, think like insects
Ithaca NY (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
While engineers have had success building tiny, insect-like robots, programming them to behave autonomously like real insects continues to present technical challenges. A group of Cornell University engineers has been experimenting with a new type of programming that mimics the way an insect's brain works, which could soon have people wondering if that fly on the wall is actually a fly. Th ... more
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 15, 2017
Lockheed Martin and NEC to Enhance Satellites, Space Travel with Artificial Intelligence
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 13, 2017
Not Your Grandpa's Robot: Russian Robot 'FEDOR' May Become Self-Learning
El Segundo CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
Aerospace's SeedTECH AI advances to second round of $5M IBM Watson XPRIZE
Delhi tests 'anti-smog' mist cannon; Smog keeps schools closed in Tehran
New Delhi (AFP) Dec 20, 2017
India on Wednesday unveiled a new weapon against air pollution - an "anti-smog gun" which authorities hope will clear the skies above New Delhi but which environmentalists say amounts to a band-aid solution. The cannon's Indian manufacturers say the fine droplets of water it ejects at high speed can flush out deadly airborne pollutants in one of the world's smoggiest capitals. The giant ... more
Tehran (AFP) Dec 17, 2017
Heavy air pollution shuts schools in Iran
Argonne IL (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
Clearing the air
Skopje (AFP) Dec 15, 2017
Macedonian capital chokes in polluted air


Returning winds churn up heightened alert in fire-hit California
Los Angeles (AFP) Dec 20, 2017
After a couple of days of respite heavy winds are expected to return Wednesday to the California area plagued by a massive fire, potentially hindering the efforts of firefighters battling in an already dry climate. The fire has already destroyed at least 272,000 acres (110,000 hectares) - nearly the size of the city of Los Angeles - and is just 55 percent contained since it began December ... more
Los Angeles (AFP) Dec 21, 2017
Thomas fire mostly contained in charred
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 26, 2017
Wet winters may not dampen small wildfires
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
After the fire, charcoal goes against the grain, with the flow
Elbit's Seagull unmanned surface vessel completes Israeli-British exercise
Washington (UPI) Dec 21, 2017
Elbit Systems' Seagull unmanned surface vessel completed an exercise recently that included counter-mine operations. During the joint Israeli-British exercise in Haifa Bay, the Seagull scanned surroundings to set a safe course for the HMS Ocean, a Royal Navy helicopter carrier, the company said in a release Thursday. Elbit said the Seagull vessel has modular mission payload suite ... more
Washington (UPI) Dec 21, 2017
Giant orgy produces one of the loudest sounds in the ocean
Fort Collins CO (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Sustainable dams - are they possible
Beijing, China (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
New mechanism to explain how El Nino influences East Asian and WN Pacific climate


Philippine storm toll rises to 43 as hopes fade for dozens missing
Manila (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
The death toll from a tropical storm that pummelled the central Philippines rose to 43 with hopes fading for dozens of others still missing after massive landslides, authorities said Tuesday. Slow-moving Kai-Tak finally swept out to the South China Sea on Monday after inducing days of heavy rain that led to deadly floods and landslides as it sliced across the central islands last weekend. ... more
Manila (AFP) Dec 18, 2017
Rescuers search for dozens missing after deadly Philippine storm
Miami (AFP) Dec 13, 2017
Global, Asian heat waves in 2016 due purely to climate change: study
Jakarta (AFP) Nov 28, 2017
At least 11 dead as floods and landslide hit Indonesia
President Xi puts his stamp on China's economy, permits more debt
Beijing (AFP) Dec 20, 2017
President Xi Jinping stamped his authority over China's economy at a major meeting ending Wednesday, which called for "reasonable" credit expansion, increased imports and more open markets and efforts to curb noxious pollution. The pledges were made under a new banner, "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era", at the end of the annual Central Econo ... more
Beijing (AFP) Dec 20, 2017
China's economic growth to slow next year, says state think tank
Beijing (AFP) Dec 16, 2017
Britain, China speed up bid to link stock markets
Marseille (AFP) Dec 13, 2017
Sweet victory: French candymakers win China legal war
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

Report Highlights Social and Economic Impacts of Space Weather
Silver Spring, MD (SPX) Dec 21, 2017
Some experts in the emergency management community believe that the first "trillion-dollar storm" won't come in the form of a tornado, hurricane, or flood, but rather will come from the sun. A new report funded by NOAA's National Weather Service begins to quantify impacts from space weather on the United States economy. Space weather broadly refers to time-variable conditions in the near-E ... more
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
Eclipse 2017: Science from the Moon's Shadow
New Orleans LA (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Space weather, EarthScope, and protecting the national electrical grid
Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 11, 2017
CU Boulder solar instruments, experiments headed for space
Chinese firm turns panda poop into toilet paper
Beijing (AFP) Dec 20, 2017
When life gave one Chinese company giant panda poop, it decided to make paper - and profits. The Qianwei Fengsheng Paper Company in southwest Sichuan province has teamed up with the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda to recycle the animal's faeces and food debris into toilet paper, napkins and other household products, state media reported Wednesday. The goods, s ... more
Kathmandu (AFP) Dec 24, 2017
Nepal's last known dancing bears rescued
Washington (UPI) Dec 18, 2017
Fossil shows ancient bear had a sweet tooth
Washington (UPI) Dec 19, 2017
Plants used to variability most likely to adapt to climate change


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