24/7 Farm  News Coverage
January 17, 2018
FARM NEWS
'World's ugliest pig' spotted in Indonesia



Jakarta (AFP) Jan 5, 2018
Rare images of the "world's ugliest pig" have been captured in Indonesia, researchers said Friday, offering a window into a little-known species believed to be on the brink of extinction. The number of endangered Javan warty pigs - males are distinguished by large warts on their faces - has plunged since the early 1980s due to hunting and forest habitat loss, according to the UK-based Chester Zoo. British and Indonesian researchers laid camera traps in the forests of the Southeast Asian nation ... read more

WATER WORLD
Sisi vows to protect Egypt's water supply
Cairo (AFP) Jan 15, 2018
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowed Monday to protect Egypt's water supply while striving for peace with the Nile upstream countries of Sudan and Ethiopia, which is building a controversial dam. ... more
FARM NEWS
Genetic mechanism that could enhance yield in cereal crops
St. Louis MO (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Solving the world's food, feed and bioenergy challenges requires integration of multiple approaches and diverse skills. Andrea Eveland, Ph.D., assistant member at the Donald Danforth Plant Science C ... more
FARM NEWS
Wearable sensors for plants enable measurements of water use in crops
Ames IA (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Iowa State University plant scientist Patrick Schnable quickly described how he measured the time it takes for two kinds of corn plants to move water from their roots, to their lower leaves and then ... more
FARM NEWS
Lightening Up Soybean Leaves May Boost Food Supply
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 05, 2018
A new university-led study has shown that lightening the color of soybean leaves may increase the growth and yield of this major world food crop. The finding offers a strategy to help address Earth' ... more
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FARM NEWS
Annual forage crops offset losses from alfalfa winterkill
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Meet alfalfa, a perennial legume used mainly as high-quality feed for dairy cattle. Alfalfa is also used as feed for beef cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. It's high in protein (16-20% crude protein ... more
FARM NEWS
Predicting the effect of climate change on crop yields
Urbana IL (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Scientists now have a new tool to predict the future effects of climate change on crop yields. Researchers from University of Illinois are attempting to bridge two types of computational crop ... more
FARM NEWS
New research reveals how gardeners can dig for health, not injury
Coventry UK (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
New research from Coventry University and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) reveals that a bad digging technique can as much as double the load on the joints in the body, leaving people suscepti ... more
FARM NEWS
Self-defense for plants
La Jolla CA (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
When you see brown spots on otherwise healthy green leaves, you may be witnessing a plant's immune response as it tries to keep a bacterial infection from spreading. Some plants are more resistant t ... more
FARM NEWS
Did ancient irrigation technology travel Silk Road?
St. Louis MO (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Using satellite imaging and drone reconnaissance, archaeologists from Washington University in St. Louis have discovered an ancient irrigation system that allowed a farming community in arid northwe ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Researchers use global thermometer to track temperature extremes, droughts
Corvallis OR (SPX) Jan 04, 2018
Large areas of the Earth's surface are experiencing rising maximum temperatures, which affect virtually every ecosystem on the planet, including ice sheets and tropical forests that play major roles ... more
FARM NEWS
Robotic weeders: to a farm near you?
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 11, 2018
The future of weeding is here, and it comes in the form of a robot. The growing popularity of robotic weeders for specialty crops has grown partly out of necessity, says Steven Fennimore, an extensi ... more


Research outlines the interconnected benefits of urban agriculture

FARM NEWS
French beef producers cheer chance for return to China
Paris (AFP) Jan 9, 2018
French beef producers on Tuesday hailed a deal reached by President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to end China's 16-year-old embargo on French beef. ... more
WATER WORLD
Poisonous and running out: Pakistan's water crisis
Islamabad (AFP) Jan 8, 2018
Barely 15 days old, Kinza whimpers at an Islamabad hospital where she is suffering from diarrhoea and a blood infection, a tiny victim among thousands afflicted by Pakistan's severely polluted and decreasing water supplies. ... more
WATER WORLD
US rivers and streams are compromised by increasing salt loads
Millbrook, NY (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Human activities are exposing US rivers and streams to a cocktail of salts, with consequences for infrastructure and drinking water supplies. So reports a new study in the Proceedings of the Nationa ... more





Space News from SpaceDaily.com
WATER WORLD
European sampling sheds light on massive diversity of freshwater plankton
bLondon, UK (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
In a major pan-European study, a research team from Germany have successfully extracted environmental DNA (eDNA) from as many as 218 lakes to refute a long-year belief that vital microorganisms do n ... more
BIO FUEL
Rice U.'s one-step catalyst turns nitrates into water and air
Houston TX (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Engineers at Rice University's Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Center have found a catalyst that cleans toxic nitrates from drinking water by converting them into air and water. ... more
WATER WORLD
Florida takes on Georgia in US Supreme Court over water
Washington (AFP) Jan 8, 2018
The US Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in a bitter fight over water pitting two American states against each other. ... more
WATER WORLD
Egypt building huge water treatment plant amid supply concerns
Cairo (AFP) Jan 8, 2018
Egypt is building a major water treatment and desalination plant, the president said Monday, as the Nile-dependent nation plans for any fallout from an upstream dam being built by Ethiopia. ... more
FARM NEWS
Warming to force winemakers, growers to plant different varieties
(UPI) Jan 2, 2018
Global warming is likely to force many winemakers and winegrowers to cultivate new grape varieties, according to a new study. ... more
FARM NEWS
Speed breeding technique sows seeds of new green revolution
Norwich UK (SPX) Jan 02, 2018
Speed breeding technique sows seeds of new green revolution Pioneering new technology is set to accelerate the global quest for crop improvement in a development which echoes the Green Revolut ... more
FARM NEWS
Speed breeding breakthrough to boost crop research
(UPI) Jan 2, 2018
Scientists in Britain and Australia have developed a new technique for speed breeding crops. The breakthrough could accelerate the pace of crop research and help scientists find more productive, resilient and adaptive varietals and hybrids. ... more


Sao Tome: Rainforests, chocolate and millionaires

FARM NEWS
UK to continue farm subsidies for five years after Brexit
London (AFP) Jan 4, 2018
The British government said Thursday it will match European Union subsidies for farmers for around five years after Brexit until it puts in place a new system focusing more on environmental protection. ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Global warming could leave 25 percent of the planet in permanent drought
(UPI) Jan 2, 2018
New research suggests roughly a quarter of the globe could be left in permanent drought if efforts to curb global warming fail to meet the targets set by the Paris agreement. ... more
BIO FUEL
Farmers in Kenya willing, able to ramp up croton nut output for biofuel
University Park PA (SPX) Jan 02, 2018
Small-holder farmers in Kenya have the capacity and desire to play a major role in the scale-up of biofuel production from agroforestry, according to a Penn State forest economist, who led a study i ... more





Jet stream changes since 1960s linked to more extreme weather
Tucson AZ (SPX) Jan 15, 2018
Increased fluctuations in the path of the North Atlantic jet stream since the 1960s coincide with more extreme weather events in Europe such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires and flooding, reports a University of Arizona-led team. The research is the first reconstruction of historical changes in the North Atlantic jet stream prior to the 20th century. By studying tree rings from trees in ... more
+ Scientists examine how aerosol types influence cloud formation
+ Earth-i launches prototype of world's first full-colour, full-motion video satellite constellation
+ Frequent growth events and fast growth rates of fine aerosol particles in Beijing
+ NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission surpasses expectations flying to new heights in 2017
+ NASA Calculated Heavy Rainfall Leading to California Mudslides
+ GeoCarb: A New View of Carbon Over the Americas
+ Unexpected environmental source of methane discovered
China sends twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space
Xichang, China (XNA) Jan 15, 2018
China on Friday sent twin satellites into space on a single carrier rocket to help its BeiDou system provide navigation and positioning services to countries along the Belt and Road by late 2018. The Long March-3B carrier rocket took off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan at 7:18 a.m. The twin satellites are coded as the 26th and 27th satelli ... more
+ 18 satellites in exactEarth's real-time constellation now in service
+ 'Quantum radio' may aid communications and mapping indoors, underground and underwater
+ Raytheon to provide GPS-guided artillery shells
+ DARPA Subterranean Challenge Aims to Revolutionize Underground Capabilities
+ New satellite tracking of in-flight aircraft to improve safety
+ US military imagines war without GPS
+ First GPS 3 satellite receives commands from new OCX ground control segment


Senegal forest massacre: what we know
Ziguinchor, Senegal (AFP) Jan 12, 2018
The brutal murder of 14 people in a protected forest in Senegal's southern Casamance region has interrupted years of relative calm in this once restive region. A week on, what do we know about the motivations for the killings and their repercussions? - What happened? - On January 6, around 20 men were collecting wood in the protected forest of Bayottes, close to the regional capital ... more
+ Senegal in crackdown on timber trafficking after massacre
+ North Atlantic Oscillation dictates timing of tree reproduction in Europe
+ African deforestation not as great as feared
+ Cascading use is also beneficial for wood
+ New maps show shrinking wilderness being ignored at our peril
+ Forests are the key to fresh water
+ US agency confirms Canada softwood lumber hurting US industry
New catalyst for hydrogen production is a step toward clean fuel
Santa Cruz CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2018
A nanostructured composite material developed at UC Santa Cruz has shown impressive performance as a catalyst for the electrochemical splitting of water to produce hydrogen. An efficient, low-cost catalyst is essential for realizing the promise of hydrogen as a clean, environmentally friendly fuel. Researchers led by Shaowei Chen, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Cruz, h ... more
+ New study shows producers where and how to grow cellulosic biofuel crops
+ Solid-state physics offers insights into dielectric properties of biomaterials
+ Rice U.'s one-step catalyst turns nitrates into water and air
+ Less chewing the cud, more greening the fuel
+ A new strategy for efficient hydrogen production
+ A catalytic balancing act
+ Locating the precise reaction path: Methane dissociation on platinum


About half of new U.S. power came from renewables last year
Washington (UPI) Jan 10, 2018
About half of the new utility-scale power on the U.S. grid last year came from renewables and most of that was in the fourth quarter, the government said. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said its data combing so far shows 25 gigawatts of new electricity was added to the grid last year, with about half of that coming from renewable energy resources like wind and solar. ... more
+ Building a new generation of self-healing solar cells
+ Urban Solar installs solar LED lighting along Vancouver Island pathways
+ Multi-model effort highlights progress, future needs in renewable energy modeling
+ New gas-solid reaction for high-speed perovskite photodetector proposed
+ Slow 'hot electrons' could improve solar cell efficiency
+ NEXTracker to supply smart trackers to massive North Africa solar farm
+ Renewables and cooling tech critical to water use in India's power sector
The wave power farm off Mutriku could improve its efficiency
Bilbao, Spain (SPX) Jan 03, 2018
The offshore power plant or wave farm at Mutriku is the only commercial facility (it is not a prototype) in the world that operates by regularly feeding the grid with electrical power produced by waves. It has been operating since 2011 and the study by the UPV/EHU's EOLO group analysed its behaviour during the 2014-2016 period. "It is important to find out how the wave power farm is actual ... more
+ Turkey gets European loan for renewable energy
+ Oil-rich Alberta sees momentum for wind energy
+ Construction to start on $160 million Kennedy Energy Park in North Queensland
+ U.S. wind turbines getting taller and more efficient
+ New wind farm in service off the British coast
+ End tax credits for wind energy, Tennessee Republican says
+ New York sets high bar for wind energy


New York unveils plans for fossil fuel divestment
New York (AFP) Jan 10, 2018
New York announced plans Wednesday to sell off $5 billion in fossil fuel investments from city pension funds after suing for billions of dollars in damages from oil companies to help fund protection against climate change. While other cities in Europe and the United States have already taken similar steps, New York hailed its move as significant as it is the biggest metropolis in the country ... more
+ French energy company EDF to replace coal in China
+ Poland opens Europe's largest coal-fired power unit
+ BHP to exit global coal body over climate change policy
+ Coal demand falling, IEA says
+ Adani drops contractor for contentious Australia mega mine
+ Scientists develop new mode of energy generation from bituminous coal
+ Battle lines drawn over coal at UN climate talks
China demolishes Christian megachurch
Beijing (AFP) Jan 13, 2018
Authorities in northern China have demolished a Christian megachurch in a move denounced by a religious rights group as "Taliban-style persecution". China's officially atheist Communist authorities are wary of any organised movements outside their control, including religious ones. The huge evangelical Jindengtai ("Golden Lampstand") Church, painted grey and surmounted by turrets and a l ... more
+ Qantas changes website to recognise Chinese territories
+ Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong jailed over protest
+ Former Chinese military chief of staff under investigation
+ China shuts Marriott website over Tibet mistake
+ 'Frost Boy' stirs poverty debate in China
+ China jails two for life for $2.4 bn pyramid scam
+ Pro-democracy leaders in court in Hong Kong


Old dog, new tricks: Sony unleashes 'intelligent' robot pet
Tokyo (AFP) Jan 11, 2018
As Japan celebrates the year of the dog, electronics giant Sony on Thursday unleashed its new robot canine companion, packed with artificial intelligence and internet connectivity. The sleek ivory-white puppy-sized "aibo" robot shook its head and wagged its tail as if waking from a nap when it was taken out of a cocoon-shaped case at a "birthday ceremony" held in Tokyo. Seven-year-old bo ... more
+ Army scientists improve human-agent teaming by making AI agents more transparent
+ Artificial muscles power up with new gel-based robotics
+ Digital assistants duel for dominance at major electronics show
+ Stingray soft robot could lead to bio-inspired robotics
+ New 'emotional' robots aim to read human feelings
+ Virtual aide market a "wildfire" at CES gadget show
+ Scientists teach robots how to respect personal space
Bulgaria's smoggy capital cleans up to host EU presidency
Sofia (AFP) Jan 10, 2018
Bulgaria's capital Sofia was all done-up to host incoming European Union officials for the opening of its EU Council presidency on Thursday, but it remained blanketed by smog. The bloc's poorest but most euro-optimistic member state completed a costly refurbishment of its National Palace of Culture, built in 1981 during the country's communist era, to host meetings of the six-month revolving ... more
+ Campaigners slam UK plans on cutting plastic waste
+ Blue skies in China's capital spark joy, scepticism
+ UK plans to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by 2042
+ Alpine air at work? Delhi eyes novel ways to battle smog
+ Suspect in murder of Philippine environmentalist freed
+ 25 tonnes of toxic waste found dumped near Belgrade
+ Beijing records best air quality in five years in 2017


Charcoal remains could accelerate CO2 emissions after forest fires
Sapporo, Japan (SPX) Jan 02, 2018
Charcoal remains after a forest fire help decompose fine roots in the soil, potentially accelerating CO2 emissions in boreal forests. Boreal forests are a huge carbon sink. The fine roots, not only the leaves, stems and branches of trees, largely contribute to carbon accumulation. The Russian Far East has had an increasing number of forest fires, many of which are believed to be caused by ... more
+ Wet winters may not dampen small wildfires
+ Returning winds churn up heightened alert in fire-hit California
+ Thomas fire mostly contained in charred
+ After the fire, charcoal goes against the grain, with the flow
+ NASA's Aqua satellite captures smoke billowing off California coast
+ Firefighter killed in massive California blaze
+ Monster fire slows as California homeowners pick up pieces
The ocean is losing its breath - here's the global scope
San Diego CA (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
In the past 50 years, the amount of water in the open ocean with zero oxygen has gone up more than fourfold. In coastal water bodies, including estuaries and seas, low-oxygen sites have increased more than 10-fold since 1950. Scientists expect oxygen to continue dropping even outside these zones as Earth warms. To halt the decline, the world needs to rein in both climate change and nutrien ... more
+ Sea levels off Dutch coast highest ever recorded in 2017
+ China lavishes cash on ally Cambodia with eyes on the Mekong
+ Sisi vows to protect Egypt's water supply
+ China lodges protest against Australian 'white elephant' remarks
+ Power stacked against SE Asia's poor as China dams Mekong
+ New depth limit for deep-sea marine burrows
+ Poisonous and running out: Pakistan's water crisis


Dozens still unaccounted for in California mudslides
Los Angeles (AFP) Jan 12, 2018
Authorities in southern California said Thursday that dozens of residents were still unaccounted for after powerful mudslides that have killed 17 people, including four children, and destroyed homes in a region already pummeled by massive wildfires. Heavy rain on Tuesday, which followed 10 months of drought, sent sticky mud and debris flowing from the hills into Montecito and other towns in ... more
+ Death toll from California mudslides rises to 20
+ Rescuers search for victims as California mudslide toll hits 17
+ California mudslides demolish homes, killing at least 13
+ Bats' brains boil in Australia heatwave
+ 'Hottest' Ashes Test day on record as Australia swelters
+ Two dead, thousands flee in storm-weary Philippines
+ Philippine storm toll rises to 43 as hopes fade for dozens missing
Canada hopes G7 summit serves as springboard for new ideas
Ottawa (AFP) Jan 13, 2018
Canada hopes the upcoming G7 summit it is hosting will serve as a springboard for fresh ideas on key issues including climate change, the global economy and security, the lead organizer told AFP. "The G7 serves well as a proving or testing ground for discussions that could eventually go into the G20 or the United Nations or international financial institutions," Peter Boehm, Canadian Prime M ... more
+ China's US surplus jumps as trade with world picks up
+ China factory gate inflation slows to 13-month low
+ China's global trade surplus falls, but grows with US
+ Europe casts a wary eye on China's Silk Road plans
+ France signs deals with China but warns against 'pillaging'
+ Macron bets on horse diplomacy in China
+ Macron begins China state visit at Silk Road gateway
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

Magnetic coil springs accelerate particles on the Sun
Gottingen, Germany (SPX) Jan 12, 2018
Why does the Sun sometimes accelerate preferentially helium-3 and iron into space? Researchers have for the first time observed helical solar flares as a source. In April and July 2014, the Sun emitted three jets of energetic particles into space, that were quite exceptional: the particle streams contained such high amounts of iron and helium-3, a rare variety of helium, as have been obser ... more
+ Sounding rockets study space x-ray emissions and create polar mesospheric cloud
+ Eclipse megamovie projects seeks public's help analyzing 50,000 photos
+ Special star is a Rosetta Stone for understanding the sun's variability and climate effect
+ August eclipse left a wake in ionosphere, researchers reveal
+ Report Highlights Social and Economic Impacts of Space Weather
+ Eclipse 2017: Science from the Moon's Shadow
+ Space weather, EarthScope, and protecting the national electrical grid
To prevent spreading infections, ants sacrifice their sick peers
Washington (UPI) Jan 9, 2018
New research suggests purging is an important part of an ant colony's defense against infection. An international team of scientists from Europe and Australia found Lasius neglectus ants sacrifice peers that have grown too sick to be cared for and nursed back to health. The sick ants are killed to prevent the spread of infection. Researchers studied ants' behavioral responses to ... more
+ Expert unlocks mechanics of how snakes move in a straight line
+ New technology will create brain wiring diagrams
+ France's first panda cub makes debut appearance
+ Wolf found in northern Belgium, first time in over 100 years
+ What species is most fit for life? All have an equal chance, scientists say
+ The tiny treeshrew defies a pair of evolutionary rules
+ Mass extinctions remove species but not ecological variety


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