24/7 Farm  News Coverage
March 14, 2018
FARM NEWS
Ag robot speeds data collection, analyses of crops as they grow



Champaign IL (SPX) Mar 14, 2018
A new lightweight, low-cost agricultural robot could transform data collection and field scouting for agronomists, seed companies and farmers. The TerraSentia crop phenotyping robot, developed by a team of scientists at the University of Illinois, will be featured at the 2018 Energy Innovation Summit Technology Showcase in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 14. Traveling autonomously between crop rows, the robot measures the traits of individual plants using a variety of sensors, including ... read more

FARM NEWS
Malaysia's honey hunters defy angry bees to harvest treetop treasure
Ulu Muda, Malaysia (AFP) March 13, 2018
On a moonless night deep in the Malaysian rainforest, two men perched precariously on high branches use a smoking torch to draw thousands of bees from a treetop hive, braving the angry swarm to collect their prized honey. ... more
FARM NEWS
Scientists engineer crops to conserve water, resist drought
Champaign IL (SPX) Mar 08, 2018
Agriculture already monopolizes 90 percent of global freshwater - yet production still needs to dramatically increase to feed and fuel this century's growing population. For the first time, scientis ... more
FARM NEWS
Agricultural sustainability project reached 21 million smallholder farmers across China
Philadelphia PA (SPX) Mar 12, 2018
Smallholder farmers who cultivate perhaps only a few hectares of land dominate the agricultural landscape in places like China, India, and sub-Saharan Africa. Increasing their efficiency while reduc ... more
FARM NEWS
Scientists monitor crop photosynthesis, performance using invisible light
Champaign IL (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
Twelve-foot metal poles with long outstretched arms dot a Midwestern soybean field to monitor an invisible array of light emitted by crops. This light can reveal the plants' photosynthetic performan ... more
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WATER WORLD
Thawing permafrost causing the 'browning' of northern lakes
Quebec City, Canada (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
As ice the melts, the organic carbon found in permafrost is being released once again after ages of confinement in the soil. It is making its way into Arctic and subarctic lakes and ponds, and modif ... more
FARM NEWS
Estimates overstated for Mongolian rangelands damaged by livestock
Fort Collins CO (SPX) Mar 08, 2018
Livestock and wildlife graze on rangelands, grasslands, savannas and marshes that cover 45 percent of Earth's land surface. Damage or degradation on these lands is a major concern globally, and the ... more
FARM NEWS
Commercial pesticides: Not as safe as they seem
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 12, 2018
New regulations are needed to protect people and the environment from toxic pesticide ingredients that are not currently subject to safety assessments. This is the conclusion of the first comprehens ... more
FARM NEWS
Land-use planning could reconcile agricultural growth with conservation of nature
Leipzig, Germany (SPX) Mar 08, 2018
Increasing agricultural production usually leads to various negative side effects in agricultural landscapes, such as local decline in wildlife and loss of ecosystem functions. But what would happen ... more
FARM NEWS
Thousands of farmers march in Madrid over 'surreal' drought
Madrid (AFP) March 7, 2018
Thousands of farmers from Spain's parched southeast, marched in Madrid Wednesday to ask the government for help as their crops are threatened by a "surreal" drought that is also putting jobs at risk. ... more
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FARM NEWS
Soil cannot halt climate change
Harpenden AL5 (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
Unique soils data from long-term experiments, stretching back to the middle of the nineteenth century, confirm the practical implausibility of burying carbon in the ground to halt climate change, an ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Indonesia scrubbing the 'world's dirtiest river'
Majalaya, Indonesia (AFP) March 2, 2018
The scabies on Indonesian rice farmer Yusuf Supriyadi's limbs are a daily reminder of the costs of living next to the "world's dirtiest river". ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
Where fresh is cool in Bay of Bengal
Cape Cod MA (SPX) Mar 08, 2018
Each summer, the South Asian monsoon transforms parts of India from semi-arid into lush green lands able to support farming. The annual infusion of rainfall and resulting runoff into the Ganges, Bra ... more
FARM NEWS
Genetic tweak makes plants use 25% less water
Paris (AFP) March 6, 2018
Researchers on Tuesday unveiled a genetic modification that enables plants to use a quarter less water with scant reduction in yield. ... more
FARM NEWS
Carrefour's chicken blockchain set to lay eggs
Paris (AFP) March 6, 2018
French supermarket group Carrefour said Tuesday it would expand its blockchain-based food traceability programme, which is currently in place for some chickens, to eight other products including eggs by the end of the year. ... more


Cape Town averts dry taps in 2018: official

FARM NEWS
'Doomsday' seed vault gets makeover as Arctic heats up
Longyearbyen (AFP) March 2, 2018
Designed to withstand a nuclear missile hit, the world's biggest seed vault, nestled deep inside an Arctic mountain, is undergoing a makeover as rising temperatures melt the permafrost meant to protect it. ... more
SEED DAILY



IRAQ WARS
Iraq force that helped beat IS turns to reconstruction
Al Qurnah, Iraq (AFP) March 7, 2018
Three months ago, Ibrahim Ali was using his digger to smash down defensive embankments built by Islamic State group jihadists in northern Iraq. ... more
FARM NEWS
Cuban cigars: a treasure from Havana to Beijing
Pinar Del Rio, Cuba (AFP) March 2, 2018
When they rip the big green leaves from the tobacco plant, Cuban farmers know they're touching gold. ... more
FARM NEWS
'Noah's Ark' seed vault chalks up a million crop varieties
Longyearbyen (AFP) Feb 26, 2018
Norway's 'doomsday' seed bank, which seeks to protect the world's crops from natural disasters, on Monday said it had gathered more than a million varieties as it marked its 10-year anniversary. ... more
FARM NEWS
The secret to tripling the number of grains in sorghum and perhaps other staple crops
Cold Spring Harbor NY (SPX) Feb 28, 2018
A simple genetic modification can triple the grain number of sorghum, a drought-tolerant plant that is an important source of food, animal feed, and biofuel in many parts of the world. In new ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Life under extreme drought conditions
Potsdam, Germany (SPX) Feb 28, 2018
The core region of the Atacama Desert in South America is one of the most arid places on earth. Sometimes it is raining only once in a decade or even less, the annual precipitation is far less than ... more
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Full house for EDRS
Paris (ESA) Mar 14, 2018
The EDRS-SpaceDataHighway has now begun regularly relaying Earth images from Sentinel-2A, which marks the last of four Copernicus satellites in orbit being brought under the EDRS service. After several months of rigorous testing, the system has added the last 'colour vision' Sentinel to the list of Sentinels it serves, bringing the satellite's vibrant images to Earth faster than ever and c ... more
+ Voyaging for the Sentinels
+ Scientists accurately model the action of aerosols on clouds
+ Collaboration will study desert dust's impact on climate from space
+ Study discovers South African wildfires create climate cooling
+ NASA space laser completes 2,000-mile road trip
+ Where fresh is cool in Bay of Bengal
+ New data helps explain recent fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field
GMV leads a project for application of EGNOS to maritime safety
Madrid, Spain (SPX) Mar 07, 2018
Satellite navigation systems (GNSS) have now been widely taken up by the public at large as a geolocation and guidance service, but the technology developed to date has a much wider potential use range. These systems are nowadays some of the most trustworthy for improving navigation safety, representing a crucial aid for many means of transport. Although GPS, GLONASS and Galileo are alread ... more
+ Why Russia is one step ahead of US Army's plans for future GPS
+ Europe claims 100 million users for Galileo satnav system
+ Airbus selected by ESA for EGNOS V3 program
+ Pentagon probes fitness-app use after map shows sensitive sites
+ China sends twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space
+ 18 satellites in exactEarth's real-time constellation now in service
+ 'Quantum radio' may aid communications and mapping indoors, underground and underwater


Elephant declines imperil Africa's forests
Durham NC (SPX) Mar 13, 2018
Poaching and habitat loss have reduced forest elephant populations in Central Africa by 63 percent since 2001. This widespread killing poses dire consequences not only for the species itself but also for the region's forests, a new Duke University study finds. "Without intervention to stop poaching, as much as 96 percent of Central Africa's forests will undergo major changes in tree-specie ... more
+ Increasing tree mortality in a warming world
+ Diverse tropical forests grow fast despite widespread phosphorus limitation
+ Areas where homes, forests mix increased rapidly over two decades
+ India forest fires kill 9 hikers, injure 18 others
+ Payments to protect carbon stored in forests must increase to defend against rubber
+ Tropical forest response to drought depends on age
+ Chanel attacked for felling trees for Paris fashion show
Startup scales up CNT membranes to make carbon-zero fuels for less than fossil fuels
New York NY (SPX) Mar 12, 2018
Mattershift, an NYC-based startup with alumni from MIT and Yale has achieved a breakthrough in making carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes at large scale. The startup is developing the technology's ability to combine and separate individual molecules to make gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from CO2 removed from the air. Tests confirming that Mattershift's large-scale CNT membranes match the char ... more
+ Manure could heat your home
+ Malaysia to press EU on planned palm oil ban in biofuels
+ Digestive ability of ancient insects could boost biofuel development
+ New tool tells bioengineers when to build microbial teams
+ Pausing evolution makes bioproduction of chemicals affordable and efficient
+ How biofuels from plant fibers could combat global warming
+ Evolution plays many tricks against large-scale bioproduction


Macron pledges 700 million euros for new solar projects
New Delhi (AFP) March 11, 2018
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday pledged hundreds of millions of dollars for solar projects in developing countries, as world leaders met in India to promote greater investment in renewable energy. Macron, who in December warned that the global shift to a green energy future was too slow, said France would extend an extra 700 million euros ($861.5 million) through loans and donatio ... more
+ Researchers sew atomic lattices seamlessly together
+ Solar-to-hydrogen conversion: Nanostructuring increases efficiency of metal-free photocatalysts by factor 11
+ Materials 'sandwich' breaks barrier for solar cell efficiency
+ Solar and wind power could meet four-fifths of US electricity demand
+ Avaada Power inks pact to develop 500MW solar capacities in Andhra Pradesh
+ New dual-atom catalyst shows promise to yield clean energy by artificial photosynthesis
+ Aqueous storage device needs only 20 seconds to go
First UK wind farm transfers from commercial to community ownership
Bristol UK (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
Over 400 individuals raise an impressive 2.8m pounds in just two weeks to refinance the Mean Moor community wind farm in Cumbria. It's thought to be the first wind farm in the country to be transferred to community ownership from a commercial developer. Thanks to support from Energy4All, and financing from ethical investment company, Thrive Renewables, three renewable Energy Co-operatives ... more
+ A huge component of German wind farm has left shore
+ Windlab exceeds prospectus forecast; scales up operations
+ World's first floating wind farm put to the test
+ New wind farm construction starts in Italy
+ Ireland pushing for greener economy
+ China wind turbine-maker guilty of stealing US trade secrets
+ Scotland sets up $83 million low-carbon fund


Michigan utility company to go zero coal
Washington (UPI) Feb 20, 2018
Coal will no longer be used as an energy source for Michigan residents as more renewables come on stream in the decades ahead, a utility company said. Public utility company Consumers Energy, which provides gas and electricity to about 60 percent of the state population, said it would no longer be using coal as a power source by 2040. By then, the company said it expects more than 40 pe ... more
+ Australia won't fund mega Adani mine rail link
+ New York unveils plans for fossil fuel divestment
+ 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
With little suspense, Xi to secure lifetime presidency
Beijing (AFP) March 10, 2018
China's rubber-stamp parliament is set Sunday to hand President Xi Jinping free rein to rule the rising Asian superpower indefinitely, with potential abstentions offering the only suspense in the historic vote. The National People's Congress is all but certain to approve a constitutional amendment that has stunned many in China, sparking an unusual bout of criticism that censors have scrambl ... more
+ Blow for Hong Kong democrats in key elections
+ China dragoons viewers to make pro-Xi film a blockbuster
+ Xi: From graft-fighting governor to president for life
+ Cardinal Zen: The Hong Kong firebrand taking on Beijing
+ Xi's rise crushes political reform; Demands military loyalty
+ China anti-graft drive sees 100 top officials tried in five years
+ China rejects Sweden's 'groundless' accusations over detained publisher


Tokyo Tech's six-legged robots get closer to nature
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Mar 13, 2018
A study led by researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) has uncovered new ways of driving multi-legged robots by means of a two-level controller. The proposed controller uses a network of so-called non-linear oscillators that enables the generation of diverse gaits and postures, which are specified by only a few high-level parameters. The study inspires new research into how mul ... more
+ Novel 3-D printing method embeds sensing capabilities within robotic actuators
+ UTSA researchers want to teach computers to learn like humans
+ Modified, 3D-printable alloy shows promise for flexible electronics, soft robots
+ Don't want to lose a finger? Let a robot give a hand
+ Beware of replicating sexism in AI, experts warn
+ Berkeley Lab 'minimalist machine learning' algorithms analyze images from very little data
+ Snake-inspired robot uses kirigami to move
China 'winning' war on smog, helping life expectancy: study
Beijing (AFP) March 13, 2018
China appears to be "winning" its war on air pollution, making so much progress that life expectancy could rise by more than two years, according to a US university study. The Chinese government has been waging a battle to clear its skies of smog that has cut life expectancy in some regions and prompted its citizens to buy masks and air purifiers to protect themselves during peak pollution d ... more
+ Waste waters: Plastic rubbish chokes Bali's sea
+ Lead poisoning may hasten death for millions in US: study
+ Krill could prove secret weapon in ocean plastics battle
+ Indonesia scrubbing the 'world's dirtiest river'
+ Vietnam suspends steel firms after pollution protests
+ Gabon accuses France's Veolia of pollution
+ UK, EU spar over who will be greenest after Brexit


More homes built near wild lands leading to greater wildfire risk
Madison WI (SPX) Mar 14, 2018
More than 10 million acres burned across the country during the 2017 U.S. wildfire season at a cost of more than $2 billion - the largest bill ever. And while many factors affect the risk for wildfires, new research out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that a flurry of homebuilding near wild areas since 1990 has greatly increased the number of homes at risk from wildfires while ... more
+ Wildfires set to increase: Could we be sitting on a tinderbox in Europe?
+ Rash of forest fires breaks out in Indonesia
+ NASA Covers Wildfires from Many Sources
+ Fort McMurray researchers find simple key to risk of severe peat fires
+ Charcoal remains could accelerate CO2 emissions after forest fires
+ Wet winters may not dampen small wildfires
+ Returning winds churn up heightened alert in fire-hit California
Self-driving robots collect water samples to create snapshots of ocean microbes
Honolulu HI (SPX) Mar 14, 2018
For the first time, scientists from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UH Manoa) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) will deploy a small fleet of long-range autonomous underwater vehicles (LRAUVs) that have the ability to collect and archive seawater samples automatically. These new robots will allow researchers to track and study ocean microbes in unprecedented detail. ... more
+ West Coast waters returning to normal but salmon catches lagging
+ Mekong River dams could disrupt lives, environment
+ Bones found on South Pacific island belonged to Amelia Earhart, study concludes
+ Advanced spatial planning models could promise new era of sustainable ocean development
+ Thawing permafrost causing the 'browning' of northern lakes
+ Cape Town averts dry taps in 2018: official
+ Greenhouse gas emissions of hydropower in the Mekong River Basin can exceed fossil fuel sources


Why is it so hot at night in some cities
Paris, France (SPX) Mar 14, 2018
During the nighttime, it is hotter in the city than in nearby suburbs or the countryside. But just how much hotter differs between cities. Researchers from the CNRS and MIT joint research laboratory and the Centre Interdisciplinaire des Nanosciences de Marseille have shown that the determining factor is how cities are structured: more organized cities, like many in North America with straight an ... more
+ At least 16 dead as lightning strikes Rwanda church
+ New Zealand summer heatwave sets all-time record
+ How cities heat up
+ Record high temperatures for February in New York
+ Lightning storms less likely in a warming planet, study suggests
+ Reflective surfaces alleviate heatwaves
+ Storm damage to cost Germany 500 mln euros as death toll rises
China's industrial output posts strong start to 2018
Beijing (AFP) March 14, 2018
China's industrial output strengthened in the first two months of the year, official data showed Wednesday, led by production at state enterprises. Output at factories and workshops expanded 7.2 percent year-on-year in January and February combined, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said, beating the 6.2 percent recorded in December and the 6.2 percent forecast in a Bloomberg News surv ... more
+ China says still talking with US on trade
+ China can be more 'courageous' in opening: central banker
+ China rejects Canadian accusation of steel dumping
+ Trump tariffs chip away at world's free trade credo
+ For Trump's numbers, close enough is frequently good enough
+ Canada's Trudeau accuses China of 'dumping' steel on global markets
+ Allies, rivals alike hit out at Trump trade tariffs
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Three NASA satellites recreate solar eruption in 3-D
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Mar 12, 2018
The more solar observatories, the merrier: Scientists have developed new models to see how shocks associated with coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, propagate from the Sun - an effort made possible only by combining data from three NASA satellites to produce a much more robust mapping of a CME than any one could do alone. Much the way ships form bow waves as they move through water, CMEs set ... more
+ Public invited to come aboard NASA's first mission to touch the Sun
+ Queen's scientists crack 70-year-old mystery of how magnetic waves heat the Sun
+ NASA's SDO reveals how magnetic cage on the Sun stopped solar eruption
+ Towards a better prediction of solar eruptions
+ Pulsating aurora mysteries uncovered with help from THEMIS and ERG missions
+ Where no mission has gone before
+ HINODE captures record breaking solar magnetic field
Sumatran tiger kills Indonesian man
Jakarta (AFP) March 11, 2018
A Indonesian man has been mauled to death by a Sumatran tiger in a remote village, authorities said Sunday, the second deadly attack this year. Yusri Effendi, 34, was found with fatal wounds to his neck by workmates and local villagers in Riau province on Sumatra island on Saturday evening, the local conservation agency said. The victim was working on a building to lure the edible-nest s ... more
+ In Colombia, birders find their version of Eden
+ Elephants kill 10 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh: UN
+ India's endangered lion population increases to 600
+ Study suggests dogs understand objects they smell
+ Hummingbirds make cricket sounds at frequencies outside avian hearing range
+ Shipments of protected African species to Asia soar: study
+ Endangered Sumatran tiger disemboweled, hung up in Indonesia


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