24/7 Farm  News Coverage
August 02, 2018
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Iraqi farmers fight to save cattle from drought



Al-Attassiya, Iraq (AFP) July 30, 2018
Iraqi farmer Sayyed Sattar knows he'll soon have to let some of his buffalo go as he surveys the herd bathing in a dwindling pond close to the holy city of Najaf. As southern Iraq suffers through a punishing drought, desperate cattle breeders are having to sell off animals to keep others alive. Sattar, 52, has already seen some of his buffalo die of thirst. Now, in a bid to stop any others being lost, he's being forced to say goodbye to some of his prized beasts. "With the money, we will ... read more

WEATHER REPORT
China could face deadly heat waves due to climate change
Boston MA (SPX) Aug 01, 2018
A region that holds one of the biggest concentrations of people on Earth could be pushing against the boundaries of habitability by the latter part of this century, a new study shows. Research ... more
FARM NEWS
To keep more carbon on the ground, halting farmland expansion is key
Washington DC (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
The conversion of forests to farmland is recognized as a major contributor to rising levels of greenhouse gases. And yet it hasn't been clear how to best minimize the loss of sequestered carbon into ... more
FARM NEWS
Record drought grips Germany's breadbasket
Niederndodeleben, Germany (AFP) July 29, 2018
Withered sunflowers, scorched wheat fields, stunted cornstalks - the farmlands of northern Germany have borne the brunt of this year's extreme heat and record-low rainfall, triggering an epochal drought. ... more
FARM NEWS
Murkowksi: Tariffs hurt more than just agriculture
Washington DC (UPI) Jul 27, 2018
President Donald Trump has been called on by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to take a broad view on trade policies to recognize that impacts extend beyond farming into the energy sector following his announcement of aid for U.S. farmers this week. ... more
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FARM NEWS
Wildfires, drought hit Sweden's Sami reindeer herders
Stockholm (AFP) July 27, 2018
Sweden's unprecedented drought and devastating wildfires are destroying vital grazing pastureland for indigenous Sami reindeer herders, whose livelihoods are already under attack from mining and logging as global warming changes the face of the Arctic. ... more
FARM NEWS
EU court extends GMO rules to new techniques
Luxembourg (AFP) July 25, 2018
Plants and animals created by new techniques of genetic modification should be treated as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and follow European rules aimed at preventing damage to the environment and health, the EU's top court said on Wednesday. ... more
FARM NEWS
NASA's 'Space Botanist' Gathers First Data
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 24, 2018
Just days after its successful installation on the International Space Station, NASA's newest Earth-observing mission, the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTR ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Sri Lanka waives debt for 200,000 women in drought areas
Colombo (AFP) July 25, 2018
Sri Lanka announced Wednesday it would waive debts for 200,000 women unable to repay microfinance loans and cap lending rates after a number of borrowers in drought-hit areas killed themselves. ... more
WAR REPORT
In Colombia, human rights activists live in constant fear
Caloto, Colombia (AFP) July 25, 2018
One day after Luis Dagua last left his farm in Colombia's southwest his body was found, his head shattered with a rock. ... more
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WOOD PILE
Ancient farmers transformed Amazon and left an enduring legacy on the rainforest
Exeter UK (SPX) Jul 24, 2018
Ancient communities transformed the Amazon thousands of years ago, farming in a way which has had a lasting impact on the rainforest, a major new study shows. Farmers had a more profound effec ... more
FARM NEWS
China's persistent food and drug safety problem
Beijing (AFP) July 24, 2018
Chinese authorities are scrambling to defuse public outrage over a safety scandal involving rabies vaccines, just one of a string of food and drug scares to hit the country in recent years. ... more
FARM NEWS
We can feed the world if we change our ways
Lancaster UK (SPX) Jul 24, 2018
Current crop yields could provide nutritious food for the projected 2050 global population, but only if we make radical changes to our dietary choices, a new study shows. Researchers from Lanc ... more
FARM NEWS
Japan lifts ban on Canadian wheat imports
Tokyo (AFP) July 20, 2018
Japan on Friday lifted a ban on Canadian wheat imports more than a month after it halted shipments following the discovery of unauthorised genetically modified (GM) plants there. ... more
FARM NEWS
China's 'livestock revolution' demands 'new transition'
London, UK (SPX) Jul 23, 2018
Demand for animal protein and increasing wealth fuelled a tripling in the domestic production of livestock in China between 1980 and 2010, and the rise, despite some improvements in efficiencies at ... more


Dying groundskeeper to testify in Roundup cancer trial

FARM NEWS
HRW urges Brazilian lawmakers to reject new pesticide law
Sao Paulo (AFP) July 20, 2018
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called on Brazilian lawmakers to reject a proposed law to relax regulations on the use of pesticides as it published a report blaming powerful landowners for the poisoning of rural residents. ... more
SEED DAILY



FARM NEWS
Environmental changes in the Mekong Delta spell trouble for farmers
Urbana IL (SPX) Jul 24, 2018
The Mekong Delta is home to 15 million people, many of whom rely on the delta's rich soil and water resources for farming and fishing. But their livelihoods are being threatened by rising sea levels ... more
FARM NEWS
Dying groundskeeper links Monsanto's Roundup to cancer
San Francisco (AFP) July 24, 2018
A California groundskeeper dying of cancer said Monday he would "never" have used Monsanto weed killer Roundup, had he known it could lead to his terminal illness. ... more
FARM NEWS
Cameroon's anglophone crisis hits palm oil, cocoa production
Libreville (AFP) July 18, 2018
The crisis in anglophone Cameroon is damaging the Southwest Region's economy, with palm oil plantations closing and the cocoa trade tumbling, an NGO report said Wednesday. ... more
WATER WORLD
Taiwan steps in after China turns off tourist taps to Palau
Taipei (AFP) July 19, 2018
Taiwan has stepped in to help its ally Palau attract more tourists after an airline from the Micronesian nation said it was forced to shut under pressure from China. ... more
WATER WORLD
Using 'shade balls' in reservoirs may use up more water than they save
London, UK (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
Preventing reservoir evaporation during droughts with floating balls may not help conserve water overall, due to the water needed to make the balls. During droughts, communities may rely on wa ... more
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Urban geophone array offers new look at northern Los Angeles basin
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 02, 2018
Using an array of coffee-can sized geophones deployed for about a month in backyards, golf courses and public parks, researchers collected enough data to allow them to map the depth and shape of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino sedimentary basins of Los Angeles, California. Seismologists think these sedimentary basins may act a "waveguide" to focus and trap energy from an earthquake on t ... more
+ China launches high-resolution Earth observation satellite
+ What is causing more extreme precipitation in the northeast?
+ Australia facing increased intense rain storms
+ Satellite tracking reveals Philippine waters are important for endangered whale sharks
+ Satellite maps reveal spread of mountaintop coal mining in Appalachia
+ Preparing to fly the wind mission Aeolus
+ Red Sea flushes faster from far flung volcanoes
China launches new twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites
Xichang, China (XNA) Jul 31, 2018
China on Sunday sent twin satellites into space via a single carrier rocket, entering a period with unprecedentedly intensive launches of BeiDou satellites. The Long March-3B carrier rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 9:48 a.m., the 281st mission of the Long March rocket series. The twin satellites are the 33rd and 34th of ... more
+ Arianespace orbits four more Galileo satellites, as Ariane 5 logs its 99th mission
+ GMV and Tecnobit partners with Skydel
+ Europe's next Galileo satellites in place atop Ariane 5
+ CTSi flight tests prototype navigation system to replace GPS in highly contested environments for US Navy
+ Love navigated by Beidou
+ Next four Galileo satellites fuelled for launch
+ NASA Tests Solar Sail for CubeSat that Will Study Near-Earth Asteroids


Animal and fungi diversity boosts forest health
Washington (UPI) Aug 1, 2018
Forest health depends on more than just a healthy variety of tree species. New research suggests animal and fungi diversity also plays an important role in forest health. The revelation is the result of a decade-long survey of several subtropical forests, all of them rich in biodiversity. Scientists conducted the survey in order to detail the importance of understanding forest health mo ... more
+ Watchdog urges China to clamp down on imports of illegal timber
+ Tropical forests may soon hinder, not help, climate change effort
+ Fires spark biodiversity criticism of Sweden's forest industry
+ Behold the Amazonian eco-warrior drag queen
+ Tropical forests could soon accelerate, not slow, global warming
+ Treetop species threatened by rising temperatures among forest canopies
+ In Mozambique, a joint fight against climate change and forest loss
Soil bugs munch on plastics
Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 02, 2018
Our world is drowning in a flood of plastic. Eight million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year. Agricultural soils are also threatened by plastic pollution. Farmers around the world apply enormous amounts of polyethylene (PE) mulch films onto soils to combat weeds, increase soil temperature and keep the soil moist, thereby increasing overall crop yields. After harvest, it often ... more
+ Team shatters theoretical limit on bio-hydrogen production
+ Hydrogen and plastic production offer new catalyst with a dual function
+ Feeding plants to this algae could fuel your car
+ Splitting water: Nanoscale imaging yields key insights
+ Carbon dioxide-to-methanol process improved by catalyst
+ Finding the right balance for catalysts in the hydrogen evolution reaction
+ Biorefineries will have only minimal effects on wood products and feedstocks markets


Europe may thrive on renewable energy despite unpredictable weather
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 01, 2018
Researchers in Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have shown how long-term weather patterns affect wind and solar renewable energy technologies across Europe. Using 30 years of meteorological data, the scientists have examined and further modelled the impact of renewable energy on the electricity sector out to the year 2030. The work suggests that despite the unpredictable nature ... more
+ Researchers boost performance quality of perovskites
+ New two-dimensional material could revolutionize solar fuel generation
+ PI Berlin examines risks facing PV projects in India
+ KYOCERA TCL Solar Completes 28MW Solar Power Plant in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
+ meeco to install sun2roof solar systems on German traditional specialised yarn factory
+ Researchers upgrade organic solar cells to be used in roof tiles generating power
+ NRL increases UAV endurance with Solar Soaring technology
Searching for wind for the future
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
Using outputs from a high-resolution regional climate model, KAUST researchers have confirmed the potential for wind as a significant energy resource across the Arabian Peninsula. This is an important first step in developing a strategy for Saudi Arabia's wind energy sector. As part of an ongoing collaboration with the University of Notre Dame in the United States, Marc Genton's research g ... more
+ Clock starts for Germany's next wind farm
+ ENGIE: Wind energy footprint firmed up in Norway
+ Batteries make offshore wind energy debut
+ India embarks on offshore wind energy effort
+ New wind turbines are even efficient in low winds
+ Cryptocurrency blowing in the wind as mine opens in Estonia
+ U.S. Atlantic states eye offshore wind leadership


Mapping mountaintop coal mining's yearly spread in Appalachia
Durham NC (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
The coal industry may have declined in the last decade because of the rise of cheap natural gas, but a coal mining method called mountaintop removal is still taking place, particularly in central Appalachia. A new web-based mapping tool shows, in more detail than ever before, the land laid bare by mountaintop coal mining in central Appalachia each year, going back more than three decades. ... more
+ Miner Yancoal seeks dual listing in Hong Kong
+ Rescuers save 23 workers trapped in China mine, 11 others dead
+ Dutch to close two oldest coal-fired plants by 2025
+ U.S. wants input on coal plants of the future
+ Two Polish miners killed, three missing after quake
+ Germany's Allianz to stop insuring coal businesses
+ U.N.: Coal still has a short-term future
UK foreign secretary met human rights figures on China visit
Beijing (AFP) July 31, 2018
Britain's new foreign minister Jeremy Hunt met Chinese human rights figures while in Beijing on his first major international trip, the wife of a detained lawyer said Tuesday. Visiting leaders often shun meetings with activists or their relatives during trips to China - a decision which critics say is motivated by fear that scolding Beijing could harm trade prospects. Li Wenzu wrote on ... more
+ Historic Chinese town resists eviction for theme park
+ Tibet bans religious activities for students
+ Viral post inflames public anger in China vaccine scandal
+ Ten jailed in Vietnam over violent anti-China demos
+ Hong Kong academics warn of 'political battleground' at universities
+ Hong Kong police seek landmark ban on pro-independence party
+ Hong Kong activists mark one year since Liu Xiaobo death


Optical fibers that can feel the materials around them
Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 02, 2018
In recent years optical fibers have served as sensors to detect changes in temperature, like a thermometer, and pressure, like an artificial nerve. This technique is particularly useful in structures such as bridges and gas pipelines. EPFL researchers have now come up with a new method that enables optical fibers to identify whether they are in contact with a liquid or a solid. This is ach ... more
+ US Army selects Lockheed Martin as integrated systems developer for autonomous convoy program
+ Research identifies key weakness in modern computer vision systems
+ Cell-sized robots can sense their environment
+ If only AI had a brain
+ Army researchers teaching robots to be more reliable teammates for soldiers
+ Microbots capable of sensing environs could explore intestines, pipelines
+ Russia Mulls Sending Two of Its FEDOR Humanoid Robots Into Space Next Year
Degrading plastics emit greenhouse gases: study
Tampa (AFP) Aug 1, 2018
Need another reason to hate plastics piling up in the environment? A study in the journal PLOS ONE on Wednesday found that degrading plastics emit powerful greenhouse gases like methane and ethylene, and are a previously unaccounted-for source of these heat-trapping pollutants. Plastic water bottles, shopping bags, industrial plastics and food containers were all tested as part of the st ... more
+ High-precision on-site analysis of precious metals in metallurgical waste spills
+ Hamburg Ironman swimmers sunk by algae
+ No day at the beach as toxic algae hit Baltic coast
+ China steps up controls on maritime emissions
+ Record 207 environmental activists killed last year
+ BHP vows to fight Australia Samarco mine disaster class action
+ Concrete weighs heavily on the Mediterranean coast


Sweden's wildfires abating, foreign firefighters leave
Stockholm (AFP) July 31, 2018
Wildfires that have been raging across Sweden are abating, Swedish authorities said Tuesday, as French, Italian and German firefighters who came to assist gradually leave the country. Two Canadair firefighting aircraft, dispatched from France to Sweden in mid-July, departed on Tuesday, days after planes from Italy and Portugal returned home. Swedish emergency services SOS Alarm said mea ... more
+ Two more bodies found at sea after Greek wildfires
+ Greece to speed up destruction of illegal property after fires
+ MISR views raging fires in California
+ Greek PM Tsipras visits scene of wildfire disaster
+ 'Come and get me,' boy pleaded before California fire death
+ Blame game blows up over deadly Greek wildfires
+ US government approves aid as California battles raging wildfires
Can seagrass help fight ocean acidification?
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 01, 2018
Seagrass meadows could play a limited, localized role in alleviating ocean acidification in coastal ecosystems, according to new work led by Carnegie's David Koweek and including Carnegie's Ken Caldeira and published in Ecological Applications. When coal, oil, or gas is burned, the resulting carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere where it is the driving force behind global climate ... more
+ Chile to restrict tourists and non-locals on Easter Island
+ First mapping of global marine wilderness shows just how little remains
+ Ocean acidification is disrupting marine ecosystems, study shows
+ The last wild ocean
+ The blueprint for El Nino diversity
+ Lebanon sinks old tanks to create underwater dive 'park'
+ Thick mud hampers Laos dam rescue with hundreds still unaccounted for


China could face deadly heat waves due to climate change
Boston MA (SPX) Aug 01, 2018
A region that holds one of the biggest concentrations of people on Earth could be pushing against the boundaries of habitability by the latter part of this century, a new study shows. Research has shown that beyond a certain threshold of temperature and humidity, a person cannot survive unprotected in the open for extended periods - as, for example, farmers must do. Now, a new MIT study sh ... more
+ Portugal prepares for fire intervention as heatwave approaches
+ Heatwaves from the Arctic to Japan: a sign of things to come?
+ Heatwave grips northern Europe as Greece burns
+ 'Unprecedented' Japan heatwave kills 65 in one week
+ 'Unprecedented' Japan heatwave kills 65 in one week
+ Japan heatwave kills over a dozen, 12,000 rushed to hospital
+ Fierce heatwave hits Japan flood recovery
Chinese investors drop bid for German machine tool maker
Frankfurt Am Main (AFP) Aug 1, 2018
German machine tool manufacturer Leifeld on Wednesday said Chinese investors had dropped their bid to purchase the strategic company to avoid a veto from the German government. "I can confirm that the interested party has withdraw its request for clearance from the economy ministry," a Leifeld spokeswoman told AFP, confirming media reports. The move came just hours before the German gove ... more
+ Trump could raise tariffs further on Chinese goods: reports
+ China-backed trade pact could be signed by year-end: Singapore PM
+ UK's Hunt welcomes China's offer of talks on post-Brexit trade deal
+ China manufacturing activity eases in July
+ Australia, US, Japan in Indo-Pacific infrastructure push
+ Trump threatens to ramp up tariffs on Chinese goods
+ UK's chief diplomat begins Brexit bargaining tour
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

NASA's Parker Solar Probe and the curious case of the hot corona
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
Something mysterious is going on at the Sun. In defiance of all logic, its atmosphere gets much, much hotter the farther it stretches from the Sun's blazing surface. Temperatures in the corona - the tenuous, outermost layer of the solar atmosphere - spike upwards of 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, while just 1,000 miles below, the underlying surface simmers at a balmy 10,000 F. How the Sun m ... more
+ Solar flares disrupted radio communications during September 2017 Atlantic hurricanes
+ Parker Solar Probe and the birth of the solar wind
+ 'Blood moon' dazzles skygazers in century's longest eclipse
+ Red planet and 'blood moon' pair up to dazzle skygazers
+ Rare Red Moon and Mars in Evening Sky on 27 July
+ NASA prepares to launch Parker Solar Probe, a mission to touch the Sun
+ How does the sun's rotational cycle influence lightning activity on earth?
Over 100 wildlife rangers died on duty in past year: WWF
Paris (AFP) July 31, 2018
More than 100 wildlife rangers died on the job in Asia and central Africa over the last year, nearly half killed by poachers, the WWF reported Tuesday. Illegal hunters are decimating endangered wildlife to gather rhino horns and big cat body parts to sell in East Asia, as well as bush meat - including gorillas, monkeys, lions and pangolins - to eat. One-in-seven park rangers across the ... more
+ 95% of lemur population facing extinction: conservationists
+ New geometric shape helps cells efficiently pack, organize themselves
+ Hundreds of Macau greyhounds await their forever homes
+ Bacteria extinctions are quite common, study shows
+ Kenyan minister under fire over rhino transfer fiasco
+ NZ strikes off-note by stripping ivory off 123-yr-old British piano
+ Rise of the grasshoppers: New analysis redraws evolutionary tree for major insect family


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