24/7 Farm  News Coverage
August 30, 2018
CLIMATE SCIENCE
India's devastating rains match climate change forecasts



Paris (AFP) Aug 24, 2018
Once-a-century rains that have pounded the Indian state of Kerala and displaced 1.3 million people are in line with the predictions of climate scientists, who warn that worse is to come if global warming continues unabated. The monsoon rains upon which farmers in the southwestern state depend for their food and livelihoods dumped two-and-a-half times the normal amount of water across the state last week, according to Indian meteorologists. It is difficult to attribute any single extreme weather ... read more

WATER WORLD
Study uses seismic noise to track water levels in underground aquifers
Boston MA (SPX) Aug 30, 2018
Seismic noise - the low-level vibrations caused by everything from subway trains to waves crashing on the beach - is most often something seismologists work to avoid. They factor it out of models an ... more
FARM NEWS
Environmentally friendly farming practices used by a third of global farms
Pullman WA (SPX) Aug 29, 2018
Nearly one-third of the world's farms have adopted more environmentally friendly practices while continuing to be productive, according to a global assessment by 17 scientists in five countries. ... more
WATER WORLD
Portable freshwater harvester could draw up to 10 gallons per hour from the air
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 29, 2018
For thousands of years, people in the Middle East and South America have extracted water from the air to help sustain their populations. Drawing inspiration from those examples, researchers are now ... more
FARM NEWS
Plant biodiversity essential to bee health
Washington (UPI) Aug 22, 2018
New research suggests bees can maintain healthy colonies in agricultural regions if provided habitat islands with sufficient plant biodiversity. ... more
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FARM NEWS
Bees get hooked on harmful pesticide: study
Paris (AFP) Aug 28, 2018
Bumblebees acquire a taste for food laced with a pesticide known to harm them, according to a study suggesting the chemicals pose an even greater threat to pollinators than previously thought. ... more
FLORA AND FAUNA
French farmers furious as wild boars run amok
Saint-Malo, France (AFP) Aug 26, 2018
With a gaping hole in the ground and tangled corn stalks strewn across Yves Rolland's field, it looks as if it has been hit by a tornado. He already knows who the culprits are. ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
California plain shows surprising winners and losers from prolonged drought
Seattle WA (SPX) Aug 27, 2018
The Carrizo Plain National Monument is a little-known ecological hotspot in Southern California. Though small, it explodes in wildflowers each spring and is full of threatened or endangered species. ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Rain brings relief to drought-stricken Australia farmers
Sydney (AFP) Aug 26, 2018
Widespread rain fell across drought-affected parts of eastern Australia over the weekend, bringing relief to farmers struggling to cope with the driest conditions in more than half a century. ... more
FARM NEWS
French tomato grower takes on Monsanto over weedkiller
Celles-Sur-Aisne, France (AFP) Aug 24, 2018
Weaving through the aisles of his greenhouse in northern France, Jean-Claude Terlet, a retired farmer who grows tomatoes for local markets, seems to be brimming with energy. ... more
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FARM NEWS
'No grass': Europe's livestock sector stricken by drought
Paris (AFP) Aug 26, 2018
"Our cows have been living off hay cut in June, there isn't any grass," says Jean-Guillaume Hannequin, a farmer in eastern France, who like his counterparts across much of northern Europe is wondering how he will feed his animals this winter. ... more
FARM NEWS
The wheat code is finally cracked
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 23, 2018
The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) published in the international journal Science a detailed description of the genome of bread wheat, the world's most widely cultivated cr ... more
WATER WORLD
UConn scientists create reverse osmosis membranes with tunable thickness
Storrs CT (SPX) Aug 23, 2018
Currently, more than 300 million people around the world rely on desalinated water for part or all of their daily needs. That demand will only grow with larger populations and improved standards of ... more
FARM NEWS
Bringing home the bacon: China pork braces for trade war blues
Baiyang, China (AFP) Aug 22, 2018
Twice a day, Chinese pig farmer Jia Tiechui's workers flip levers to deliver plops of soybean-based feed to 18,000 hogs, whose appetite is getting costlier as the US trade war bites. ... more
FARM NEWS
Study: Human wastewater valuable to global agriculture, economics
Champaign IL (SPX) Aug 22, 2018
It may seem off-putting to some, but human waste is full of nutrients that can be recycled into valuable products that could promote agricultural sustainability and better economic independence for ... more


How do plants rest photosynthetic activity at night?

ABOUT US
Oil palm: few areas in Africa reconcile high yields and primate protection
Paris, France (SPX) Aug 21, 2018
Continued growth in global demand for palm oil is expected to mean an expansion in oil palm plantations in Africa. The continent offers the low-lying tropical ecosystems oil palm prefers, hence an o ... more
SEED DAILY



CAR TECH
Volkswagen in dispute with Mexican farmers
Puebla, Mexico (AFP) Aug 22, 2018
Mexican farming communities accused German auto giant Volkswagen on Tuesday of "arbitrarily" provoking a drought in the central state of Puebla to protect its newly manufactured cars from hail. ... more
WATER WORLD
Rice Uni system selectively sequesters toxins from water
Houston TX (SPX) Aug 10, 2018
Rice University scientists are developing technology to remove contaminants from water - but only as many as necessary. The Rice lab of engineer Qilin Li is building a treatment system that ca ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Australia ramps up aid to farmers as drought bites
Sydney (AFP) Aug 19, 2018
Financial aid for drought-stricken Australian farmers will be increased to Aus$1.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) as they endure the driest conditions in half a century, the prime minister said Sunday. ... more
WATER WORLD
The behavior of water: scientists find new properties of H2O
New York NY (SPX) Aug 16, 2018
A team of scientists has uncovered new molecular properties of water--a discovery of a phenomenon that had previously gone unnoticed. Liquid water is known to be an excellent transporter of it ... more
FARM NEWS
New research collection targets insect pests of pulse crops
Annapolis MD (SPX) Aug 10, 2018
Around the world, pulse crops - such as beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils - are an important staple in the modern food supply, and their cultivation is growing in the United States and many other ... more
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NASA launching Advanced Laser to measure Earth's changing ice
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 23, 2018
Next month, NASA will launch into space the most advanced laser instrument of its kind, beginning a mission to measure - in unprecedented detail - changes in the heights of Earth's polar ice. NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) will measure the average annual elevation change of land ice covering Greenland and Antarctica to within the width of a pencil, capturing 60 ... more
+ Wind mission ready for next phase
+ Teledyne e2v ultraviolet laser detector technology deployed on Aeolus
+ Aeolus wind satellite launched
+ A study by MSU scientists will help specify the models of the Earth atmosphere circulation
+ NASA captures monsoon rains bringing flooding to India
+ European wind survey satellite launched from French Guyana
+ Earth more solar exposed with rapid magnetic field reversals
UK plans own satellite system after Galileo exclusion
London (AFP) Aug 29, 2018
Britain will invest in the possible creation of its own satellite-navigation system, the UK government announced Wednesday, after being excluded from the EU's Galileo programme because of Brexit. At the same time, London said it was continuing to negotiate with the European Union about remaining in the Galileo programme. Britain will invest Pounds 92 million ($119 million, 102 million euros), ... more
+ US Air Force's first advanced GPS 3 satellite shipped to Cape Canaveral
+ Lockheed's first GPS III satellite shipped to Florida for launch
+ Space sector to benefit from multi-million pound work on UK alternative to Galileo
+ China launches new twin BeiDou navigation satellites
+ Air Force declares second GPS III satellite ready to launch
+ US Air Force declares second Lockheed Martin GPS 3 satellite ready for launch
+ Envistacom contracted for DAGRS GPS systems


'Natural enemies' theory doesn't fully explain rainforests' biodiversity
Washington (UPI) Aug 23, 2018
Tropical forests are home to a rich diversity of tree species. Scientists have previously argued competition among "natural enemies" explains the ecosystem's unique biodiversity. But new research suggests such an explanation is not sufficient on its own. The Janzen-Connell hypothesis posits that each species in a tropical forest has a natural enemy. Competition between natural enemies, ... more
+ Tree species richness in Amazonian wetlands is three times greater than expected
+ Carbon reserves in Central American soils still affected by ancient Mayan deforestation
+ Logging site slash removal may be boon for wild bees in managed forests
+ Frequent fires make droughts harder for young trees, even in wet eastern forests
+ Ancient Mayan deforestation hurt carbon reserves
+ To improve children's diets, conserve forests
+ Save the trees, Niger urges ahead of roast sheep festival
Biodegradable plastic blends offer new options for disposal
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 30, 2018
Imagine throwing your empty plastic water bottle into a household composting bin that breaks down the plastic and produces biogas to help power your home. Now, researchers have taken an early step toward this futuristic scenario by showing that certain blends of bioplastics can decompose under diverse conditions. They report their results in the ACS journal Environmental Science and Technology. ... more
+ Breakthrough could see bacteria used as cell factories to produce biofuels
+ Producing hydrogen from splitting water without splitting hairs
+ Serendipitous discovery by IUPUI researchers may lead to eco-friendly lubricant
+ Less drain on freshwater supplies with seawater fuel discovery
+ 'Trash is gold' as Benin community turns waste into biogas
+ Ethiopia opens plant to turn waste into energy
+ Renewables could drastically cut tailpipe emissions


Air pollution can put a dent in solar power
Boston MA (SPX) Aug 30, 2018
Ian Marius Peters, now an MIT research scientist, was working on solar energy research in Singapore in 2013 when he encountered an extraordinary cloud of pollution. The city was suddenly engulfed in a foul-smelling cloud of haze so thick that from one side of a street you couldn't see the buildings on the other side, and the air had the acrid smell of burning. The event, triggered by forest fire ... more
+ German students try to tame Australian desert with solar powered vehicle
+ Russelectric Announces Distributed Energy Controller
+ Russelectric utility paralleling systems ensure no interruption of critical loads
+ Perovskite chemistry research to inspire better solar cells
+ California takes another green step forward
+ Wartsila to help ensure reliable power supply in challenging Hawaii conditions
+ Bye Aerospace's solar electric "StratoAirNet" prototype completes 1st flight
Wind energy prices at all-time lows as wind turbines grow larger
Berkeley CA (SPX) Aug 27, 2018
Wind energy pricing remains attractive, according to an annual report released by the U.S. Department of Energy and prepared by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). At an average of around 2 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), prices offered by newly built wind projects in the United States are being driven lower by technology advancements and cost reductions. "Wind energy pric ... more
+ China pushes wind energy efforts further offshore
+ Iran opens 61 MW wind farm in Qazvin province
+ Denmark gets nod for renewable energy support scheme
+ Searching for wind for the future
+ Clock starts for Germany's next wind farm
+ ENGIE: Wind energy footprint firmed up in Norway
+ Batteries make offshore wind energy debut


Trump administration moves to relax coal pollution rules
Washington (AFP) Aug 22, 2018
President Donald Trump's administration announced a plan Tuesday to weaken regulations on US coal plants, giving a boost to an industry that former leader Barack Obama had hoped to phase out to cut harmful emissions that drive global warming. The Environmental Protection Agency's new Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule would allow states the flexibility to set their own standards for performa ... more
+ Trump to roll back Obama-era guidelines on coal
+ German insurer Munich Re to curb coal activities
+ U.S. coal consumption last year at historic low
+ 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
World leaders ignore rights in China: censored author Yan
Edinburgh (AFP) Aug 29, 2018
Chinese author Yan Lianke, whose works are banned in his heavily censored homeland, has urged world leaders not to shy away from confronting China about its human rights record. Yan, who offers frank portrayals of Chinese life prompting years of state censorship, said leaders flocking to China have become too focused on economic ties. The 60-year-old novelist told AFP that Beijing needs ... more
+ It's a bird... it's a train... China pigeon racers cause flap with rail ruse
+ Hong Kong democracy group says members were detained in China
+ Given the right to larger families, Chinese may hold off
+ China may scrap two-child limit: report
+ Anaesthetist 'killed family with gas-filled yoga ball'
+ Chinese national kidnapped in US, held for $2 million ransom
+ No children? Pay a tax, Chinese academics suggest


Activists urge killer robot ban 'before it is too late'
Geneva (AFP) Aug 27, 2018
Countries should quickly agree a treaty banning the use of so-called killer robots "before it is too late", activists said Monday as talks on the issue resumed at the UN. They say time is running out before weapons are deployed that use lethal force without a human making the final kill-order and have criticised the UN body hosting the talks - the Convention of Certain Conventional Weapons ... more
+ Robot teachers invade Chinese kindergartens
+ Sony to release AI-infused robotic pups in the US
+ UNC builds better particle tracking software using artificial intelligence
+ Must do better: Japan eyes AI robots in class to boost English
+ Robot wars: China shows off automated doctors, teachers and combat stars
+ UCLA-developed artificial intelligence device identifies objects at the speed of light
+ Soft multi-functional robots get really small and spider-shaped
Algal blooms a threat to small lakes and ponds, too
Columbus OH (SPX) Aug 30, 2018
Harmful algae isn't just a problem for high-profile bodies of water - it poses serious, toxic threats in small ponds and lakes as well, new research has found. A team of researchers from The Ohio State University examined water samples from two dozen ponds and small lakes in rural Ohio and found plenty of cause for concern, with particularly high levels of toxins at one lake. Toxins ... more
+ Paris, Tokyo, New York and others pledge to slash waste
+ Sofia theatre group explores 'invisible hands' of recycling
+ Air pollution reduces global life expectancy by more than one year
+ The Australians putting the brakes on fast fashion, fearing for environment
+ Flushed contact lenses are big source of microplastic pollution
+ Tunisia anti-litter activist takes up 300-km, 30-beach challenge
+ Environmental regulations drove steep declines in US factory pollution


A World On Fire
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 24, 2018
The world is on fire. Or so it appears in this image from NASA's Worldview. The red points overlaid on the image designate those areas that by using thermal bands detect actively burning fires. Africa seems to have the most concentrated fires. This could be due to the fact that these are most likely agricultural fires. The location, widespread nature, and number of fires suggest that these ... more
+ NASA assists in efforts to contain California wildfires
+ German firefighters stop spread of huge blaze, warn of ongoing threat
+ Montana State research determines reasons for massive fires in south-central Chile
+ Raging forest fire bears down on German villages
+ Can we have a fire in a highly vacuumed environment
+ Canada's westernmost province declares wildfires emergency
+ Carbon Monoxide from California Wildfires Drifts East
Shedding light on shallow waters
Paris (ESA) Aug 28, 2018
Keeping an eye on our waters is more important than ever, as widespread drought continues to sweep Europe this summer. Earth's changing sea levels are crucial indicators of how our environment is fairing, but monitoring it manually can be a labour-intensive, expensive, and at times even dangerous task. Coastal areas provide additional complications, as shifting seabeds and currents m ... more
+ Underwater robots help NASA plan future deep-space missions
+ Myanmar dam overflow floods 100 villages
+ Cook Islands does not want China debt write-off
+ Portable freshwater harvester could draw up to 10 gallons per hour from the air
+ Kelp forests function differently in warming ocean
+ Rescuers struggle to reach stranded in Myanmar dam flooding
+ Tracking Sargassum's ocean path could help predict coastal inundation events


Nice sunny days can grow into heat waves
Potsdam, Germany (SPX) Aug 24, 2018
Be it heavy downpours or super-hot spells, summer weather becomes more persistent in North America, Europe and parts of Asia. When those conditions stall for several days or weeks, they can turn into extremes: heatwaves resulting in droughts, health risks and wildfires; or relentless rainfall resulting in floods. A team of scientists now presents the first comprehensive review of research ... more
+ Stalling summer weather patterns set stage for extreme heat
+ Shanghai heat turns shopping street into giant slumber party
+ Study finds possible connection between US tornado activity, Arctic sea ice
+ Monsoon, landslides kill 20 in southern India
+ Europe bakes again in near-record temperatures
+ Earth risks tipping into 'hothouse' state: study
+ Europe bakes again in near-record temperatures
Trump's trade pledges have backfired, energy trade group says
Washington (UPI) Aug 24, 2018
U.S. President Trump is admired for fulfilling campaign promises, but some of those actions are harming his own ambitions on energy, a trade group said. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to "use every tool under American and international law to end these (trade) abuses." Nearly two years into his term, he's made good on that pledge by targeting North American, European and Chinese ... more
+ China-backed trade pact talks at 'critical stage': Singapore PM
+ Kazakh port in decline bids for slice of China trade
+ Rights groups urge Google not to bend to China censors
+ Foreigners barred from buying in planned Malaysian city
+ US-Mexico trade talks progressing but no breakthrough with China
+ Trump's many trade wars: a summary
+ US, China swap tariffs on billions in goods as sides hold talks
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

How scientists predicted corona's appearance during total solar eclipse
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 29, 2018
It was Aug. 14, 2017, just one week before the Moon would cross paths with the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow across the United States. The entire country buzzed with anticipation for the fleeting chance to see the corona, the Sun's tenuous outer atmosphere. But the wait was uniquely nerve-wracking for a group of scientists at Predictive Science Inc., a private research company in San D ... more
+ JPL roles in NASA's Parker Solar Probe
+ European researchers develop a new technique to forecast geomagnetic storms
+ Discovering trailing components of a coronal mass ejection
+ Crystalline silica in meteorite brings scientists closer to understanding solar evolution
+ New kind of aurora is not an aurora at all
+ Parker Solar Probe marks first mission milestones on voyage to Sun
+ China's radio heliograph may cooperate with NASA's spacecraft in solar observation: scientist
To attract mates, male fruit flies sing songs with their wings
Washington (UPI) Aug 24, 2018
Fruit flies are agile fliers. Evading the swat of a human hand is easy. But for males, wings aren't just a tool for travel and evasion. They're an instrument - an instrument the would-be dads use to woo females. With the help of powerful microphones and neuron tracking technology, scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark identified the song motor circuit male fruit flies depend on fo ... more
+ Evolution and the concrete jungle
+ Birds of prey rely on color vision to hunt
+ Slow, steady tortoise beats speedy hare in real life, study shows
+ French farmers furious as wild boars run amok
+ How a plan to save Kenya's rhino left 11 dead in historic blunder
+ Laziness is an effective survival skill, evolutionary biologists find
+ Spanish police smash Europe's 'biggest' illegal turtle farm


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