https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A large-scale model study now shows how the global food system can contribute to the fight against global warming. It identifies 23 levers, calculates their effectiveness and concludes: a decisive transformation of this sector alone, without the indispensable energy transition, can limit the global temperature increase to 1.85°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050. In addition, food will become healthier and cheaper, and agriculture will be more compatible with biodiversity conservation. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-levers-sustainable-food-combat-global.html Environment Fri, 19 Dec 2025 11:00:01 EST news685283145 Laughing gas (nitrous oxide or N₂O) is primarily released by the microorganisms responsible for cleaning our wastewater. These microbes live in complex communities, with each group performing a specific role. Emissions vary throughout the day and across seasons, and the intricate microbial processes behind them remain largely unknown—making it difficult to design effective strategies to reduce emissions. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-simple-oxygen-tweaks-curb-gas.html Environment Thu, 08 May 2025 13:05:03 EDT news665928301 Climate change and flagging investment in research and development has U.S. agriculture facing its first productivity slowdown in decades. A new study estimates the public sector investment needed to reverse course. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-funding-sustain-agriculture.html Other Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:11:06 EDT news661011061 The human microbiome plays a critical role in our health, influencing everything from disease development to treatment responses. This connection has captured the attention of scientists worldwide, eager to unlock its secrets. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-advanced-cell-genomics-approach-antibiotic.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 07 Oct 2024 10:13:03 EDT news647514781 The food system is one of the most significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet, making the reduction of emissions in this sector a priority for policymakers around the world. IIASA researchers explored the potential of carbon sequestration on farmland to combat climate change, offering insights into economic effects as well as its climate change mitigation potential. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-agriculture-carbon-source-potential-sequestration.html Agriculture Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:59:14 EDT news646311548 California should take urgent and bold measures to adapt its $59 billion agriculture sector to climate change as the amount of water available for crops declines, according to a collaborative report by University of California faculty from four campuses. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-urges-bold-california-agriculture-climate.html Environment Mon, 29 Jul 2024 15:52:30 EDT news641487143 Switching food and drink purchases to very similar but more environmentally friendly alternatives could reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from household groceries by more than a quarter (26%), according to a new Australian study from The George Institute for Global Health and Imperial College London published today in Nature Food. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-simple-food-swaps-greenhouse-gas.html Environment Tue, 28 May 2024 05:00:01 EDT news636021058 High temperatures during critical periods of the reproductive cycle of sheep result in 2.1 million fewer lambs produced in Australia each year, costing sheep farmers an estimated $97 million annually. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-excess-temperatures-flocking-australia.html Plants & Animals Thu, 21 Mar 2024 10:06:23 EDT news630234380 In a new article in Scientific Reports, a team of scholars from the University of Utah and The University of Texas at Austin found that drier than normal periods during growing seasons in Central America were associated with emigration to the United States in recent years. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-unusually-dry-seasons-central-america.html Social Sciences Mon, 30 Oct 2023 11:26:56 EDT news617884011 Europe still faces numerous challenges in reducing air pollution. A new study by an international team of researchers identified the reduction of ammonia emissions as a cost-effective measure to reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter concentrations in the atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-ammonia-reduction-prioritized-europe-air.html Environment Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:04:04 EDT news609588242 Demand for modern biofuels is expected to grow substantially in order to mitigate climate emissions. However, they are far from being a climate neutral alternative to gasoline and diesel. A new study published in Nature Climate Change shows that under current land-use regulations, CO2 emission factors for biofuels might even exceed those for fossil diesel combustion due to large-scale land clearing related to growing biomass. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-effect-land-use-energy-sector-policies.html Environment Mon, 26 Jun 2023 13:53:43 EDT news607006419 Canada's wild pollinators are in decline and without a national pollinator plan, many species could be heading for extinction, like the endangered rusty-patched bumblebee or the American bumblebee, say researchers at York University. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-national-pollinator-strategy-canada-wild.html Plants & Animals Fri, 23 Jun 2023 10:34:14 EDT news606735245 A highly pathogenic avian influenza has been spreading in the U.S., making headlines as the price of eggs soared at the start of the year and fears of the next zoonotic pandemic creep into popular media. A University of Maryland (UMD)-led team of researchers tracked the arrival and progression of the deadly bird flu (H5N1) in North America to determine how this outbreak is different from previous ones. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-scientists-avian-influenza-requires-urgent.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 19 Apr 2023 11:48:34 EDT news601123706 Baby kangaroo feces might help provide an unlikely solution to the environmental problem of cow-produced methane. A microbial culture developed from the kangaroo feces inhibited methane production in a cow stomach simulator in a Washington State University study. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-kangaroo-fecal-microbes-methane-cows.html Biotechnology Tue, 14 Feb 2023 07:14:10 EST news595581244 Researchers at the University of Adelaide have released their first findings on the potential effectiveness of revolutionary gene drive technology to control invasive mice. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-gene-technology-suppress-invasive-mice-1.html Ecology Wed, 09 Nov 2022 09:38:07 EST news587209084 A new way of using compost could boost global crop production and deliver huge benefits to the planet, according to a study co-led by The University of Queensland. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-power-compost-climate-champion.html Agriculture Mon, 05 Sep 2022 11:00:16 EDT news581594403 The spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that can kill grapevines and damage other crops, has a chance of first reaching the wine-producing counties of California in five years, according to a new analysis from North Carolina State University researchers. https://phys.org/news/2022-06-invasive-insect-grapes-california-wine.html Ecology Thu, 09 Jun 2022 12:21:20 EDT news573996076 Earthworms could have the potential to replace some high-cost mineral/synthetic fertilizers, new research suggests. https://phys.org/news/2022-03-earthworms-potential-synthetic-fertilisers.html Agriculture Tue, 01 Mar 2022 11:10:01 EST news565354944 Bans and simple measures alone won't solve the problems in plant protection. Robert Finger presses for a comprehensive pesticide policy. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-quest-holistic-pesticide-policy.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2020 08:49:38 EDT news521365775 National and regional policies aimed at addressing pollution fueled by nitrogen lag behind scientific knowledge of the problem, finds a new analysis by an international team of researchers. Its work, which appears in the journal Nature Sustainability, reveals how governmental regulations favor nitrogen use for commercial enterprise over curbing its environmental impacts. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-nitrogen-pollution-policies-world-lag.html Environment Mon, 06 Jul 2020 12:49:42 EDT news513258580 An all-out shift to organic farming in England and Wales could lead to a net increase in Britain's greenhouse gas emissions as a drop in yields would lead to higher food imports, scientists estimated Tuesday. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-all-organic-farming-uk-emissions.html Environment Tue, 22 Oct 2019 12:33:38 EDT news490966251 Emissions from air pollutants are associated with premature mortality. Between 2008 and 2014, air pollution health damage from fine particulate matter exposure fell by 20 percent in the United States. There are four sectors in the U.S. economy that together are responsible for over 75 percent of air pollution damage but contribute less than 20 percent to national GDP: agriculture, utilities, manufacturing and transportation. https://phys.org/news/2019-09-pollution-policymakers-broaden-focus-smokestacks.html Environment Mon, 09 Sep 2019 15:00:05 EDT news487238474 The agricultural sector is the world's largest source of non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions, and IIASA-led research has found that changing agricultural practices and a shift in diet away from meat and dairy products could reduce the sector's emissions by up to 50% by 2050, compared to a situation without mitigation efforts. https://phys.org/news/2018-12-agriculture-sector-non-carbon-dioxide-greenhouse.html Environment Mon, 17 Dec 2018 11:00:01 EST news464258066