Octocopter! Experimental drone for agricultural research

Following the revelation that English Premiership football club Everton FC is using drones to monitor player training sessions, it seems there's nothing these Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) aren't being primed to do: everything ...

Soil microbes accelerate global warming

More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes soil to release the potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide, new research published in this week's edition of Nature reveals. "This feedback to our changing atmosphere ...

Hidden green skills

What have plant scientists learned in the laboratory in the past three to five years that could be used to reduce inputs of water, chemical fertilizers and herbicides to agricultural fields?

Reusing failed bee colony resources may curb rearing of queens

As pollinators of flowers, trees and more than 50 crops, whereby they add an estimated $34 billion per year to the U.S. economy, honey bees offer value both ecological and economic—even before accounting for their signature ...

Researchers suggest plan to address hypoxia in Gulf of Mexico

Despite a 12-year action plan calling for reducing the hypoxia zone in the Gulf of Mexico, little progress has been made, and there is no evidence that nutrient loading to the Gulf has decreased during this period. University ...

Research shows most bird feed contains troublesome weed seeds

Many millions of homeowners use feeders to attract birds. But a two-year study featured in the journal Invasive Plant Science and Management suggests there may be one unintended consequence to this popular hobby. Bird feed ...

Helpful insects and landscape changes

We might not notice them, but the crops farmers grow are protected by scores of tiny invertebrate bodyguards. Naturally occurring arthropods like spiders and lady beetles patrol crop fields looking for insects to eat. These ...

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