Multidrug-resistant fungi found in commercial soil, compost, flower bulbs
Named a critical public health threat by WHO, Aspergillus fumigatus is potentially deadly to immunocompromised
Named a critical public health threat by WHO, Aspergillus fumigatus is potentially deadly to immunocompromised
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 25, 2024
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71
Fertilizers manufactured from the sludgy leftovers of wastewater treatment processes can contain traces of potentially hazardous organic chemicals, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins University researchers.
Environment
Jun 25, 2024
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83
Drought in the American West is becoming a persistent reality instead of a periodic emergency due to climate change, and a recent study found that an essential tool used to measure drought can't keep up.
Earth Sciences
Jun 26, 2024
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45
A genetic "off switch" that shuts down the process in which legume plants convert atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients has been identified for the first time by a team of international scientists.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 26, 2024
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73
Once we travel to another planet, we'll face the next challenge—how to survive. Emmanuel Mendoza began tackling that problem in his parent's garage during his senior year of high school.
Plants & Animals
Jun 28, 2024
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0
New research published in npj Sustainable Agriculture reports that biomass made from the purple photosynthetic marine bacterium Rhodovulum sulfidophilum is an excellent nitrogen fertilizer.
Biotechnology
Jun 24, 2024
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41
Regional authorities in Brazil on Monday declared a state of emergency as the Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetlands, faces "out of control fires," according to a decree.
Environment
Jun 24, 2024
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12
Leaving some weeds between crops can help to combat pests on agricultural land, according to a new study carried out by the University of Bonn. This step has particularly positive effects in combination with other measures: ...
Agriculture
Jun 25, 2024
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2
Apple quality and yield are significantly affected by nitrogen levels in the soil, which influence various biochemical processes. Insufficient nitrogen can result in poor fruit quality, while excessive nitrogen leads to environmental ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 25, 2024
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0
Alpine habitats present extreme challenges, including low temperatures, high UV radiation, and limited oxygen levels, which demand unique adaptations from the plants that inhabit these regions. Despite their ecological importance, ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 28, 2024
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0
Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants (i.e. crops) creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and stratified societies. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science (the related practice of gardening is studied in horticulture).
Agriculture encompasses a wide variety of specialties and techniques, including ways to expand the lands suitable for plant raising, by digging water-channels and other forms of irrigation. Cultivation of crops on arable land and the pastoral herding of livestock on rangeland remain at the foundation of agriculture. In the past century there has been increasing concern to identify and quantify various forms of agriculture. In the developed world the range usually extends between sustainable agriculture (e.g. permaculture or organic agriculture) and intensive farming (e.g. industrial agriculture).
Modern agronomy, plant breeding, pesticides and fertilizers, and technological improvements have sharply increased yields from cultivation, and at the same time have caused widespread ecological damage and negative human health effects.[citation needed] Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry such as intensive pig farming (and similar practices applied to the chicken) have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal cruelty and the health effects of the antibiotics, growth hormones, and other chemicals commonly used in industrial meat production.[citation needed]
The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels, raw materials, pharmaceuticals and stimulants, and an assortment of ornamental or exotic panget products. In the 2000s, plants have been used to grow biofuels, biopharmaceuticals, bioplastics, and pharmaceuticals. Specific foods include cereals, vegetables, fruits, and meat. Fibers include cotton, wool, hemp, silk and flax. Raw materials include lumber and bamboo. Stimulants include tobacco, alcohol, opium, cocaine,and digitalis. Other useful materials are produced by plants, such as resins. Biofuels include methane from biomass, ethanol, and biodiesel. Cut flowers, nursery plants, tropical fish and birds for the pet trade are some of the ornamental products.
In 2007, about one third of the world's workers were employed in agriculture. However, the relative significance of farming has dropped steadily since the beginning of industrialization, and in 2003 – for the first time in history – the services sector overtook agriculture as the economic sector employing the most people worldwide. Despite the fact that agriculture employs over one-third of the world's population, agricultural production accounts for less than five percent of the gross world product (an aggregate of all gross domestic products).[dead link]
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