News by Subject Agriculture

Researchers have demonstrated the use of tinted, semi-transparent solar panels to generate electricity and produce nutritionally-superior crops simultaneously, bringing the prospect of higher incomes for farmers and maximising use of agricultural land.

Forty years after Dan Luoma found an unsual truffle collection, scientists confirmed it is a new species and named it after Luoma. 

Researchers examined the outcome of an entangled bottlenose dolphin calf with monofilament fishing line wrapped tightly around its upper jaw. It was successfully disentangled and immediately released it back into its natural habitat. Surviving only two years, results showed long-term severe damage due to this entanglement including emaciation. There are about 1,000 bottlenose dolphins that live in the Indian River Lagoon, which also is a very popular location for recreational fishing.

Clean-up devices that collect waste from the ocean surface won't solve the plastic pollution problem, a new study shows.

Finding out if the food and water we consume are safe from toxic and carcinogenic metals can now be much faster and simpler. Researchers at the University Johannesburg developed an efficient and more sensitive method to test for dangerous levels of heavy metals, like arsenic, cadmium and chromium in vegetables and water. The method can be used to test other foods also. A clay-based adsorbent makes testing for several metals at the same time possible.

Like humans, cattle are social creatures with complex relationships that change as group dynamics evolve. New research into social grooming interactions between a small herd of dairy cows illustrated patterns of behavior that could be used to better align future farm management practices with the social needs of bovines. Previous research has demonstrated that happier cows are healthier and more productive.