Agriculture

  1. Genetics

    How to grow toxin-free corn

    Corn genetically altered to produce specialized molecules may prevent a fungus from tainting it with carcinogenic toxins.

    By Elizabeth Eaton
  2. Agriculture

    Fleets of drones could pollinate future crops

    Chemist Eijiro Miyako turned a lab failure into a way to rethink artificial pollination.

    By Elizabeth Eaton
  3. Animals

    Too many stinkbugs spoil the wine

    Stinkbugs can ruin wine if enough are accidentally processed alive with the grapes. Three or fewer stinkbugs per grape cluster don’t have a noticeable effect on red wine.

    By Elizabeth Eaton
  4. Anthropology

    DNA points to millennia of stability in East Asian hunter-fisher population

    Ancient hunter-gatherers in East Asia are remarkably similar, genetically, to modern people living in the area. Unlike what happened in Western Europe, this region might not have seen waves of farmers take over.

    By Meghan Rosen
  5. Genetics

    CRISPR used in cows to help fight tuberculosis

    Chinese researchers used a CRISPR/Cas 9 gene editor to make cows more resistant to tuberculosis.

    By Helen Thompson
  6. Genetics

    CRISPR used in cows to help fight tuberculosis

    Chinese researchers used a CRISPR/Cas 9 gene editor to make cows more resistant to tuberculosis.

    By Helen Thompson
  7. Plants

    Big genetics study blazes path for bringing back tomato flavor

    Combining taste tests with genetics suggests what makes heirloom varieties tastier than mass-market tomatoes.

    By Susan Milius
  8. Plants

    Tweaking how plants manage a crisis boosts photosynthesis

    Shortening plants’ recovery time after blasts of excessive light can boost crop growth.

    By Susan Milius
  9. Animals

    Sandboxes keep chicken parasites at bay

    Fluffing feathers in sand and dust prevents severe mite infections in cage-free hens.

    By Amy McDermott
  10. Oceans

    Fish escapes from marine farms raise concerns about wildlife

    Farmed salmon, sea bass and other fish frequently escape from sea cages into the ocean. Will these runaways harm native wildlife?

    By Roberta Kwok
  11. Plants

    How a tomato plant foils a dreaded vampire vine

    Tomatoes can foil a dodder plant attack by getting scared and scabbing over.

    By Susan Milius
  12. Animals

    Evidence piles up for popular pesticides’ link to pollinator problems

    Neonicotinoid pesticides linked to population declines in California butterflies and wild bee extinctions in Great Britain.

    By Helen Thompson