Agriculture

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.

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.

Plants

Tweaking how plants manage a crisis boosts photosynthesis

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

Animals

Sandboxes keep chicken parasites at bay

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

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?

Plants

How a tomato plant foils a dreaded vampire vine

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

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.

Environment

New desalination tech could help quench global thirst

Designed with better, more energy-efficient materials, next-generation desalination plants may offer a way to meet the world’s growing need for freshwater.

Agriculture

New analysis: Genetically engineered foods not a health risk

No real evidence for health or environmental dangers of GE crops.

Plants

Here’s what a leaf looks like during a fatal attack of bubbles

Office equipment beats synchrotrons in showing how drought lets air bubbles kill the water-carrier network of veins in plant leaves.

Agriculture

Bacterium still a major source of crop pesticide

Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria have provided pest-fighting toxins for over 50 years.

Agriculture

Readers debate GMOs

Genetically-modified food, nuclear fusion, black holes and more reader feedback.