Search results for "agricultural"

When seeking clues to how well conservation efforts are working in the present, sometimes scientists look to the past—and there may be no better historical record than the forest surveys conducted in Missouri by the Bureau of Land Management in the 1800s. Using these historical records, University of Missouri researchers were able to shed light on how the interaction of natural disturbances, such as wildfires, and human actions shape forest...

Acceptance of information technology can play a vital role in meeting the demand for food in developing countries, according to a study by Iowa State University researchers. The research is published in the journal Information Technologies and International Development. It's projected that the world population will reach 9.6 billion people by 2050, and therefore food production must increase by 70%.

Expanding the use of recycled water would reduce water and energy use, cut greenhouse gas emissions and benefit public health in California—which is in the midst of a severe drought—and around the world.A new study by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, published online 17th March in theAmerican Journal of Public Health, found that recycled water has great potential for more efficient use in urban settings and to improve the ov...

Nature has its own economy, with trading as dynamic as that of any stock exchange. To cope with nutrient deficiencies in their respective habitats, certain plants, animals and fungi have evolved partnerships by which they can swap resources. However, according to a new study by UC Santa Barbara researchers Deron Burkepile and Andrew Shantz, excess nutrient input creates an imbalance in the interactions between partner - or mutualistic - species a...

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers may have found a key to converting algae to fuel. The scientists have found what researchers call a "transcription factor," called ROC40. Bala Rathinasabapathi, a UF/IFAS professor of horticultural sciences, likened a transcription factor's role in controlling the expression of many genes inside the algae cells to a policeman controlling a large crowd.

Stanford scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from CO2 and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. Researchers say the new technology could provide a low-carbon alternative to plastic bottles and other items currently made from petroleum. "Our goal is to replace petroleum-derived products with plastic made from CO2," said Matthew Kanan, an assistant professor of chemistry at Stanford.

Climate change could kill more than 500,000 adults in 2050 worldwide due to changes in diets and bodyweight from reduced crop productivity, according to new estimates published in The Lancet. The research is the strongest evidence yet that climate change could have damaging consequences for food production and health worldwide.

A new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters reports that current rising temperatures already noticeably load the ‘climate dice’, with growing practical impacts. As a bottom line, lead author Dr James Hansen, argues that a carbon fee is needed to spur replacement of carbon fuels with clean energy.

Despite high expectations and extensive research and investment in the last decade, technological options are still in developing stages and key resources for algal growth are still too onerous for economically viable production of algal biofuels, according to aJRCliterature review. No large-scale, commercial algae-to-biofuels facilities have been implemented up until the end of 2015.

Identifying a blood disorder may be as easy as running a blood sample from a finger prick under a smartphone. That is the concept behind a new biomedical device being developed by Kansas State University researchers. Kim Plevniak, master's student in biological and agricultural engineering at the Kansas State University Olathe campus, and Mei He, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering, are working on a low cost, point-of-c...