Slashdot reader ClickOnThis writes: An article on CNN reports results from a team of Japanese researchers who discovered that painting cows to look like zebras makes them less attractive to biting flies. I think they’re a shoo-in for a 2020 Ig Nobel Prize. From the article: “A team of Japanese researchers recruited six cows and gave them each black-and-white stripes, black…
Tag: pesticides
North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds in 50 Years
Slowly, steadily and almost imperceptibly, North America’s bird population is dwindling. From a report: The sparrows and finches that visit backyard feeders number fewer each year. The flutelike song of the western meadowlark — the official bird of six U.S. states — is growing more rare. The continent has lost nearly 3 billion birds representing hundreds of species over the past…
Decline of migrating birds could be partly due to pesticides
It’s not just bees that are harmed by neonicotinoids, it’s birds too. A study found the pesticides can cause birds to lose weight and delay their migration (edited) Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2216318-decline-of-migrating-birds-could-be-partly-due-to-pesticides/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Insect ‘Apocalypse’ in US Driven by 50x Increase in Toxic Pesticides
America’s agricultural landscape is now 48 times more toxic to honeybees, and likely other insects, than it was 25 years ago, almost entirely due to widespread use of so-called neonicotinoid pesticides, according to a new study published this month in the journal PLOS One. From a report: This enormous rise in toxicity matches the sharp declines in bees, butterflies, and other…
Cockroaches May Soon Be Unstoppable — Thanks To Fast-Evolving Insecticide Resistance
sciencehabit shares a report: The day that squeamish humans — and exterminators — have long feared may have come at last: Cockroaches are becoming invincible. Or at least German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) are, according to a new study. Researchers have found that these creatures, which have long been a prevalent urban pest, are becoming increasingly resistant to almost every kind of…
Scientists Discover a New Way To Provide Plants the Nutrients They Need To Thrive
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered a new method for delivering key nutrients to plant roots — without having to ensure they’re present in the soil where the plants are growing. This method, described by researchers in detail in a new academic paper, would manage to improve efficiency to nearly 100% absorption…
High-tech vertical farming is on the rise – but is it any greener?
Online supermarket Ocado is investing £17 million in vertical farming in the UK. The approach uses no pesticides, but it can still have a hefty carbon footprint Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2206633-high-tech-vertical-farming-is-on-the-rise-but-is-it-any-greener/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
The U.S. is still using many pesticides that are banned in other countries
In 2016, the United States used millions of kilograms of pesticides that are banned or being phased out in the European Union, Brazil and China. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/united-states-pesticides-banned-other-countries4…
City Residents Live With Mental Illness At Higher Rates Than General Population
Dating back to the 1930s, researchers have discovered that mental illnesses are more common in densely populated cities than in greener and more rural areas, but it wasn’t until recently that scientists have started to seriously study the mechanisms through which exposure to various environmental stressors could be wounding our mental health. Popular Science reports: Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, director of the Central…
Why observe Earth Day on April 22?
April 22 is the date of Earth Day in part because of Arbor Day, an earlier observance. The focus of Earth Day 2019 is protection of Earth species. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/this-date-in-science-why-celebrate-earth-day-on-april-22…