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bumblebee on an orange flower
New Pesticide Affects Bumblebee Reproduction
Sulfoxaflor, an alternative insect-killer to older chemicals that decimate pollinators, turns out to kneecap colonies.
New Pesticide Affects Bumblebee Reproduction
New Pesticide Affects Bumblebee Reproduction

Sulfoxaflor, an alternative insect-killer to older chemicals that decimate pollinators, turns out to kneecap colonies.

Sulfoxaflor, an alternative insect-killer to older chemicals that decimate pollinators, turns out to kneecap colonies.

agriculture

Florida Is Having a 10-Month Streak of Toxic Red Tide
Diana Kwon | Aug 10, 2018 | 4 min read
Can clay particles, ozone, or phages stop the algae bloom that is killing wildlife and posing a health risk to humans?
two manatees at the ocean floor
Mutated Gene Could Raise Marine Mammals’ Vulnerability to Pesticides
Shawna Williams | Aug 10, 2018 | 1 min read
The resulting lost protein, PON1, breaks down organophosphates in land mammals.
Scientists Can’t Agree on What’s Making Pistachio Trees Sick
Catherine Offord | Aug 1, 2018 | 5 min read
A new study ignites debate on the cause of pistachio bushy top syndrome, a disease that has crippled farms in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Image of the Day: A-maize-ing!
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | May 3, 2018 | 1 min read
By combining alleles involved in plant height, an agricultural scientist has grown the world’s tallest cornstalk, breaking his own record set in 2017.
Organic Fertilizers Rife With Microplastics: Study
Shawna Williams | Apr 4, 2018 | 2 min read
Converting biowaste to plant food is an overlooked source of tiny plastic pollutants, researchers say.
Russian Sites Promote Anti-GMO Articles, Study Finds
Jim Daley | Feb 28, 2018 | 2 min read
RT and Sputnik publish stories about GMOs more often than US outlets, and typically portray them in a negative light.
Book Excerpt from How to Feed the World
Uris Baldos | Feb 11, 2018 | 5 min read
In chapter 5, “The Technology Ticket,” contributing author Uris Baldos urges acceptance and investment in “precision agriculture” to provide for a burgeoning global population.
How Toxic is the World’s Most Popular Herbicide Roundup?
Katarina Zimmer | Feb 6, 2018 | 9 min read
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is designed to be toxic to plants, but scientists observe some untoward effects on animals in the lab. 
Image of the Day: Colorado Potato Beetles
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | Feb 6, 2018 | 1 min read
Leptinotarsa decemlineata has been decimating agricultural crops since at least the 19th century, and by sequencing its genome researchers hope to explore new strategies for controlling the pest.
Agricultural Technology Can Save Humanity from Starvation (Again)
Jessica Eise | Feb 1, 2018 | 3 min read
We are on the cusp of yet another revolution in how we feed the populace.
Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi Investigates How Pathogens Invade Plant Roots
Shawna Williams | Feb 1, 2018 | 2 min read
The Purdue University researcher is one of the first to examine the molecular processes that underlie infection by soil microbes.
Contributors
Katarina Zimmer | Feb 1, 2018 | 3 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the February 2018 issue of The Scientist.
Researchers Learn from Plant Viruses to Protect Crops
Claire Asher | Feb 1, 2018 | 10+ min read
Plants are locked in an ancient arms race with hostile viruses, but genome editing is giving crops the upper hand.
How Viruses Attack Plants
Claire Asher | Jan 31, 2018 | 1 min read
Viruses are incapable of reproducing without the help of a host, whose cells copy their genetic material and fabricate the building blocks of new virus particles.
Infographic: Plants’ Microbial Communities
Davide Bulgarelli | Jan 31, 2018 | 1 min read
Like animals, plants host communities of microbes that influence a wide variety of their biological processes.
Growing Awareness
The Scientist | Jan 31, 2018 | 1 min read
University of California, Riverside, plant biologist Katie Dehesh explains the importance of agricultural research.
Breakthrough Prizes Recognize Geneticists, Big Bang Researchers
Catherine Offord | Dec 3, 2017 | 2 min read
Among this year’s winners are a geneticist who revealed how plants respond to shade and a group of physicists who mapped the universe’s background radiation.
European Commission Grants Five-Year License Renewal for Glyphosate
Katarina Zimmer | Nov 28, 2017 | 2 min read
The approval of the Roundup ingredient follows an extensive debate amidst conflicting evidence over the health effects of the world’s most popular weed killer. 
Long-term Study Finds That the Pesticide Glyphosate Does Not Cause Cancer
Katarina Zimmer | Nov 9, 2017 | 2 min read
The report provides evidence that goes against concerns that Monsanto’s popular herbicide, Roundup, is carcinogenic. 
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