Are you a grow-bot? AI drones to help farmers optimise vegetable harvests
From University of Tokyo 09/10/23 For reasons of food security and economic incentive, farmers continuously seek to maximize their marketable crop yields. As plants grow inconsistently, at the time of harvesting, there will inevitably be variations in quality and size of individual crops. Finding the optimal time to harvest is therefore a priority for farmers. […]
Lost in the haze: Bees struggle to sniff out flowers in polluted air
From University of Birmingham 13/09/23 A new study has found that air pollution is preventing pollinators finding flowers because it degrades the scent. A research team comprising the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the Universities of Birmingham, Reading, Surrey and Southern Queensland, found that ozone substantially changes the size and scent of […]
The search for the super potato
From McGill University 01/09/23 As climate change continues to pose severe challenges to ensuring sustainable food supplies around the world, scientists from McGill University are looking for ways to improve the resilience and nutritional quality of potatoes. Professor Martina Strömvik and her team have created a potato super pangenome to identify genetic traits that can […]
Plastic to protein worm colony suit
By Charles Carter, 28/10/22 Designer and architect Pavels Liepins has developed a suit which decomposes polystyrene and produces edible protein using plastic-eating mealworms kept humid by human breath and body heat. The Inxects Suit looks to address and raise the profile of food security and plastic pollution challenges through a symbiotic innovation integrating humans and […]