The green revolution may be turning purple
The synthetic fertilizers behind the Green Revolution come at a steep climate cost. A sunlight-powered purple microbe just matched them in a 2-year field trial.
Oct 2026 9
Douglas Fox
Oct 2026 2
From sundae to solvents: Chemists find a way to recycle mountains of industrial ice cream waste
The same proteins that keep a frozen pint smooth also make its fat hard to recover. A research team found an inexpensive way around the problem.
Sep 2026 25
A 100-year-old freezer rule has a hidden climate cost
Frozen food worldwide is still kept at −18°C (0°F). Raising that by just three degrees could avoid 17 million tons of emissions a year, and an 18-month study found most foods stay safe and tasty.
Sep 2026 18
What happens to the world’s farms if everyone eats less meat?
Researchers ran the numbers on a worldwide sustainable-diet transition—and found a food system that looks nothing like today’s.
Sep 2026 11
Scientists develop a plastic that can be turned into fertilizer
Researchers say a modified plant-derived polymer offers a possible alternative to conventional plastics—one designed to end its life as crop fertilizer, not landfill waste.
Sep 2026 4
Intensive farming may yield a bumper crop of drug-resistant pathogens
Researchers find that changing the use of tilling, fertilizers, and chemicals could reshape the microbiomes of farm soils—reducing the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens.
