A simple genetic tweak surprised researchers with huge yield increases in rice and potatoes
It seems to work for other plants they've have tested as well—even under drought-like conditions
Jul 2021 30
Emma Bryce
Emma Bryce is a journalist based in London. As well as Anthropocene, her work has appeared in The Guardian, Wired Magazine UK, Audubon Magazine, The New York Times, Ensia, and Yale e360.
Jul 2021 23
An innovative seed ‘glove’ could help crops grow in arid extremes
Researchers develop a nutrient-enriched, gel coating for seeds that soaks up moisture and could buffer plants against drought
Jul 2021 16
Leaving crop residues to rot could be an unexpected boon for climate mitigation
Crop residue left on the ground locked up carbon in the soil four times longer than if they were cleared away
Jul 2021 9
Supporting food security in climate stricken world requires a geographically diverse palate
A research team set out to determine which cities would likely cope better (and worse) with climate threats to their food systems. Their advice: eat globally.
Jul 2021 2
Tiny, needle-like sensors inserted into plants are the latest addition to precision agriculture
Using microneedles, a technology borrowed from medicine, researchers mine real-time data to make farming hyper-efficient—and more sustainable
Jun 2021 25
A smart 3-step plan to phase in farm technology could cut 70% of crop emissions
Researchers find that carefully phasing in field-ready innovations, such as nitrogen-efficient crops and low-emissions tractors, could significantly cut the emissions from conventional row-crop agriculture
Jun 2021 18
Food-related emissions beyond the farm gate are now almost as large as those from farming itself
Researchers find that emissions resulting from transport, energy use, and food waste have increased swiftly over the last 40 years - and are almost equivalent to the emissions from farming, itself
Jun 2021 4
‘A nanoscale solution to a gigaton pollution problem’
Researchers invent a lightweight, reusable sponge that can soak up phosphorus pollution - and release it for recycling and reuse later on
May 2021 28
Researchers repurpose a medical tool to expose seafood fraud
A cancer-detecting device can be used to identify fish species in just 15 seconds
May 2021 21
Researchers experiment with “morphing” food to enable more sustainable packaging. Behold, flat-packed 3D pasta.
It reduces plastic packaging waste, cuts storage space, shrinks the carbon footprint of transportation—and tastes great
