Solar Rainfall
Solar and wind farms would provide abundant electricity to the Sahara desert, and result in increased rainfall and vegetation as well.
INSECTS & SPIDERS
INSECTS & SPIDERS (Encore Edition) - Could spider venom be the next insecticide? Why mosquitoes smell you better at night. And debunking the myth of extracting dinosaur DNA from insects preserved in amber. Also, insect legs that bear an uncanny resemblance to modern machinery.
Cooling Wetlands
Marshes could help cool off increasingly hot summer conditions.
Plant Fragrance Switch
Coaxing plants into producing some fresh-smelling medicinals.
Seed-Inspired Material
A tiny seed inspires an engineer to design tough new materials.
Prettier Produce
With the help of gene editing, fruits and vegetables may soon become prettier and more delicious.
Bees & Elephants
Bee alarm pheromones act as an effective elephant repellent.
Smart Houseplants
Could genetically engineered houseplants protect our homes?
Microbial Protein Feed
Could microorganisms be the key to producing more sustainable protein for the growing human population?
Pollution, Fungi, and Trees
Pollution could be short-circuiting a mutualistic relationship between trees and fungi.
Low-Impact Eating
A new report details the impacts of foods and how they're produced.
Crops and Climate Change
High levels of CO2 may reduce levels of crop nutrients.
Mental Microbes
Growing up on a farm could help protect people from certain disorders.
Starbucks Culture
Customers at Starbucks in China show behavioral traits of their agrarian past.
Greener Biofuels
For biofuel makers, the new tax law makes lowering CO2 emissions profitable.
Soil Bacteria Atlas
A global atlas of soil bacteria could help with soil management efforts around the world.
Plants of the Americas
A comprehensive inventory maps the plants of the Americas.
Fertilizer Blocker
A soil additive keeps fertilizer on the farm and out of waterways.
Non-Killer Bees
Africanized “killer” honeybees in Central and South America are known for their bellicose nature. But not in Puerto Rico.
Plant Hormones
Our gut microbes may respond to hormones in the plants we eat.
National Mall Turf
What lurks beneath the grass of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.?