Secrets of soil-enriching pulses could transform future of sustainable agriculture

New technology could unlock the soil-enriching nitrogen-fixing ability of legumes…and one day apply this to other crops too.

Sebastian Schornack, Senior research group leader in the Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture (ENSA) project, University of Cambridge • conversation
Feb. 8, 2024 • ~7 min

3M offers $10.3B settlement over PFAS contamination in water systems – now, how do you destroy a 'forever chemical'?

PFAS can be filtered, but getting rid of the chemicals is a monumental challenge. A biochemist and soil scientist explain.

Hui Li, Professor of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, Michigan State University • conversation
June 23, 2023 • ~8 min

Dung beetle mothers protect their offspring from a warming world by digging deeper

Everyone is feeling the heat these days – even species that develop underground.

Kimberly S. Sheldon, Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee • conversation
Nov. 9, 2022 • ~9 min

Fertilizer prices are soaring – and that's an opportunity to promote more sustainable ways of growing crops

Farmers are contending with huge spikes in fertilizer prices. The Biden administration is paying US companies to boost synthetic fertilizer production, but there are other, more sustainable options.

Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University • conversation
June 14, 2022 • ~10 min

Flesh-eating bugs: new research shows how carrion beetles turn death into life

Carrion beetles help stabilise the biology of the soil they live in.

Tancredi Caruso, Associate Professor, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin • conversation
June 22, 2021 • ~23 min

It's time to rethink the disrupted US food system from the ground up

There's growing interest in making the US food system more resilient and flexible, but soil – the origin of nearly everything we eat – is often left out of the picture.

Sarah M. Collier, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington • conversation
June 5, 2020 • ~9 min

/

1