Dandelions are a lifeline for bees on the brink – we should learn to love them

Before you reach for the weed killer, spare a thought for struggling pollinators.

Philip Donkersley, Senior Research Associate in Entomology, Lancaster University • conversation
April 27, 2023 ~7 min

'Silent Spring' 60 years on: 4 essential reads on pesticides and the environment

Published in 1962, ‘Silent Spring’ called attention to collateral damage from widespread use of synthetic pesticides. Many problems the book anticipated persist today in new forms.

Jennifer Weeks, Senior Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation • conversation
Oct. 11, 2022 ~8 min


The herbicide dicamba was supposed to solve farmers' weed problems – instead, it's making farming harder for many of them

Farmers are stuck in a chemical war against weeds, which have developed resistance to many widely used herbicides. Seed companies’ answer – using more varied herbicides – is causing new problems.

Bart Elmore, Associate Professor of History and Core Faculty in the Sustainability Institute, The Ohio State University • conversation
Jan. 26, 2022 ~10 min

While debate rages over glyphosate-based herbicides, farmers are spraying them all over the world

Roundup may be taking a beating in the US, where three juries have concluded that it gave plaintiffs cancer, but it's still widely used around the globe.

Ryan Galt, Professor of Geography, University of California, Davis • conversation
July 2, 2021 ~10 min

Goldenrod honey: misinformation is causing a biological invasion of this Canadian weed

Our study is the first to research the impact of online misinformation on biological invasions.

Johannes M H Knops, Professor & Head of Department Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University • conversation
Dec. 23, 2020 ~8 min

How to manage plant pests and diseases in your victory garden

The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted interest in home gardening. Three scientists who garden explain some basic methods for controlling common insects and microbes that can spoil your crop.

Carolee Bull, Professor of Plant Pathology and Systematic Bacteriology, Pennsylvania State University • conversation
July 2, 2020 ~9 min

Rain plays a surprising role in making some restored prairies healthier than others

Restoring former prairies that have been plowed under for farming delivers land, wildlife and climate benefits. But a new study finds that the weather plays a surprising role.

Lars Brudvig, Associate Professor of Plant Biology, Michigan State University • conversation
June 5, 2020 ~8 min

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