Agriculture News and Research

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FAO issues global call for zero tolerance on food waste

Minimizing food waste is top of mind right now during the COVID-19 global pandemic, with the public concerned about the potential ramifications for our food supply chain.

15 May 2020

Community knowledge about antibiotics key to fighting against 'superbug' threat

With predictions that drug-resistant ‘superbugs’ could cause up to 10 million deaths a year by 2050, a new CSIRO survey has revealed a low level of community knowledge about antibiotics.

15 May 2020

COVID-19 and food insecurity in the U.S.

A new paper published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 reports that the measures taken to block the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) such as social distancing and lockdown are associated with widespread effects on food security in the US state of Vermont.

14 May 2020

Study finds no evidence of COVID-19 virus transmitting from cats to humans

Three cats infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 spread the virus to three other cats in a lab study published in The New England Journal of Medicine by a research team working in Tokyo, Japan, and Wisconsin, USA.

14 May 2020

Researchers develop the most sensitive bioelectronic ammonia gas sensors

Writing in the journal NanoResearch, a team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst reports this week that they have developed bioelectronic ammonia gas sensors that are among the most sensitive ever made.

14 May 2020

Cats can readily become infected with SARS-CoV-2, confirms study

In a study published today (May 13, 2020) in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists in the U.S. and Japan report that in the laboratory, cats can readily become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and may be able to pass the virus to other cats.

14 May 2020

Millions face famine and food insecurity caused by new locust outbreak

Millions face famine and food insecurity caused by a second desert locust outbreak as management resources are directed towards the COVID-19 crisis, scientists warn.

13 May 2020

New molecular analysis system warns the presence of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Valencia University (UV) have developed a molecular analysis system that can warn of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 (which causes the Covid-19 disease) in a community based on the study of its waste water.

12 May 2020

Disruptions to food supply chains from COVID-19 may have worsened disparities, say experts

Even before the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc with the nation's food supply and economy, one in seven adults between the ages of 50 and 80 already had trouble getting enough food because of cost or other issues, a new poll finds.

11 May 2020

Healthy eating habits early in life may reduce risk of adult obesity, cardiovascular disease

How children are fed may be just as important as what they are fed, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, "Caregiver Influences on Eating Behaviors in Young Children," published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

11 May 2020

Eating healthy as a child reduces risk of obesity and heart disease later in life

Not surprisingly, a new statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) notes that children who eat healthily grow up to be adults with little risk of obesity and heart disease.

11 May 2020

The grange holds potential to increase the reach of public health efforts

In the ongoing struggle to address health care disparities in rural communities across the U.S., a recent Oregon State University study found that the perfect partner may be hiding in plain sight.

9 May 2020

Texas A&M study offers hope for young children diagnosed with Menkes disease

A Texas A&M AgriLife Research team has good news for patients with copper-deficiency disorders, especially young children diagnosed with Menkes disease.

9 May 2020

Study sheds light on how a cellular pathway in plants senses danger signals

In nature, every species must be equipped with a strategy to be able to survive in response to danger. Plants, too, have innate systems that are triggered in response to a particular threat, such as insects feeding on them.

8 May 2020

Economic blow of the coronavirus hits America’s already stressed farmers

Richard Oswald, still mourning the loss of his family's homestead to flooding along the Missouri River, is planting corn and soybeans into ground that last year was feet deep underwater.

7 May 2020

Study examines the link between flavenoid-rich foods and risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Older adults who consumed small amounts of flavonoid-rich foods, such as berries, apples and tea, were two to four times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and related dementias over 20 years compared with people whose intake was higher, according to a new study led by scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University.

6 May 2020

Antibiotic Resistance: The Patient Perspective

We discuss the impact of antibiotic-resistant infections on everyday life and the work that is being done to overcome this issue with Antibiotic Research UK.

From Bionow 6 May 2020

New method to trace COVID-19 in wastewater can be used to track future outbreaks

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) scientists have developed a new methodology to trace the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the sewage and wastewater systems, which could potentially be used to track existing and future outbreaks of the coronavirus.

6 May 2020

UMass Amherst food scientist to study anti-inflammatory benefits of whole strawberries

University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist Hang Xiao has received a new federal grant to expand his research into the health benefits of certain fruits and vegetables; in this case, strawberries.

30 Apr 2020

Universal childhood vaccination could prevent antimicrobial resistance

A new study from the University of California, Berkeley, published in the journal Nature in April 2020, reports that extending vaccination to all children could help resolve antimicrobial resistance - one of the biggest obstacles to effective healthcare in low-income countries. This is the first study to look at how vaccination is related to the use of antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries.

29 Apr 2020