news 2024

During the Contact Day Archaeology of the Province of East Flanders on Friday 28 June, it was announced that the oldest skull and skull fragment of Flanders have been discovered in Ename. A new exhibition on heritage care and the heritage of Ename will open at the provincial Heritage Site Ename on 6 July.

University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers have developed low-cost sensors that allow for real-time, continuous monitoring of nitrate in soil types that are common in Wisconsin. These printed electrochemical sensors could enable farmers to make better informed nutrient management decisions and reap economic benefits.

Study: Intake of Snacks and Sweets in a National Study of Built and Social Environments: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke Study People living in lower-income neighborhoods and in areas without local food stores eat more snacks and sweets than those in higher-income areas and in neighborhoods with many food stores, a new study shows.

News from Two new papers published by researchers from Leipzig University and its partner institutions shed light on the complex relationships between biodiversity, soil and climate. They show how human influences and climate change are jeopardising our environment and emphasise the need for integrated solutions that promote sustainability and social justice.

A study from the University of Bonn has investigated how to achieve high crop yields while also protecting the environment Leaving some weeds between crops can help to combat pests on agricultural land, according to a new study carried out by the University of Bonn. This step has particularly positive effects in combination with other measures: the cultivation of different types of crops and planting strips of wildflowers.

Researchers at Imperial College London have discovered how foods with a higher fibre content keep us feeling more satiated. In a study published today , researchers at Imperial have found that a higher-fibre diet stimulates the release of a key appetite-reducing hormone, in the ileum, part of the small intestine.

Tool developed at the University of Bonn should enable yield forecasts, among other things, in the future Researchers at the University of Bonn have developed software that can simulate the growth of field crops. To do this, they fed thousands of photos from field experiments into a learning algorithm.

In wealthier countries with greater gender equality, men are more likely to eat meat more frequently than women, a new study reveals. The research team, led by the University of Zurich, examined the meat consumption patterns of more than 20,000 people from 23 countries. The findings could inform strategies for promoting plant-based and cultured meat as viable alternatives to traditional meat consumption.

Heavily processed plant-based foods may be worse for heart health than non-processed foods. New analysis of the health impacts of plant-based ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has found they may pose a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases compared to less-processed plant-based foods. The research , led by the University of São Paulo and involving Imperial College London, used data from more than 118,000 people.

A probiotic made from maple syrup with flavor defects could theoretically enrich the gut microbiota of farm animals, improve their resistance to disease and reduce the need for antibiotics Approximately 2% of the 200 million pounds of maple syrup produced each year in Quebec suffers from a flavor defect that makes it more suitable for use as an ingredient in processed products than for consumption in its natural state.

Irrigation with treated wastewater and sewage sludge brings tire additives into the leafy vegetables Car tires contain hundreds of chemical additives that can leach out of them. This is how they end up in crops and subsequently in the food chain. Researchers at the Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have now detected these chemical residues in leafy vegetables for the first time.

The fungus Magnaporthe oryzae ravages rice and wheat crops and poses a formidable threat to human food on a global scale. Researchers from INRAE, CIRAD and the Université de Montpellier, together with the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Centre (HHRRC) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have discovered a gene in rice for resistance to this pathogen, challenging the findings of a study that remained the reference for 25 years.

Farmland is often a battleground in the fight against climate change. Solar panels and energy crops are pitted against food production, while well-intended policy choices can create incentives for farmers to till up new lands, releasing even more heat-trapping gas into the atmosphere. That's why strategies for sustainable plant-based fuels focus on marginal lands - fields that are too hard to cultivate or don't produce good enough yields to be considered profitable.

A long-term study of humpback whale populations in the North Pacific Ocean shows that climate change is having a negative impact on the species. Marine biologist Joëlle De Weerdt of the VUB, founder of the non-profit organization ELI-S and co-author of the study, explains: 'Humpback whales have large, distinctive pectoral fins and a melodious song.

Study headed by the University of Bonn analyses 9,000 varieties of maize around the world Maize can grow successfully in very different local conditions. An international study headed by the University of Bonn has now demonstrated the important role of the plant root system. The researchers analyzed more than 9,000 varieties in the study and were able to show that their roots varied considerably - depending on how dry the location is where each variety was cultivated.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have teamed up with the food industry to produce a whole-fruit variety of chocolate. This helps increase the value creation of cocoa farming - and is healthier. For many people, chocolate is a sweet delight: its main components are cocoa mass and cocoa butter, which are extracted from the cocoa fruit.

A new study, published by scientists from CIRAD and INRAE, provides a state-of-the-art assessment of the risk of Desert Locust invasions in West and North Africa, by analyzing 40 years of field data and climate records. The study reveals that preventive management measures have been successful in countering the favorable effects of climate change on outbreaks of the pest.

A study by researchers at the University of Bonn examines the ecological sustainability of children's and young people's diets Our diet puts a strain on planetary resources. Shifting to a sustainable diet that benefits both our health and that of the planet is therefore assuming increasing importance.

Like forests, grassland provides numerous ecological, economic and social benefits. Researchers in the Swiss canton of Solothurn have investigated ways to maintain and improve these benefits. Grass, clover and herbs are the foundation of Swiss agriculture: two-thirds of Switzerland's agricultural land is grassland, much of which is barely suitable for arable farming.

Fishing with rod and reel is much more than just a leisure activity: In many regions of the world, it makes an important contribution to their own diet with fish. This has been shown by an international research team, including Robert Arlinghaus, Professor of Integrative Fisheries Management at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology (IGB) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.