Climate Food and Agriculture

When soil isn’t green (it’s people)

Gardeners should take a good hard look at what's in our urban soil. But does that mean rural soil should get off easy?

Roundup weed killer is showing up in air and water

Hey, what's even better than weed killer being sprayed on crops you eventually eat? How about if it then ends up in air, water, and even rain? AWESOME. I SEE NO POSSIBLE DOWN SIDE TO THIS PLAN.

Seriously, this is pretty alarming news: Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey have detected the active ingredient of Roundup, a chemical called glyphosate, in waterways, air, and rain. On the one hand: Those raindrops have no weeds in them, by God. On the other hand: Everything else about this.

Not your grandma's milk

Buying a gallon of milk at the grocery store practically guarantees that you'll get a mixture of substances from all over the country -- and possibly the world.

Food safety breakthrough: USDA declares 'Big Six' E. coli strains illegal

Until today, six strains of the pathogen -- known to cause almost 40,000 illnesses, 1,100 hospitalizations, and 30 deaths annually -- were legal in meat.

Could 3D-printed foods make you healthier?

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a 3D printer that can fashion food out of raw ingredients. Potentially, they say, this could mean a new kind of fast food -- one that's just as fast, but made out of actual food. "We can make health food more fun, interesting, and appealing with this technology," said one of the scientists at the Cornell lab. "What kid wouldn't eat a space shuttle, even one made of peas?"

Securing a food future in cities: a case study in repurposing military bases

Farm programs on abandoned military land are opportunities to strengthen food deserts.

It's raining chemicals

It starts with a distant, unmistakable whine, like a fly in another room you've been too lazy to swat. As the sound grows, I make sure the dog is inside, then grab the camera and head to the pasture.

Superweeds go mainstream

Yikes. Even the business press has begun to notice that pesticide-resistant "superweeds" are dangerous.

An ode to scary mutant fruits

Awl editor Alex Balk found out that farmers have been tinkering with plant genetics to create cross-breeds like "pluerries," and it inspired him to heights of lyrical brilliance:

Please Don't Make The Fruits Do Sex To Each Other

The freakish fruits that Science spawns—
The pros we know, but not the cons
What laws of nature might we breach
By blending apricot and peach?

For sharks, a race to the fin-ish line?

The shark-fin ban sitting on California Gov. Jerry Brown's desk could help curb a barbaric practice and boost dwindling apex-predator populations. But it also highlights the complexities of sustainable shark fishing.