research
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New study weighs in on organic vs. conventional debate
Guess what? Organically grown strawberries are indeed healthier, tastier, and better for the soil than their conventional counterparts. Boo-yah!
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Google searches for ‘global warming’ go down when unemployment rises
Do people care less about global warming during recessions? University of California economists Matthew Kahn and Matthew Kotchen have a new paper that uses three interesting measurements to suss out the relationship between "Environmental Concern and the Business Cycle."
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Organic farmers better at pest control, study says
Such large-scale pesticide application may actually reduce yields, a new study finds.Dovetailing nicely with Grist contributor and would-be farmer Steph Larsen’s account of her battle with the hated corn borer, a new study from Washington State University suggests organic growing techniques offer better pest control and larger plants. But first, let’s be clear: The debate […]
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What we need here is a little R&D
Thank God for the small people. Or at least allusions to them. BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg’s gaffe gave Barack Obama a brief reprieve from the pundit pummeling that mostly dismissed his first Oval Office speech as more slick than oil. But some columnists, Grist’s David Roberts for one, did spot a glint of promise in […]
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Small slaughterhouses on the chopping block, ag research constrained, pushing GMOs
When my info-larder gets too packed, it’s time to serve up some choice nuggets from around the Web. Get ’em while they’re hot. New rules, old mindset Everyone should read this article, posted on Chewswise by Joe Cloud, who co-owns a “small-scale locally focused” slaughterhouse outside of Washington, D.C. It’s about proposed new USDA rules […]
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Ask Umbra on wasps, researching your own eco-questions, and energy vampires
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, Every time the weather gets warmer, it’s the same: the wasps! They insist on trying to make their home in my balcony! I tried many different things, like citronella candles, but some of them apparently attract instead of repelling wasps. I don’t want to kill them; I […]
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A high-fructose corn syrup researcher answers his critics
This is Part 1 of 2 posts of in-depth analysis into the breakthrough work on high-fructose corn syrup and weight gain by Princeton researchers. _______________ I have to admit that I was fascinated to watch the fallout over the Princeton HFCS study. What I thought would generate a “oh, look, another great reason to avoid […]
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Study says green shoppers more likely to later cheat, steal
Dearests, I know this won’t apply to any of you, but it is a curious phenomenon: according to a piece in Slate, a recent psychological study shows that a small group of shoppers who bought green products later acted badly in constructed situations — in one case, sharing less money with those in need, and […]
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A new direction on research at the USDA?
Last week, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack gave a speech on the role of research at the USDA at the launch of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the research arm of that agency formerly referred to as the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). Vilsack had this to say in […]