Rome, Italy (SPX) Oct 20, 2020 Food waste is one of the most important issues of current food systems: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that more than one third of food is either lost or wasted along the entire food supply chain causing significant economic, social and environmental impacts. From an environmental point of view, food waste represents between 8% and 10% of … Continue reading Food waste: cities can make the difference

Houston TX (SPX) Oct 20, 2020 The abstract benefits of biochar for long-term storage of carbon and nitrogen on American farms are clear, and now new research from Rice University shows a short-term, concrete bonus for farmers as well. That would be money. To be precise, money not spent on irrigation. In the best-case scenarios for some regions, extensive use of biochar could save farmers … Continue reading Biochar helps hold water, saves money

Hanoi (AFP) Oct 18, 2020 Five soldiers are dead and a frantic search is under way for 17 others after a huge landslide hit central Vietnam on Sunday, as the country battles its worst flooding in years. Heavy rain has pounded the region for more than a week and at least 64 people have been killed in floods and landslides, according to Vietnam’s disaster management … Continue reading 5 soldiers dead, 17 missing in Vietnam after second big landslide in days

The Hague (AFP) Oct 16, 2020 The EU’s medicines regulator on Friday gave the green light for the first injectable treatment for the HIV virus that causes AIDS, which could change the lives of millions of people. The cocktail of two antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, rilpivirine and cabotegravir, can be given every few months instead of a daily pill to keep HIV infection under control. “The … Continue reading EU regulator greenlights first injectable HIV drug

Prague (AFP) Oct 16, 2020 The Czech government tasked the army Friday with building a large field hospital to relieve civilian hospitals as the country combats the fastest growth in coronavirus infections in the European Union. The country of 10.7 million people is faring worst in the 28-member bloc in terms of holding back the disease, according to the latest ranking by European Centre for … Continue reading Czech army builds field hospital to combat virus surge

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 16, 2020 Male animals must compete with one another for food, territory and mates. Despite this, male lions prefer to work with one or more partners. To better understand the how’s and why’s of coalition-building among lions, biologists from the Wildlife Institute of India and the University of Minnesota turned to the Asian lion, a single lion population confined to the … Continue reading Male lion coalitions help protect territory, increase mating opportunities

Washington DC (SPX) Oct 19, 2020 Of the six or more different species of early humans, all belonging to the genus Homo, only we Homo sapiens have managed to survive. Now, a study reported in the journal One Earth on October 15 combining climate modeling and the fossil record in search of clues to what led to all those earlier extinctions of our ancient ancestors … Continue reading Climate change likely drove early human species to extinction, modeling study suggests

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 16, 2020 Scientists have finally shown that precipitation and erosion rates influence the movement of mountains. Researchers detailed the breakthrough in a new paper, published Friday in the journal Science Advances. The role that rain – and climate – plays in the evolution of mountain changes has been debated for decades. It seems intuitive that rain erodes mountains, altering a range’s … Continue reading Rain really does move mountains, study finds

Hong Kong (AFP) Oct 16, 2020 Rare pink dolphins are returning to the waters between Hong Kong and Macau after the coronavirus pandemic halted ferries, but scientists remain deeply concerned about their long-term survival in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes. The tell-tale flash of pink leaping from the waters alerts Naomi Brennan to the presence of a local Chinese white dolphin and she … Continue reading Hong Kong pink dolphins enjoy comeback as pandemic slows marine traffic

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 15, 2020 What happened to the hominins that came before Homo sapiens? New research published Thursday in the journal One Earth suggests climate change likely drove the earliest human species to extinction. Until now, most hominin research has focused on when and where the earliest human species emerged, as well as how they dispersed out of Africa. And more attention has … Continue reading Early human species likely driven to extinction by climate change