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321 news posts in Earth and beyond

Sustainability

03 Jun 2019

Edible insects? Lab-grown meat? The real future food is lab-grown insect meat

Lab-grown insect meat – fed on plants, and genetically modified for maximum growth, nutrition and flavor – could be a superior green alternative for high volume, nutritious food production. Image: Shutterstock. Cultured insect tissue could combine the planet-saving best of insect farming, GM livestock, labriculture and plant-based meat substitutes — by Matthew Prior, Frontiers science writer Livestock farming is destroying our planet. It is a major cause of land and water degradation, biodiversity loss – and of course, climate change. Several potential solutions have been proposed. Popular options are plant-based diets, insect farming, lab-grown meat and genetically modified animals. Which is best? All of these combined, say researchers at Tufts University. Writing in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, they explain why lab-grown insect meat – fed on plants, and genetically modified for maximum growth, nutrition and flavor – could be a superior green alternative for high volume, nutritious food production. Possibilities for Engineered Insect Tissue as a Food Source► Read original article► Download original article (pdf) Alternatives to conventional meat farming “Due to the environmental, public health and animal welfare concerns associated with our current livestock system, it is vital to develop more sustainable food production methods,” says lead author Natalie Rubio. […]

Environment

23 May 2019

How light from street lamps and trees influences the activity of urban bats

The team found that the response of bats to artificial light was intensified in areas with high tree cover. Credit: Christian Giese. A German study sheds new light on how exactly ultraviolet (UV) emitting and non-UV emitting street lamps influence the activity of bats in the Berlin metropolitan area, and whether tree cover might mitigate the effects of light pollution — by Forschungsverbund Berlin Artificial light is rightly considered a major social, cultural and economic achievement. Yet, artificial light at night is also said to pose a threat to biodiversity, especially affecting nocturnal species in metropolitan areas. It has become clear that the response by wildlife to artificial light at night might vary across species, seasons and lamp types.A study conducted by a team led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) sheds new light on how exactly ultraviolet (UV) emitting and non-UV emitting street lamps influence the activity of bats in the Berlin metropolitan area and whether tree cover might mitigate any effect of light pollution. The study is published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Tree Cover Mediates the Effect of Artificial Light on Urban Bats► Read original article► Download original article (pdf) Natural sunlight […]

Environment

08 Apr 2019

Floodplain forests under threat

A floodplain forest dominated by oaks. Credit: Albert Reif. — by University of Freiberg, Germany A team from the Institute of Forest Sciences at the University of Freiburg shows that the extraction of groundwater for industry and households is increasingly damaging floodplain forests in Europe given the increasing intensity and length of drought periods in the summer. The scientists have published their results in the journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. Floodplain forests dominated by oaks are among the most at risk in Europe. Through conversion to arable land and pastures, as well as settlements, they have lost most of their original distribution. River regulation and drainage have also changed the natural hydrologic balance. The introduction of pests and diseases decimates native tree species such as elm and ash. At the same time, these forests play an important part in the control of flooding and protection of biodiversity. Groundwater Extraction in Floodplain Forests Reduces Radial Growth and Increases Summer Drought Sensitivity of Pedunculate Oak Trees (Quercus robur L.)► Read original article► Download original article (pdf) The root of the study by the Freiburg team was the observation that the vitality of old trees in the oak forests of the Rhine valley had […]