Agriculture

"Bees Facing a Poisoned Spring"

"A new generation of pesticides is making honeybees far more susceptible to disease, even at tiny doses, and may be a clue to the mysterious colony collapse disorder that has devastated bees across the world, the US government's leading bee researcher has found. Yet the discovery has remained unpublished for nearly two years since it was made by the US Department of Agriculture's Bee Research Laboratory."

Source: UK Independent, 01/20/2011

"One in Five Milk Samples Nationwide Shows Genetic Traces of Bird Flu"

"Federal regulators have discovered fragments of bird flu virus in roughly 20 percent of retail milk samples tested in a nationally representative study, the Food and Drug Administration said in an online update on Thursday." "There is no evidence that the milk is unsafe to drink, scientists say. But the survey result strongly hints that the outbreak may be widespread."

Source: NYTimes, 04/26/2024

EPA Could Allow 10x as Much of Toxic Pesticide on Your Tomatoes and Celery

"Against the guidance of scientific advisory panels, the EPA is relying on industry-backed tests to relax regulations on acephate, which has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. “It’s exactly what we recommended against,” one panelist said."

Source: ProPublica, 04/25/2024

"Unstable Nuclear-Waste Dams Threaten Fertile Central Asia Heartland"

"Dams holding vast amounts of uranium mine tailings above the fertile Fergana valley in Central Asia are unstable, threatening a possible Chernobyl-scale nuclear disaster if they collapse that would make the region uninhabitable, studies have revealed."

Source: Reuters, 04/24/2024

"Bird Flu Virus Found In Grocery Milk As Officials Say Supply Still Safe"

"Viral fragments of bird flu have been identified in samples of milk taken from grocery store shelves in the United States, a finding that does not necessarily suggest a threat to human health but indicates the avian flu virus is more widespread among dairy herds than previously thought, according to two public health officials and a public health expert who was briefed on the issue."

Source: Washington Post, 04/24/2024
April 29, 2024

SciLine Media Briefing: Climate Change & Agriculture — Pests, Pathogens and Pollinators

Climate change is affecting U.S. agricultural production through mechanisms beyond heat and drought. SciLine’s next media briefing will cover the links between climate change and growing pest populations, damaging crop pathogens and pollinator declines. 3:00 p.m. ET.

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