Agriculture

New research indicates that new technologies emerged on the island separately from Eurasian innovations.
Charles Q. Choi, Contributor
The researchers hope to resurrect a variety of date that was praised in antiquity but lost to time.
Catherine Meyers, Editor
An experiment off the coast of California may bolster efforts to make biocrude from "the Sequoia of the sea."
Katharine Gammon, Contributor
If we were on track to curb climate change, methane levels would be dropping. Instead, they are spiking.
Nala Rogers, Staff Writer
A month's worth of cool science stories summed up.
Alistair Jennings, Contributor
Eating softer processed foods changed the position of humans' adult teeth, making it easier to say sounds like "f" and "v," new research suggests.
Charles Q. Choi, Contributor
Scientists identify two genes behind plant cell pumps that produce sourness -- and variation in flower color.
Charles Q. Choi, Contributor
Scientists are trying to perfect a technique for growing crops in space so that astronauts have enough food to get to Mars and back.
Benjamin Plackett, Contributor
Changing weather and planting practices in recent decades have led to increased corn yields, but whether the findings will apply to other crops and regions remains unknown.
Gabriel Popkin, Contributor
Much of the world's farmland is already at risk from palmer amaranth. The threat could spread further north as the climate warms.
Nala Rogers, Staff Writer
Scientists are finding microbes that are good for crops but bad for weeds.
Nala Rogers, Staff Writer
The global demand for seaweed has never been higher, and American farmers are taking notice.
Annie Roth, Contributor