A team from the University of Illinois has stacked together six high-powered algorithms to help researchers make more precise predictions from hyperspectral data to identify high-yielding crop traits. Credit: RIPE project.Machine learning algorithms developed to select high-yield food crops could be applied to ‘hyperspectral analysis’ in other disciplines, from astronomy to espionage — by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign To help researchers better predict high-yielding crop traits, a team from the University of Illinois have stacked together six high-powered, machine learnin ..read more

Researchers recommend prioritizing studies that help livestock producers – particularly in the pork, beef, poultry and aquaculture industries – more accurately predict how their operations will perform based on a range of variables. Image: Shutterstock.The USDA blueprint predicts genomic technologies will play an increasingly central role in global livestock production — by Iowa State University Iowa State University researchers are part of a team that designed a new vision for animal genomics research into the next decade. The blueprint they created could help scientists and farmers mee ..read more

Overeating is bad for our planet’s health, not just our own. Image: shutterstock.Overeating wastes far more food than we throw away, suggests research — by Matthew Prior, Frontiers science writer With every unfinished meal since Band Aid, you’ve heard it: “people are starving in Africa, y’know”. True, the UN estimates that rich countries throw away nearly as much food as the entire net production of sub-Saharan Africa – about 230 million tonnes per year. But is it any less a waste to eat the excess food? Morally, it’s equivocal. Nutritionally, it depends. However: the land, water and ..read more

The forbidden fruit has never been so popular: 83 million apples were grown in 2018 and production continues to rise. Image: Shutterstock.Most microbes are inside the apple – but the strains depend on which bits you eat, and whether you go organic — by Matthew Prior, Frontiers science writer To the heroes among you who eat the whole apple: besides extra fiber, flavonoids and flavor, you’re also quaffing 10 times as many bacteria per fruit as your core-discarding counterparts. Is this a good thing? Probably. But it might depend on how your apples were grown. Published in Frontiers i ..read more

Vegetarians like grasshoppers have higher antioxidant activity than carnivores, like spiders and scorpions. Image: Shutterstock. Grasshoppers and silkworms have antioxidant capacity similar to fresh orange juice, says study — by Matthew Prior, Frontiers science writer For the first time, a study has measured antioxidant levels in commercially available edible insects. Sure, most of them don’t have six legs – and scorpions, spiders, and centipedes aren’t even insects. But for open-minded health freaks, it’s good news: crickets pack 75% the antioxidant power of fresh OJ, and silkworm ..read more

Researchers recommend that journalists and startups emphasize the ‘naturalness’ of cultured meat. Image: Shutterstock. — by Matthew Prior, Frontiers science writer ‘High-tech’ framing may be driving negative attitudes towards cultured meat In the near future, we will be able to mass-produce meat directly from animal cells. This cultured meat could change the world – or it could falter like GM ‘frankenfoods’. Writing in Frontiers in Nutrition, researchers warn that the most common media framing of cultured meat – as a ‘high-tech’ innovation – may be the least effective in garneri ..read more

Forages for cattle on a scale in a village in Vietnam. Credit: Georgina Smith / International Center for Tropical Agriculture. Through cost-saving practices for coffee, rice, corn and livestock production, Vietnam can take steps to meet Paris Agreement commitments, says a study that highlights climate action potential for agriculture, forestry and land use in SE Asia — by the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture As nations look toward 2020, when they will take stock of their actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the 2015 Paris Agreement, many are seeking ways to i ..read more