Community-led efforts to ban glyphosate in public spaces pick up speed
As the Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration continues relaxing restrictions on dangerous pesticides, local communities are increasingly taking the matter into their own hands. Banning pesticides in urban areas where kids are often exposed to them is the first step—largely because they are used so often on legally exempt private residences, and then subsequently find their way into the surrounding air and groundwater. Read more at Civil Eats...
Despite all the buzz around fake meat, real stuff still pays off
Yes, realistic plant-based meat alternatives were all the rage in 2019—but giant meat suppliers and producers such as Tyson still had a solid year of growth. Some experts attribute this to the swelling need for imported meat in China as swine fever continues ravaging the country's supply of pork. Read more at Bloomberg...
Can algae save the planet by changing the way we eat?
Science and engineers are discovering that algae's unique qualities allow it to transform into a nutritious food, a carbon dioxide sequestering powerhouse and even a kind of fabric. Algae could potentially help us deal more effectively with climate change's oncoming effects, as well as reverse current pollution levels. Read more at Quartz...
Ultra-processed foods linked to diabetes risk
A new study shows that ultra-processed food consumption can increase one's risk of developing diabetes. One researcher hypothesizes that cellular structure of these foods is altered by chemical additives and industrial processing. Read more at Reuters...
A lesson from USDA: Want to make workers unhappy? Move their office to another state
Employees of USDA are struggling after the agency moved many of its research scientists to the Midwest from Washington, D.C. The move is thought by members of the scientific community to be a retaliation on the part of the current administration against those researchers whose findings contradicted current USDA policies under President Trump. Read more at Politico...
