It's unlikely that all species of bees will go extinct anytime soon – but current losses could still have a terrible impact on food supplies and ecosystems.
Weeds are serious problems on sports fields, parks and other sites covered with turfgrass. A new strategy uses mechanical force to kill them instead of chemical herbicides.
Workers spray pesticides on strawberry fields. Most of the studies that examine the effects of pesticides are funded by the chemical’s producer.
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Most studies on the use of pesticides are funded by those that produce the chemicals but only independent research can inform us about the best agricultural practices.
Law and science seek proof in similar ways, but at very different speeds.
Chinnapong/Shutterstock
What is proof? In both law and science, it's basically a consensus of experts – but they work at very different speeds. That means juries may reach verdicts on an issue before the science is settled.
The world's most widely used herbicide poses a threat to honey bees.
Bottles of Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer in the United Kingdom, relabelled by activists to highlight the World Health Organization’s judgment that its main ingredient is a probable carcinogen.
Global Justice Now
Thousands of people are suing Monsanto, claiming that its Roundup herbicide gave them cancer. A California judge has reduced the first damage award but let the verdict against Monsanto stand.
Plaintiff Dewayne Johnson reacts after hearing the verdict in his case against Monsanto at the Superior Court of California in San Francisco, Aug. 10, 2018.
Josh Edelson/Pool Photo via AP
A jury concluded on Aug. 10 that exposure to the herbicide Roundup caused Dewayne Johnson's cancer and ordered the company to pay $289 million in damages. Thousands more claims are pending.
Hundreds of lawsuits against Monsanto contend that its popular Roundup weed killer gave users cancer. But proving this kind of connection is challenging in both science and law.
Chemical companies touted synthetic insecticides and herbicides as miracle products in the 1940s and 1950s. But farmers and cropdusting pilots didn't always buy the sales pitch.
It's nearly impossible to kill, so we need to start working with Japanese knotweed to control it.
New Zealand researchers have found that the active ingredients in commonly-used weed killers like Round-up and Kamba can cause bacteria to become less susceptible to antibiotics.
from www.shutterstock.com
Improper use of antibiotics is one reason for the rise in antibiotic resistance, but new research shows that ingredients in common weed killers can also cause bacteria to become less susceptible.
Plants make proteins based on whatever genetic material you give them.
Carl Davies, CSIRO
Inserting a random DNA mishmash into a plant or bacterium directs it to make a novel protein. Sifting through the resulting molecules, researchers may find ones have medical or agricultural uses.
Gardening in Australia requires, to varying degrees depending where in the country you are, pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers.
from shutterstock.com
When working with garden chemicals, always make sure you are wearing gloves. Apply sprays and dusts downwind and wear goggles if necessary. Always follow the directions.
The threat of chemical weapon attacks is on the rise globally.
Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino
Scott Firsing, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Governments often have limited knowledge of chemical production as it is the preserve of the private sector. Often these facilities are not as well secured as government facilities.
Field tests of flood-tolerant ‘scuba rice.’
International Rice Research Institute/Flickr
Advocates have argued for years about whether genetically engineered crops are safe to grow and eat. Plant pathologist and geneticist Pamela Ronald calls for a more nuanced discussion.
Are genetically engineered crops safe for human health and the environment? A new report says yes but points out problems and regulatory gaps. Three members of the study panel offer their takeaways.
Roundup, or the chemical glyphosate, is a very common herbicide used to kill weeds.
Mike Mozart/Flickr
The World Health Organization classifies the common herbicide glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans". But this doesn't mean using it to kill weeds in playgrounds will hurt children.