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CITIZEN SCIENCE SOIL RESEARCH
At Iowa's Neal Smith Refuge, turning just 10% of cropland into prairie strips cut sediment loss by 95%, phosphorus runoff by 90%, and total nitrogen loss by about 85%Native prairie strips can play a crucial role in reducing agricultural runoff, which has significant environmental implications. By prevent...- At California’s McCormick and Baxter Superfund site, a pilot study used hybrid poplars to treat polluted groundwater; runoff from the planted system held 99% less contaminationPoplar trees are playing a key role in detoxifying polluted groundwater at a previous industrial site. Through this innovative pilot projec...
- At 18, this Irish student invented plant-based plastic that doesn't just biodegrade; it is designed to break down microplastics tooA creative solution emerges from Ireland, where a student has pioneered Eco Purge, a biodegradable substance that emits enzymes aimed at de...
- In 2021, 1,000 Swiss volunteers buried 2,000 pairs of cotton underpants to test soil life. 5 years later, results from 12,000 teabags showed which soils were most activeIn 2021, around 1,000 Swiss volunteers buried more than 2,000 pairs of cotton underwear and 12,000 tea bags in different soils. The experim...
- In 2001, Land Institute in Kansas formally began domesticating Kernza, over two decades later perennial grain was cultivated on more than 3,500 acres of land, emerging famers' go to solution for extreme weatherKernza is one of several perennial grains under development at The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, about an hour’s drive north of Mueller...
- In 1950, livestock viruses drove the Serengeti's wildebeest herd down to 300,000. Less than a decade later, it surpassed 1.5 million, helping turn the ecosystem into a carbon sinkIn the 1950s, rinderpest and livestock disease pushed the Serengeti’s wildebeest herd to dangerously low numbers. After the virus was broug...
- What’s really in your fast-food soda? A US study tested over 90 beverages; what they found raises hygiene questionsThe taste of restaurant fountain drinks can vary significantly due to several factors, particularly the cleanliness of the equipment. Studi...
- Science says earthquakes can make the ground behave like a liquid: Why buildings can sink and here’s what happens beneath your feetEarthquakes can cause certain loose, water-saturated soils to behave like a liquid. The soil grains remain solid, but rising pore-water pre...
- In 2024, Agiro planted 580 trees and shrubs at a former waste site in Quebec City. Today, surveys have found more than 160 plant species and 50 bird species are thriving around the recovering siteAgiro is restoring a former 1.8-hectare construction waste disposal site at the foot of Mont-Brillant in Quebec City’s Saint-Charles River ...
- In 2024, Florida scientists found a hidden trail left behind by invasive snakes — their DNA can linger in water and soil even after they disappearA 2024 study by Florida scientists found that invasive snakes can be detected through traces of DNA left behind in water and soil. The new ...
- In 1921, a 14-year-old Idaho farm boy looked at the rows in a potato field and imagined television: How Philo Farnsworth turned a plowed field into a world-changing inventionIn 1921, 14-year-old Philo Farnsworth found inspiration for electronic television while plowing a potato field in Idaho. His simple idea of...
- In 2011, North Carolina scuttled the 180-foot Coast Guard buoy tender USCGC Spar off Morehead City; divers later documented sand tiger sharks using the wreckResting peacefully on the ocean floor off North Carolina, the USCGC Spar, once a buoy tender, has transformed into a vital habitat for sand...
- In 2024, South Dakota State University researchers turned banana peels into biodegradable film; it reached 31.3 MPa tensile strength and lost more than half its weight in moist soil within three weeksScientists at South Dakota State University have transformed banana peels into a plastic-like film that is biodegradable and breaks down in...
- In 2024, Nevada filled 1.8 million solar panels across the Mojave Desert; a rare milkvetch plant growing inside the farm started to produce 8 times more flowers and 10 times more fruit than plants outsideA rare Mojave Desert plant unexpectedly flourished inside Nevada's massive Gemini Solar Project. Researchers found threecorner milkvetch pl...
- In 2000, San Diego sank the 366-foot HMCS Yukon off Mission Beach; from 2015 to 2020, nine divers recorded 237 observations across 58 marine speciesThe HMCS Yukon, a Canadian warship, was intentionally sunk near Mission Beach to foster a new artificial reef. Initial research from 2004 i...
- In 2009, Key West sank the 523-foot Vandenberg in 140 feet of water; one year later, REEF monitoring had documented 123 fish species on the former shipIn 2009, the retired missile ship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg was deliberately sunk near Key West, giving rise to a significant artificial reef...
- Why did scientists ask 1,000 Swiss people to bury their underwear? What the buried 'underpants' could reveal about soil - The unusual science of measuring soil healthThe decomposition of cotton underwear has unveiled notable differences in soil biological activity throughout Switzerland. Private gardens ...
- America introduced Chinese Privet as an ornamental plant in 1852. It later spread across millions of acres of forestFirst spotted in 1852, Chinese privet has spread relentlessly across the American Southeast, wreaking havoc on local ecosystems. This invas...
- Indian Railways is planting an aromatic-rooted grass in Lonavala ghats to prevent landslides and avert a Nepal-like flash flood situationIndian Railways is testing vetiver, an aromatic-rooted grass native to India, as a low-cost nature-based solution to stabilise vulnerable s...
- In 2000, Australian scientists tricked grapevines into conserving water by drying half their roots. 26 years later, PRD remains a technique that can maintain yields while cutting irrigation by 50%Australian scientists developed Partial Rootzone Drying (PRD), an irrigation approach designed to reduce water use while maintaining commer...
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