#Thorsebornetrailnotforsale
On the 25 October 2018 the friends and family of Margaret Thorsborne AO, gathered to say farewell to the Cardwell woman who was a well loved community icon and who dedicated her life to conservation.
Not another story about superbugs?
Personally, I may not be too affected by a food shortage by 2050 for a couple of reasons. I could be dead, or at the least very old and only consuming a light fuel of gruel. Currently, I’m in a state of abundance. Each day I eat my way through thousands of kilojules to […]
Common crop pesticides kill honeybee larvae in the hive
Four pesticides commonly used on crops to kill insects and fungi also kill honeybee larvae within their hives, according to Penn State and University of Florida researchers. The team also found that N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) — an inert, or inactive, chemical commonly used as a pesticide additive — is highly toxic to honeybee larvae. “We found […]
Aussie Eucalypts under threat
Research at the National Environmental Research Program’s (NERP) Environmental Decisions Hub has found that heat waves, droughts and floods expected under climate change will alter environmental conditions so much that many eucalypts will no longer survive in their native ranges. Replanting is unlikely to help woodlands and forests persist, the scientists warn. “Trees are vulnerable […]
The potassium paradox: Implications for soil fertility, crop production and human health
In the chemical age of agriculture that began in the 1960s, potassium chloride (KCl), the common salt often referred to as potash, has and is widely used as a major fertiliser in the Corn Belt without regard to the huge soil reserves that were once recognized for their fundamental importance to soil fertility. Three University […]
Steroids can regenerate in aquatic ecosystems
Steroidal substances such as those used in agriculture and pharmaceuticals may be persistent in the environment for longer than previously thought. A team of researchers found that anabolic steroids have a mechanism whereby phototransformation is reversed. “We investigated trenbolone, an anabolic steroid, and found that the photochemical breakdown isn’t the end of its life cycle,” […]
World changing technology could make fertilisers obsolete
A major new technology has been developed by The University of Nottingham, which enables all of the world’s crops to take nitrogen from the air rather than expensive and environmentally damaging fertilisers.
Environmental toxins enter the brain tissue of polar bears
PerFluoroAlkyl Substances (PFASs) and precursor compounds have been used in a wide variety of commercial and industrial products over the past six decades. Applications include water and oil repellent coatings, e.g. for textiles, paper products, carpets and food packaging, pharmaceuticals and surfactants in cleaning products and fire-fighting foams. PFASs are highly resistant to chemical, thermal […]