Fishery managers announced a closure of the state’s commercial salmon fishing season for the second year in a row due to low fish populations.
Every year, up to half the honeybee colonies in the U.S. die. Varroa mites, the bees’ ghastly parasites, are one of the main culprits. After hitching a ride into a hive, a mite mom hides in a h...
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2023/10/24/varroa-mites-are-a-honeybees-8-legged-nightmare/
Asian citrus psyllids transmit a disease that can ruin your oranges. Even worse, Argentine ants protect them in exchange for the psyllids’ delicate ribbons of sugary poop, called honeydew. So, ...
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2022/12/13/citrus-psyllids-bribe-ants-with-strings-of-candy-poop/
Barn owls swoop down on rodents and swallow them whole – gophers, voles and mice, gone in a few gulps. But how do they keep down all that food? Well, they don’t. In a few stomach-turning step...
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2022/08/09/barn-owl-table-manners-are-just-different/
The spotted wing drosophila may look like a common fruit fly, but it's so much worse. Just as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are ripening in the field, this fly saws into...
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2022/06/07/this-freaky-fruit-fly-lays-eggs-in-your-strawberries/
As climate change brings longer, more destructive fire seasons, the California wine industry scrambles to protect vineyards from the dreaded taint of smoke.
Monterey Bay Community Power launched a grant program to pay for replacing gas-powered farm equipment with electric ones.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2020/07/31/evs-are-coming-to-the-farm-in-californias-central-coast/
The state’s cap-and-trade program funds ‘climate smart’ agriculture programs. But with emissions down, funding for those programs is also expected to drop.
People who have avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder are not just finicky about their food. Their phobias can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2020/06/24/when-picky-eating-becomes-a-dangerous-disorder/
Doctors and insurers are just starting to acknowledge that anorexia can come in all sizes.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2020/06/22/anorexia-patients-are-not-all-super-skinny/
When it’s time to mate, these pests of grapevines shake their abdomens to make strange calls that sound like a clucking chicken, a howling monkey or a revving engine. Now scientists have found ...
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Great Plates Delivered with two goals: feed seniors who must stay at home to minimize the risk of coronavirus, and stoke business for restaurants starved of patrons.
Closures to restaurants that aren’t set up for takeout and the collapse of export markets have left California fishermen and seafood suppliers scrambling for new ways to sell their product.
Individuals and organizations are rallying to address skyrocketing food insecurity during the Coronavirus pandemic.
More Stories for You After wrapping up his book about the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs, author Michael Pollan turned his attention to a drug that’s hidden “in plain sig...
Farm and ranch associations say that if California lists the bees as endangered it would set a harmful precedent.
The landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act aims to keep aquifers healthy by requiring plans from newly formed local agencies. The policy represents a major shift, mandated by arguably th...
A partnership between UC Davis and a seafood company aims to restore kelp forests by 'ranching' purple sea urchins and selling them off as food.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2019/12/26/kelp-they-need-somebody-to-eat-sea-urchins/
Scientists say that, for the first time, they've managed to extract an entire ancient human genome from something other than human bones or teeth. It told them a lot about the person chewing the ...
Family dynamics coupled with pumpkin pie can be extremely painful for people with eating issues.
If you're looking to keep your in-laws happy, fed, and mute on politics, take a trip back to high school chemistry.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced a preliminary decision to delay the season until mid-December due to the risk of whale entanglements.
Kratom, an herb that's legal, abundant and potentially dangerous, is currently the subject of a debate over its risks and benefits.
More on Processed Meats A new set of analyses published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine challenges the widespread recommendations to cut back on red and processed meats. The prominent m...
Along with $10 million for recycling centers, the bill gives grocers a temporary reprieve from fees.
Bay Area start-ups hope to replace slaughterhouses with Petri dishes by growing meat in a lab.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2019/09/11/hows-our-appetite-for-lab-grown-meat/
Next time you eat a cone or sundae, thank an alfalfa leafcutting bee.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2019/09/10/this-bee-gets-punched-by-flowers-for-your-ice-cream/
More on Sea Urchins A favorite dish for purple sea urchins living off the coast of California is kelp. Problem is, those kelp forests are shrinking dramatically and that’s hurting the marine ec...
This Saturday, August 31st, is this year's last Free Fishing Day in California.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2019/08/28/this-saturday-is-free-fishing-day-throughout-california/
More on Recycling Plastics The U.S. used to send a lot of its plastic waste to China to get recycled. But last year, China put the kibosh on imports of the world’s waste. The policy, called Nat...