January 17, 2019
Humans accidentally created new rivers in Europe
Meandering rivers that flow through and transport sediment to deltas often split off from their main courses and flow in different directions. …
The EARTH archive
Agriculture
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29 articles · Page 1 of 2
November 8, 2018
Did early agriculture knock the climate off track?
During the last 2.5 million years, Earth’s climate has seen cycles of advancing and retreating glaciers over much of the Northern Hemisphere. We …
June 5, 2018
Weedy seeds gathered in once-green Sahara
Today, the vast and arid Sahara Desert seems an unlikely place to find early signs of seed gathering and plant cultivation in Africa, but new …
April 9, 2018
From farm to filter: Restored wetlands remediate nitrogen pollution
Nitrogen giveth and nitrogen taketh away: It’s been estimated that roughly half of the world’s population today could not exist without nitrogen …
January 12, 2018
Geomedia: Books: Putting 'Seeds on Ice' to protect crop diversity
“Tucked away, deep underground, in a frozen corner of the Scandinavian north is the safety net for our food supply. The Global Seed Vault, on the …
January 9, 2018
Dividing line: The past, present and future of the 100th Meridian
In 1878, without benefit of the Landsat program, GPS or Google, and just a decade after the creation of the National Weather Service, John Wesley …
October 18, 2017
When agriculture went to our heads
The dawn of agriculture left an indelible mark on early human societies, and a new study finds that eating softer, cultivated foods subtly …
July 19, 2017
Nineteenth-century cows muddied Southern California continental shelf
When offshore ecosystems deteriorate, scientists often look at changing ocean conditions, urban runoff or fishing as potential explanations. Cows …
May 15, 2017
Tibetan Plateau populated long before advent of agriculture
Due to the harsh living conditions of the Tibetan Plateau — which has an average elevation over 4,500 meters — archaeologists have long assumed …
April 19, 2017
Grapes reveal impacts of sulfur-rich Samalas eruption on 13th-century climate
The A.D. 1257 eruption of the Indonesian volcano Samalas sent an ash plume an estimated 43 kilometers into the sky in one of the most sulfur-rich …
April 14, 2017
Neonicotinoids: Prominent pesticides escape into the environment
The 1990s was a watershed era in pest control — and, by extension, agriculture — thanks to a particular bit of chemical innovation. With the …
February 9, 2017
Ants developed farming millions of years ago
A new study in Nature suggests that ants may have invented agriculture as much as 3 million years before humans. On the Fijian islands of Viti …
January 26, 2017
Burning grass releases more nitrogen pollution than burning wood
Smoke from fires — whether from wildfires or from residential and agricultural grass and crop burning — carries pollutants into the air that …
June 16, 2016
Take a stand (or sit) for better water quality management
The average person urinates four to seven times over a 24-hour period, producing about 1.5 liters of urine per day. Here are some things you can …
June 16, 2016
'P' is for phosphate: Could urine solve a fertilizer shortage?
Whether you’re enjoying a juicy burger from a fast-food drive-thru or digging into a brightly colored salad at a backyard barbecue, your meal …
February 16, 2016
Uranium contamination in aquifers could be linked to nitrate
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant life, but plants can only take up so much so fast. When excess nitrogen enters the environment by way …
January 7, 2016
Irrigation drives rain away in East Africa
Researchers have found that large-scale agricultural irrigation, intended to supplement precipitation, may actually drive rainfall away, …
December 30, 2015
How to feed 11 billion people: Addressing the 21st century's biggest challenge
In April 2008, violent protests erupted across the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti. Enraged by soaring food prices and all-too-frequent …
September 4, 2015
Toxic Gardens: The long legacy of urban lead
From a toxicological point of view, soaring lead levels in the home environment represented one of America’s lowest points — but efforts to …
August 20, 2015
Geologic Column: September 26, 1774: The man, the myth, the legend of Johnny Appleseed is born
You’ve probably heard about Johnny Appleseed, who, according to story and song, spread his apple seeds across America’s Midwest. But, unlike …
May 12, 2015
Pre-settlement erosion rates illuminated
Humans are one of the most powerful erosive agents on Earth, moving copious amounts of sediment to and fro, mainly through agriculture and …
April 7, 2015
Geomedia: Books: Breaking New Ground
Agricultural scientist Lester Brown ponders the global future of agriculture, but his roots as a tomato farmer make him keenly aware of the local …
March 9, 2015
Rome's hidden water trade led to glory, maybe ruin
Crumbling aqueducts crisscross the lands that once belonged to Rome, relics of a water system that sustained an empire. But now, research …
January 30, 2015
Geologic Column: Lighting out for the territory
“I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest.” – Huck Finn In 1799, Colonel Daniel Boone found Tennessee’s population density …