Explore

UC San Diego's Center for Microbiome Innovation Partners with Oxford Nanopore Technologies to Advance Research

UC San Diego's Center for Microbiome Innovation Partners with Oxford Nanopore Technologies to Advance Research

The University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) has announced a new partnership with Oxford Nanopore Technologies, integrating the latter into CMI's industry partner program. This collaboration aims to accelerate microbiome research through the use of Oxford Nanopore's real-time, long-read sequencing technologies. The PromethION 24 sequencing platform from Oxford Nanopore will be introduced into CMI's collaboratory at Franklin Antonio Hall, enhancing CMI's existing technological capabilities with high-throughput, long-read sequencing. CMI is also working towards becoming a designated Sequencing Service Provider on Oxford Nanopore Technologies' platforms, which will allow it to offer validated nanopore sequencing services to the broader UC San Diego research community and beyond. This partnership is expected to provide technical training and support to CMI's team, enabling students and researchers to leverage this advanced technology for their work.

New Study Reveals Sonic Feeders Boost Pacific White Shrimp Production in Alabama

New Study Reveals Sonic Feeders Boost Pacific White Shrimp Production in Alabama

New Study Reveals Sonic Feeders Boost Pacific White Shrimp Production in Alabama

CityGreens Agronomist Advocates for Direct Aeroponics Adoption by New Growers

CityGreens Agronomist Advocates for Direct Aeroponics Adoption by New Growers

CityGreens Agronomist Advocates for Direct Aeroponics Adoption by New Growers

Perdue Foods Executive Joins National Pork Board's Innovation and Pork Quality Advisory Committee to Strengthen Pork Demand

Perdue Foods Executive Joins National Pork Board's Innovation and Pork Quality Advisory Committee to Strengthen Pork Demand

Perdue Foods Executive Joins National Pork Board's Innovation and Pork Quality Advisory Committee to Strengthen Pork Demand

Tyson Foods Partners with Allied Beef Company to Boost Beef Production and Reopen Amarillo Shift

Tyson Foods Partners with Allied Beef Company to Boost Beef Production and Reopen Amarillo Shift

Tyson Foods Partners with Allied Beef Company to Boost Beef Production and Reopen Amarillo Shift

How the US was left exposed to the flesh-eating screwworm, years into the outbreak

How the US was left exposed to the flesh-eating screwworm, years into the outbreak

MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - For decades, planes dropped billions of factory-bred sterile flies to keep the flesh-eating New World screwworm out of North America’s cattle. That controls the pest because sterile males mate with wild females – whose eggs then fail to hatch.

Zimbabwe Implements Solar-Powered Irrigation to Combat Drought in Mutoko District

Zimbabwe Implements Solar-Powered Irrigation to Combat Drought in Mutoko District

In Zimbabwe's drought-prone agro-ecological Region V of Mutoko, a solar-powered drip irrigation enterprise has been established to enable year-round crop production. This initiative, supported by the Government, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the OPEC Fund for International Development, transformed an existing borehole into a multipurpose water facility. The project, part of the Smallholder Agriculture Cluster Project (SACP), covers 1.25 hectares and includes a commercial production plot and a nutrition garden. Beneficiaries, like Lorcadia Murehwa, who previously faced severe water scarcity, can now grow crops such as green mealies, tomatoes, and covo, improving food security and generating income. The Nyamashuka Village Business Unit, comprising 30 registered members, has seen significant economic benefits, with net profits from various crops. This model aims to shift smallholder farming from rain-fed dependence to irrigated agriculture, enhancing resilience against climat...

Scientists Discover Ancient Peptide with Enhanced Antibacterial Properties Using AI

Scientists Discover Ancient Peptide with Enhanced Antibacterial Properties Using AI

Scientists have utilized artificial intelligence (AI) and an evolutionary approach to uncover an ancient version of the protein lactoferrin, found in tears and breast milk, that possesses enhanced antibacterial properties. This protein, which emerged 160 million years ago, evolved from an ancestral gene called transferrin. Researchers, including Matthew F. Barber, PhD, associate professor of biology at the University of Oregon, reconstructed amino acid sequences from early lactoferrin and used AI program AlphaFold to predict structural evolution. They identified a highly positive charge on the surface of lactoferrin's ancestors, indicating its antibacterial function evolved after separating from transferrin. Notably, a specific amino acid substitution (arginine instead of glutamine) in non-human great apes' lactoferricin, a peptide derived from lactoferrin, significantly improved its antimicrobial activity against bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus. By engineering this substitution into human lactoferrici...

Threemile Canyon Farms Honored with 2026 OBI Visionary Award for Sustainable Agriculture

Threemile Canyon Farms Honored with 2026 OBI Visionary Award for Sustainable Agriculture

Threemile Canyon Farms Honored with 2026 OBI Visionary Award for Sustainable Agriculture

Irish Potato Famine of 1845 Highlights Risks of Monoculture in Agriculture

Irish Potato Famine of 1845 Highlights Risks of Monoculture in Agriculture

The Irish Potato Famine of 1845 serves as a historical example of the devastating consequences of relying on a single crop variety. In Ireland, farmers predominantly cultivated one type of potato, which unfortunately proved highly susceptible to blight, a destructive fungus-like pathogen. When Phytophthora infestans, the pathogen responsible for potato blight, spread, it rapidly destroyed entire potato crops. For many impoverished individuals in Ireland, potatoes constituted their primary food source. The widespread failure of this single crop led to severe food shortages and widespread famine. This historical event underscores the vulnerability inherent in agricultural systems that lack biodiversity and depend heavily on a limited number of crop varieties.

University of Alberta Research Highlights Importance of Multiyear Soil Acidity Management for Western Canadian Farmers

University of Alberta Research Highlights Importance of Multiyear Soil Acidity Management for Western Canadian Farmers

Long-term research from the University of Alberta indicates that Western Canadian farmers must manage soil acidity across their entire multiyear crop rotation, rather than focusing on individual crops, to safeguard future harvests. The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Plant Science, found that proactive management of soil pH levels yields benefits throughout the entire rotation. Researchers examined how decades of fertilizer use, crop rotation, and corrective lime applications influence soil acidity and nutrient availability over time. A key finding was that liming legume forages not only boosts their growth but also releases essential nitrogen for grain crops in subsequent rotations. Dr. Miles Dyck, a soil scientist and co-author, emphasized that managing soil acidity extends beyond maintaining individual crop productivity, also preserving important biological processes. Historically, soil acidity was not a major concern for many Western Canadian farmers, but modern agricultural practices have ...

RFK Jr. Emphasizes Soil Health's Role in Human Well-being During North Dakota Visit

RFK Jr. Emphasizes Soil Health's Role in Human Well-being During North Dakota Visit

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited a ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota, to discuss the critical link between soil health and human health. During a roundtable on regenerative agriculture at the Black Leg Ranch, Secretary Kennedy highlighted how the vitality of soil directly impacts the human gut, which he stated influences overall health, emotions, moods, energy levels, and individual effectiveness. The event, held on November 5, 2026, included Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, both Republicans from North Dakota. Reporters were granted access for a limited 15-minute segment of the approximately 90-minute discussion, during which Secretary Kennedy elaborated on his views regarding the profound connection between agricultural practices and public health outcomes.