MIT College of Agriculture and Technology Presents MITCAT Trends

The Nuclear Test Site That Advanced Oceanography

In the summer of 1946, the United States dropped nuclear weapons on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific in Operation Crossroads—the first nuclear weapons tests after WWII. In 1947, the Navy returned to the islands with a large team of scientists in the Bikini Scientific Resurvey. During the expedition, they drilled a hole that reached 2,556 feet deep, hoping to put one of Charles Darwin’s theories to the test.Darwin suspected that atolls formed when coral grew around volcanoes, creating a ring that rema

Australian farmers are desperate to escape the latest mouse plague – and may soon get relief

For months, a flood of mice has engulfed Western Australia’s agricultural regions.For people living through it, this latest mouse plague is all-consuming. Houses, sheds, paddocks and roads are blanketed with mice. And the smell of mice, both dead and alive, is impossible to escape.It may well be the worst plague the region has ever seen, with scientists recording up to 8,000 mice in each hectare of land. That’s ten times the number needed to officially declare a mouse plague.But there are signs

These bees have nowhere to hide from extreme heat

A major study of Australian native bees found that stem-nesting species may be the first to feel the impact of climate change. Unlike bees that nest underground, they have few ways to escape dangerous heat. Researchers also discovered that tropical bees are particularly vulnerable, even when they are already adapted to hot environments. The findings suggest bee behavior could be a key factor in determining which species survive a warming world.

Faminga AI Demo

Faminga Ltd is the first AgriTech company transforming agriculture in Rwanda through advanced technologies. We empower farmers in Africa with data-driven insights using AI in Rwanda and IoT in Rwanda. Our platform leverages remote sensing in Rwanda, satellite in Rwanda, and geospatial in Rwanda to deliver a comprehensive dataset in Rwanda for precision farming. We provide real-time monitoring, early plant disease detection, and smart irrigation in Rwanda to optimize water usage and boost crop yi

Keynote Address by Marc Lubner (Chief Executive Officer at AfrikaTikkun)

How Afrika Tikkun is creating Job Opportunities for the Youth through AgriTech The 2026 Future of Jobs Summit (hosted by The Future Leader Forum)

‘Agrivoltaics’ can both power AI data centres and increase food production — new study

Soy grows between fences of photovoltaic solar panels at Western University in Ontario, Canada. (B. Kayla Coban)Artificial intelligence (AI) use is exploding. More than 50 per cent of new internet content was generated by AI in 2025, according to an industry report. We even train AI on AI-generated content now and, although this can degrade performance, it continues at breakneck pace. All this AI is consuming a lot of energy. It’s straining the electrical system, raising consumer electricity cos

Scientists discover spider that disguises itself as a parasitic fungus

Scientists have discovered a new Amazonian spider with an astonishing disguise: it looks like a parasitic fungus. The species, Taczanowskia waska, mimics both the appearance and behavior of the fungus, helping it stay hidden from predators and potentially catch prey more easily.

On the brink of extinction, the vaquita gets a digital lifeline

Scientists have digitally preserved the world’s most endangered marine mammal by creating highly detailed 3D models of a vaquita skeleton using advanced imaging technology. The virtual archive provides an unprecedented look at the species and could help inspire conservation efforts before the tiny porpoise disappears forever.

6.16.26 House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee Voting Meeting – 9:45AM

Voting meeting on HB 2625 and any other business that may come before the committee.

New study explores potential cross-species spread of chronic wasting disease

A new study found that chronic wasting disease can sometimes spread silently, with infectious prions present even in animals that show no symptoms. While there is no confirmed human risk, researchers say the disease’s ability to evolve and spread across species warrants close attention.

Scientists found a way to explain bird flocks that “defy” Newton’s third law

Physicists have solved a long-standing problem involving systems that appear to violate Newton’s third law, such as bird flocks and bacterial swarms. By adding carefully designed “imaginary partners” to their models, they can now simulate these complex systems with unprecedented accuracy.

Agriculture Worldwide | Tradition, Innovation & Sustainability | Culture...

Agriculture Worldwide | Tradition, Innovation & Sustainability | Culture…Agriculture Worldwide with GardeningWithKirk. This video explores how farming practices differ across regions, from monoculture plantations to family farms, and how agriculture shapes landscapes, economies, and cultures. We also highlight challenges such as climate change, food security, and sustainability, showing why agriculture remains vital to our future. Share your thoughts on farming, tradition, or innovati

Phosphate Solubilizing Microorganisms: Improving Nutrient Availability for Sustainable Agriculture

Phosphate Solubilizing Microorganisms: Improving Nutrient Availability for Sustainable AgriculturePhosphorus is one of the essential nutrients required for healthy plant growth and higher crop productivity. It plays a major role in root development, flowering, seed formation, and energy transfer within plants. However, a large percentage of phosphorus present in soil remains unavailable to crops because it gets fixed in insoluble forms. This limits nutrient uptake and reduces fertilizer efficien

Book review – The Savage Landscape: How We Made the Wilderness

Boiling over with thought-provoking observations, The Savage Landscape offers a discomfiting yet necessary look at the tensions and contradictions that underlie nature conservation.

Scientists turned red lettuce green and something surprising happened

Researchers used genome editing to block the production of red pigments in lettuce, causing other beneficial plant compounds to build up instead. The lettuce continued to grow normally, pointing toward a new way to create crops with customized nutritional profiles.

Beneath our feet lies a fungal superhighway stretching 68 quadrillion miles

Beneath our feet lies a vast hidden fungal superhighway that helps sustain much of life on Earth—and scientists have now mapped it for the first time. Researchers estimate that these underground networks stretch an astonishing 110 quadrillion kilometers, move about 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide into soils each year, and play a major role in supporting plants and regulating the climate.

Honey bees have their own personal flight paths and fly them with stunning precision

Researchers tracked honey bees in the wild using a drone-based system and found that each bee follows its own highly consistent flight path. Some repeated their routes so precisely that they flew only centimeters from where they had flown before. Landmarks like trees helped keep them on track, while uniform areas such as cornfields led to more variation.

Millipedes beat vertebrates to land by 80 million years

Millipedes may have been crawling across Earth's landscapes nearly 460 million years ago, long before vertebrates ventured onto land. A new study finally completes their evolutionary family tree, revealing surprising clues about these ancient ecosystem engineers and their early chemical defenses.

Scientists discover parrots may actually use names

Parrots may be doing more than just repeating words—they may actually use names. By analyzing hundreds of recordings from pet parrots, researchers found evidence that many birds use specific names to identify particular people, animals, and even individual companions. Some parrots appeared to refer to someone who wasn’t present, while others used names in creative ways, such as saying their own name to grab attention.

Yellowstone wolves may not have reshaped the national park after all

One of the most celebrated claims about Yellowstone’s wolves is facing a major challenge. Scientists say the study behind the famous trophic cascade story relied on flawed methods that overstated the ecological impact of wolf recovery. Their reanalysis found no evidence for a dramatic, park-wide surge in willow growth. Instead, the effects appear smaller and vary from place to place.