MIT College of Agriculture and Technology Presents MITCAT Trends

Native Texas Shrubs & Accent Plants: True Natives vs Native Cultivars | Let’s Grow Together

In this episode of Let’s Grow Together, we take a closer look at Texas native shrubs, grasses, succulents, and architectural accent plants while exploring the debate between true natives and native cultivars. Featuring perspectives from three different voices in the horticulture and landscape world, we discuss appearance, adaptability, maintenance, wildlife value, and how these plants function in modern Texas landscapes. Featured plants include Neomexicana Agave, Red Yucca, Horsetail Reed, Dwar

Keynote Biostimulant presentation. Dr. Patrick Brown

Dr. Patrick Brown is a Professor of Plant Nutrition at the University of California, Davis, USA. He received his B.Sc. from Adelaide University in 1984, Australia, and Ph.D. from Cornell University, USA, in 1988. Dr. Brown has authored more than 220 scientific journal articles and numerous books and is among the highest-cited experts in plant nutrition, biostimulants, foliar fertilizers and horticulture. Dr. Brown has served as President of the International Plant Nutrition Council 2005-2009 an

Deep-sea life has a secret food source scientists never expected

Scientists discovered that extreme deep-sea pressure squeezes valuable nutrients out of sinking organic particles, providing an unexpected food source for ocean microbes. The finding could rewrite our understanding of both deep-ocean ecosystems and how carbon is stored on Earth.

Scientists finally solved the mystery of Earth's greatest mass extinction

Why do beaches today have seashells from clams and snails instead of brachiopods? A new study suggests the answer lies in Earth's greatest mass extinction, when warming oceans and falling oxygen levels wiped out animals that couldn't adapt. Species with body plans and metabolisms better suited to the changing conditions survived and went on to dominate the seas, offering a glimpse of how modern marine life could respond to climate change.

Scientists warn invasive Asian mantises are threatening Europe's wildlife

Two striking Asian praying mantis species that have rapidly spread across Europe have now been officially classified as invasive, raising new concerns about their impact on native wildlife. Boosted by climate change and urban environments, these fast-breeding predators are expanding northward, where they prey on native insects, pollinators, and even small vertebrates while also reducing native mantis populations through deadly mating interactions.

Rare fossil goose rewrites the story of New Zealand's giant birds

Scientists have discovered a previously unknown fossil goose that challenges a decades-old theory about the evolution of New Zealand's birds. The find suggests the country's giant flightless geese evolved from much more recent arrivals, revealing a far more dynamic evolutionary history than once believed.

Why is Chhattisgarh government asking farmers to adopt DSR method for paddy cultivation | Explained

Chhattisgarh’s DSR push comes amid rainfall uncertainty, water stress and labour shortages. A look at its benefits, challenges and adoption hurdles

This common pesticide may be quietly wiping out future bumblebees

A next-generation pesticide designed to kill crop pests may also be interfering with the reproductive health of bumblebees. Researchers discovered that low-dose exposure to sulfoxaflor changed gene activity, especially in tissues involved in reproduction, raising concerns about long-term impacts on bee populations. Because pollinators are essential for about one-third of the world's food production, finding ways to protect them while controlling pests has become increasingly important.

Scientists just debunked a dangerous baby rattlesnake myth

A new study debunks the long-standing claim that baby rattlesnakes are more dangerous than adults. Researchers found that young rattlesnakes can control their venom just like adults, while adult snakes usually inject much more venom and cause more serious bites. The team also uncovered how the myth spread through decades of inaccurate news reports and misleading quotes from trusted sources.

Hawaii's famous “happy-face” spider has a surprising relative

A newly discovered Happy-Face spider in the Himalayas closely resembles Hawaii's iconic species but evolved independently, according to DNA evidence. Its mysterious smile-like markings, many color forms, and unexpected link to ginger plants have scientists eager to learn how the two distant species are connected.

The secret life of roots: how plants fight back against salty soils

Young shoots of corn. malshkoff/ShutterstockTo people, salt is a kitchen staple. But to crops, too much of it can be devastating. Across coastal regions and irrigated agricultural land, salt is accumulating in soils, making it harder for plants to absorb water and reducing harvests. Scientists estimate that around halfof the world’s irrigated farmland is now affected by salinity to some degree.The problem is only expected to grow. Rising sea levels can push saltwater into coastal farmland, while

Trees keep absorbing carbon long after they stop growing

Oak trees keep absorbing carbon dioxide long after their annual growth has ended, revealing that photosynthesis and wood production are not as closely linked as scientists once believed. The finding could reshape forecasts of how much carbon forests will be able to store in a warmer future.

Rare goblin shark filmed alive for the first time in the deep sea

For the first time, researchers have filmed the elusive goblin shark alive in the deep ocean where it naturally lives. The remarkable sightings greatly expand the shark's known range and depth, showing that this 125-million-year-old "living fossil" still has plenty of secrets left to reveal.

Scientists finally crack nature's secret for building better cancer drugs

Researchers have cracked the code behind bacteria's ability to naturally manufacture multiple versions of powerful anti-cancer drugs. The discovery could make it much easier to engineer new cancer treatments inspired by nature, including improved versions of existing medicines.

Fertilizers carry a hidden cost for soil’s crucial microbes – using less as prices rise might pay off for farms in unexpected ways

The activity of tiny microbes in and around the roots of crops such as soybeans are valuable for their growth. Oleh Malshakov/iStock/Getty Images PlusAcross North America, in places such as Illinois, Iowa and Texas, farmers are busy growing the crops the world depends on for food, fuel and fiber.But as their tractors roll across fields, a pressing concern weighs heavily on many farmers: the rising cost of synthetic fertilizers, widely considered essential for crop production.After an expensive s

Scientists resurrect 3.2-billion-year-old enzyme to reveal how life began on Earth

Researchers rebuilt long-extinct versions of a crucial enzyme that helps make nitrogen available to life, offering an unprecedented glimpse into Earth’s distant past. The breakthrough could aid the search for extraterrestrial life while helping scientists tackle future food-production challenges on Earth and beyond.

Bumblebees collect up to 7 times more toxic metals than honeybees

Bumblebees are picking up dramatically more toxic heavy metals than honeybees, even when both species forage in the same places. Researchers warn that this hidden pollution could quietly reduce their ability to find food, reproduce, and keep colonies healthy.

My Almond Archive

Thoughtful stories for thoughtless times.Longreads has published hundreds of original stories—personal essays, reported features, reading lists, and more—and more than 14,000 editor’s picks. And they’re all funded by readers like you. Become a member today.I want to support LongreadsAngelica Calabrese | Longreads | July 7, 2026 | 4,311 words (23 minutes)Your grandfather was a traditionalist, the farmer told me, in cadenced, emphatic Italian. He never wanted to get rid of the trees. B

Textbooks were wrong: Scientists reveal how human hair really grows

A new study suggests human hair grows in a way scientists never expected. Researchers found that hair is pulled upward by coordinated cell movements inside the follicle rather than simply being pushed out by dividing cells at the root. Advanced 3D imaging revealed a hidden cellular "motor" that helps drive growth.

The Return of Florida’s Wild Flamingos

The only flamingo native to North America was exterminated in Florida by the early part of the twentieth century. They were killed for their feathers, eggs, and meat, while their wetlands habitat was destroyed for development and agriculture.Though extirpated as animals, flamingos nonetheless became icons of the state. It may have started in the 1920s with the opening of the Flamingo Hotel in the Art Deco-a-go-go of Miami Beach. Since then, flamboyances of flamingos—the collective noun for the b