MITCAT Trends : Everything You Need to Know

Drought, water shortages and crop failures: how does the medieval warm period compare with today?

A medieval illustration of a farm worker, part of an illuminated manuscript. Limbourg brothers (fl. 1402–1416) and Barthélemy d'Eyck (fl. 1444–1469) A heatwave lasting four months, followed by water shortages and crop failures. This is England in the 13th century, not the 21st.What is often called the Medieval warm period saw elevated temperatures in many parts of the world between the 10th and 13th centuries. These warmer temperatures were caused in part by an increase in solar irradiance.

3 Forts Challenge 2026

The Three Forts Challenge is a well-loved annual running event held across the beautiful South Downs. Starting from Lancing Manor leisure Centre, it features a full marathon, half marathon and a 5-mile trail run, attracting runners of all levels who come to enjoy the stunning scenery and supportive atmosphere. Often nicknamed “The Tough One”, the marathon route is especially challenging, covering not the usual 26.2 miles but an added mile, bringing the total over 27 miles. The hilly terrain and

Spring Wildflowers of the Rincon Valley

Mary Welch-Keesey, Ph.D: Degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, horticulture, Rice University and Purdue; Volunteers with the U of A Herbarium and the stinknet and buffelgrass initiatives at Saguaro National Park; Academy Village resident Monday, February 16, 2026, 3:00-4:00 pm, Koffler Great Room at ASA and zoom On numerous occasions, Dr. Mary Welch-Keesey has generously shared her knowledge of, and passion for, local wildflowers. In this presentation she will highlight spring-blooming native pl

Weather and Agriculture Outlook - July 2026

FEWS NET scientist Dr. Andrew Hoell of NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory (PSL) delivers a monthly briefing on the current state of the global climate, regional seasonal monitoring, and forecasts of agroclimatic conditions for East Africa and Yemen, West Africa, Southern Africa, Latin American and the Caribbean, Afghanistan and Central Asia, the Middle East, and Ukraine. These seasonal forecasts are based on evidence compiled by FEWS NET scientists from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, NOAA’s P

Nourish the Future Free NGSS Resources to Teach Science through Agriculture

What is Nourish the Future? Who is it for? Why is it free? Find out in this 4-min overview. Bring Real-World Science to Your Classroom with Nourish the Future Are you looking for ways to engage your students with authentic, phenomena-based science? The video "Nourish the Future Free NGSS Resources to Teach Science through Agriculture" introduces a powerful national science initiative developed by teachers, for teachers. In this brief overview, NTF Education Director Jane Hunt highlights the

Tell HN: Devices for agricultural/enviro monitoring/automation I'm developing

Hi HN,I’m in the process of developing some new devices for use in agriculture and environmental monitoring.Before I go much further, I thought I’d see if there are developers who would be interested in using them, and what features/capabilities people might want.First, a bit of back story as to how I got here. My father started a business in the 1980s, making devices using Motorola 6800 microprocessors and A/D converters to read from “gypsum block” soil moisture sensors [1,2,3]. Thoug

Solar Power and Agriculture in Spain

Book review – The Ascent of Birds: How Modern Science is Revealing their Story

The Inquisitive Biologist reaches back in time and finally reads The Ascent of Birds to find a fascinating foray into bird evolution and the many different mechanisms of speciation.

Tigray’s old grapevines have survived against the odds: new research uncovers their genetic and historic value

The northern highlands of Ethiopia are among Africa’s oldest agricultural landscapes. Some of the world’s most important crops originated here, particularly pulses and grains, including teff. Yet another crop has a less well-known history in Ethiopia’s Tigray region: the grapevine.We are an interdisciplinary team of geographers, agronomists and archaeologists studying long-term interactions between agriculture, landscapes and society in Ethiopia. Archaeological discoveries from the ancient Aksum

Scientists found mystery bacteria inside one of the ocean’s most elusive whales

Scientists studying decades of pygmy sperm whale strandings have uncovered three previously unknown types of Helicobacter bacteria hiding in the animals’ stomachs. All four infected whales showed serious digestive damage, including inflammation, ulcers, scarring, and parasite infestations, although the bacteria were not confirmed as the cause of death.

Some dinosaurs could rise like giants until they grew too big

Two elephant-sized South American sauropods were unusually well built for standing on their hind legs. Digital tests showed that their robust femurs handled the enormous forces better than those of larger species, especially while the dinosaurs were young. The upright pose may have helped them reach treetops, frighten predators, or impress potential mates.

Scientists just discovered a lost branch of Australia’s marsupials

Fossils from Queensland suggest a newly recognized marsupial order may have survived in Australia for around 35 million years, rewriting part of the story of how the continent's unique mammals evolved. The discovery challenges the idea that Australia's marsupials all came from a single straightforward ancestral lineage.

A shattered asteroid may have bombarded Earth 800 million years ago

A catastrophic asteroid breakup may have triggered a huge wave of impacts across the inner solar system about 800 million years ago. The debris was launched from near a gravitational gateway controlled by Jupiter, sending fragments toward Earth, the Moon, and Mars. The bombardment may explain ancient lunar craters and could have contributed to major climate and biological changes on Earth.

One Flag For Global Agriculture

One Flag For Global Agriculture🌍 Why there is no official agriculture flag yetAgriculture is a sector, not a nation or political entity. Sectors rarely have official flags unless intentionally created by an organisation e.g. the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has a logo, not a flag. Farming is a culturally diverse trade— wheat in Kansas, rice in Kerala, barley in Scotland — meaning no single symbol has become standardized as yet.The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) uses a very di

Koalas nearly went extinct before humans arrived, DNA study reveals

A major DNA study has rewritten the koala's evolutionary story, revealing that the species suffered a dramatic population collapse about 100,000 years ago, long before humans arrived in Australia. By calculating the koala's mutation rate for the first time and analyzing hundreds of genomes, researchers discovered that every living koala traces back to a small group that survived extreme climate shifts and later repopulated eastern Australia.

Aboriginal people harvested this native grass for millennia. Scientists have now found an odd trait in its DNA

Channel millet (_Echinochloa turneriana_). Chris HaikingsSeen from the air, Channel Country resembles a vibrant and vast tapestry, with a network of waterways crisscrossing the land. Spread across more than 280,000 square kilometres in outback Australia, it is one of the world’s last free-flowing desert river systems. In the heart of Channel Country, in southwest Queensland, live the Mithaka people whose ancestors over at least the past 3,000 years played a key role in the development of a trans

Why Are Berries Everywhere, in Every Season? Driscoll’s.

You almost certainly know Driscoll’s, the berry company whose leaf-green logo tops loads of clamshells in your local grocery store. But what does it take to hold such a dominant position in the berry world? Driscoll’s is now “the second-highest-earning brand in American supermarkets, behind only Coca-Cola,” writes Julia Moskin. The company is riding a growing wave of demand, developing hundreds of varieties (of which only a fraction will ever see market shelves), and resh

The Debate Over Pictures in Science

In 1843, English botanist Joseph Hooker returned from Antarctica with samples and illustrations of plants from his expedition. But when he found a publisher, he was distressed that they did not have the right priorities. He wrote that the publisher “cares nought for my descriptions at all, & would not care a straw whether all the plants were European or Antarctic.”People bought these books primarily for the pictures. Advances in printing technologies had enabled a new type of popular science

This ancient sea worm has “bio-metal” jaws unlike anything scientists have seen

An ancient sea worm may hold the secret to a whole new category of natural materials. Its jaws combine proteins and metal ions in a way that gives them metal-like strength and unusual mechanical behavior, yet they still differ from traditional metals. Researchers believe these "bio-metals" could open new directions in materials science while revealing just how sophisticated nature's designs can be.

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