pesticides
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MIT gives pesticides an electric charge to improve stickiness
There are plenty of problems with pesticides -- making bees dumb, anyone? -- but the biggest is probably how much is wasted while it's being sprayed onto crops. Because of how certain leaves naturally repel water, it means that hardly any anti-bug treatments actually, you know, stick to them. In fact, only two percent of the spray stays in place, according to MIT News. So, to change that, a team of researchers have devised a way to increase the amount of liquid a leaf's surface retains.
Spongy electronic 'nose' can sniff out nerve gas and pesticides
When you're trying to detect extremely dangerous chemicals, you don't want to mess around -- even a tiny amount can spell big trouble. It's a good thing, then, that Belgian researchers have developed what could be the most sensitive gas sensor to date. Their electronic 'nose' uses spongy metal-organic frameworks (below) that can absorb and flag extremely tiny amounts of the phosphonates you find in harmful gases like sarin (aka a form of nerve gas) or pesticides. It's so sensitive that, in some cases, it can find just a few parts per trillion -- even the cleverest evildoer would likely have trouble hiding a chemical weapon.
Scientists decode the bedbug's genes to help kill it
Just the very thought of bedbugs probably makes your skin crawl, and that's made all the worse by their ability to adapt to new threats. Like it or not, that pesticide you used years ago probably doesn't work any more. What to do? Genetics might just come to the rescue. Scientists have created the first full genome sequence for the bedbug in hopes of defeating its resistance to sprays and other attempts at extermination. You'd think this would have been easy (humans can sequence woolly mammoths, for goodness' sake), but it wasn't -- the team had to compare bedbug genes from 1973 with present-day samples, and even the differences before and after the bugs had their blood meals.
Garden naturally with Grow Smart, Grow Safe for iOS
Grow Smart, Grow Safe is a handy free app that will assess the dangers of some of the garden products you use and then suggest safer alternatives. While the app is aimed at the Pacific Northwest, the information it contains should work for anyone using American-made garden and lawn products. The app is designed for use at the store when shopping, or you can survey lawn and garden products at your leisure. You begin by picking a category like weeds or insects, then browse products or enter some product names. You'll get indications of how hazardous the product is, based on information provided by the Department of Agriculture in the State of Washington. Once you find the selected product, Grow Smart, Grow Safe suggests safer alternatives, usually products containing no chemical pesticides. All product listings show the active ingredients, so you'll get an idea about what's in the products you intend to use. There is a good bit of controversy over the health effects of pesticides, and this app has a definite point of view, but anyone who gardens will find the data interesting and appreciate the tips designed for safer gardening. If your view of garden chemicals is "better to be safe than sorry", then Grow Smart, Grow Safe has your name on it. The app contains lots of background on why we should care about what we use on our gardens or lawns. A nice feature for the developers to add to a future version would be the ability to create a shopping list of some of the recommended alternative products. The app was produced by the King County (Seattle) Local Hazardous Waste Management Program, along with government agencies in Oregon. It's not a universal app, but will run fine on all platforms that can run iOS 7 or later.
Chemical sensors could detect plants' cries for help, reduce need for pesticides
It's a terrifying thought, but science suggests that when under attack, plants cry for help. Invisible and, often odorless, green leaf volatiles emitted from vegetation act as a defense mechanism, communicating to other foliage that danger is near. One researcher at the University of Georgia, however, is developing a chemical sensor to use these distraught emissions for good. Working in a similar fashion detecting glucose in the blood, the sensor would be able to alert farmers to when crops are under attack from pests, allowing them to trigger defenses reactively, and in a localized area. The net result being less chemicals on our food, and potentially lower costs for producers. Other suggested uses include helping us keep our produce at home fresher for longer by -- literally -- weeding out bad apples in a bag, before they affect the others. The technology is still being optimized for field use, but a testing device should follow once complete. In the meantime, we'll never feel the same about mowing the lawn again.
