Research Ideas, Tips & Guides

For some, reports of a deadly new virus spreading across the planet seemingly came out of nowhere last year. But the emergence of COVID-19 didn’t shock the epidemiologists and researchers who study zoonotic diseases, the kinds of diseases that jump from animals to humans.

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Purchasing your first home or apartment is a daunting process for many, but doing your research ahead of time will ensure that you embark on this journey with as much knowledge as possible. Reading up on homebuying dos and don'ts before getting started will make your experience much more enjoyable.

Mantises are something of an eccentric in the world of insects. The males can fly, but more often they move slowly among shrubs and flowers. They can be fearsome hunters but usually wait for their prey to find them.

Farmworkers, despite working in one of the most grueling jobs in the country, have long lacked some rights that others have.

Last week, the Biden administration released its first annual budget proposal. 

Over the past 100 years, droughts have become both more severe and more frequent.

Buying or selling property can be a complex process, and finding a reliable conveyancing solicitor is crucial to ensure a smooth transaction. 

How does one get a lobster high? In a tiny, lobster-sized hotbox, obviously. Or, in scientific terms, a sealed exposure chamber. 

With Elon Musk’s SpaceX scheduled—though certainly not confirmed—to fly to Mars sometime within the next decade, our thoughts naturally turn to agriculture on the red planet.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it will approve new formulations of the herbicide dicamba. 

In the 2018 midterm elections, Republicans lost support in agricultural counties that suffered from retaliatory tariffs in President Donald Trump’s trade wars. 

Getting a good night’s sleep is key to maintaining your wellbeing. Sleep makes up a third of every person’s life, but some 50 to 70 million people in the U.S. struggle with easily falling asleep. So when videos of people drinking lettuce water to supposedly help induce sleep started making their way around social media, it’s no surprise that many people jumped on the trend. But is lettuce water actually a good DIY sleep aid?

Photosynthesis is one of life’s most quintessential recipes. Plants combine sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to produce oxygen, along with nutrients the organisms need to grow.

Corn yields have set records in five of the last seven years, which should mean promising days ahead for one of the country’s most important crops.

The time for long evenings and summer parties in our backyards is finally here. If your backyard is needing some rejuvenation this season, you’re probably itching to get started.

Each June, we recognize National Men’s Health Month to bring awareness to health and wellness needs specific to men. Research shows that men, on average, live 5 years less than women. This is not surprising, considering men also have a higher risk of developing chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, mental health issues, and stroke. However, it’s not all bad news. With a few simple lifestyle modifications, men can reduce their risk for many of these conditions, leading to a longer, healthier life.

If you’re living on the East Coast right now, you might have heard about the Joro spider—and if you haven't, allow us to introduce you. This (admittedly scary-looking) insect has been slowly moving up the East Coast, with sightings starting in new states this summer.

Header image: Digital Art by Jae Park Mars Exploraton: composite art showing AEF and CELSS (background art courtesy of Boeing)

In April 2024, the EPA passed its first-ever legally enforceable drinking water standards on a handful of PFAS—a group of man-made chemicals widely used to make non-stick coatings and products that resist heat, oil, water and more. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective. They are referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their tendency to not break down. PFAS have been used commercially since the 1940s, and it has long been known that these chemicals are toxic to people. Big chemical companies, such as 3M, have known about the harmful qualities of these toxic chemicals for decades but intentionally hid the evidence. The EPA now admits that “exposure to PFAS has been linked to deadly cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children.

Turning a house into a home can be expensive, taxing, and, worst of all, disappointing. Nothing stings quite like doing research, trying things out, and ending up spending a lot of money on a big home purchase that doesn’t live up to your hopes.

Choose Cherries

Jason Donnelly

Marty Baldwin

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In 2008, Jessica Eikleberry was 29 years old and had just read Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. She wanted to start eating locally and, with the help of her mom, she made a goal for the coming Thanksgiving: an all-local meal.

Electric Mower Upgrade For the Win! Jamie shares that feeling when you finally get to upgrade your old decrepit mower for a shiny new electric model. The saga of our mower

Better Homes & Gardens / Dylan Chandler

As a researcher of urban agriculture, I was shocked to see a recent news article bearing the headline “Food from urban agriculture has a carbon footprint six times larger than conventional produce, study shows.” I had spent five years researching and publishing peer-reviewed articles and book chapters about urban agriculture during my Ph.D. with the Berkeley Food Institute, and this conclusion seemed to fly in the face of all that I’d read. How could this be? 

Header image: Window View of Astronaut Holding DoubleTree Cookie. Image credit: Hilton

We shared this on Chemistry Cachet several weeks ago, and we are already having readers write in saying they love it!

Le Creuset

Cannabis is a plant made up of over 120 cannabinoids that boast a variety of uses, including a range of potential health benefits and is currently being used across the medical industry in the treatment of patients all over the world.

We are all familiar with stress coping mechanisms like deep breathing, exercise, and quality sleep. But did you know that eating habits can have an impact on stress and anxiety as well? Research shows that there are some foods that can help lower cortisol levels, which is the hormone in our bodies that is predominantly responsible for feelings of stress. Below, we’ll go over some foods that can help us manage stress and anxiety in a healthy way when consumed as part of a varied diet.

What is this maggot-looking insect on the bottom of this strawberry leaf?

Good things come to those who wait, and this is especially true when establishing young fruit trees. Pruning to encourage proper branching structure and the production of high-quality fruit requires a great deal of patience, proper cultural care, and a keen eye for detail.