soil

A new study finds how nanoplastics journey up the food chain, from being absorbed from the soil by lettuce, moving to insects, and eventually winding up in fish. The authors note this could pose potential health risks if this process is replicated with other crops and organisms. There’s been growing concern about the presence of […]

New research from Stockholm University shows that PFAS in rainwater around the world are exceeding safe levels. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemical pollutants, often called “forever chemicals” present in many everyday items, like food packaging and clothing. The chemicals leach into the environment, affecting everything from the air we breathe to even rainfall. […]

Citizen scientists have helped to discover a fungus previously unknown to science in the soil of the Scottish Highlands.  Scientists analyzed 219 soil samples collected by hiking volunteers from 55 “Munros” — or mountains — in Cairngorms National Park last year and found that hidden in the dirt was a new species of fungus from […]

As we strive for a more environmentally conscientious world, everything we eat, drink and buy can be looked at from the vantage point of sustainability. And that includes simple pleasures like wine. In California, wine means big business, and it’s standard practice for winemakers to coat their grapes with a sulfur-based fungicide in order to […]

Footprints in the soil aren’t something you might normally associate with having a big impact on the environment, but soils are delicate ecosystems made up of circulating air and water that nourish organisms and plant roots, scientists from Lancaster University reported in The Conversation. Too much soil compaction can reduce plant growth, leading to less […]

Sadhguru is a spiritual leader who has spent the last 24 years leading a global people’s movement to save the world’s soil. His Conscious Planet: Save Soil movement aims to turn the world’s attention to soil; encourage around 3.5 billion people, or 60 percent of the global electorate, to push for soil-healthy policies; and ensure that soil has an organic content of three to six percent. 

Human activity has degraded as much as 40 percent of the world’s land, impacting half of the people on Earth and putting about half of global gross domestic product at risk. That’s the stark finding of the Global Land Outlook 2, a new report from the UN’s Council to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). With more than […]

Coffee, avocados and cashews are crops beloved by consumers and essential to the livelihoods of tropical farmers. But how will the climate crisis impact their future growth? A new study published in PLOS One Wednesday looked at how suitable growing areas for these delicious and important crops would shift over the next 30 years, and […]