We need synthetic fertilisers to produce enough food for the world’s population – there are no other alternatives yetSign up for the Rural Network email newsletterJoin the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the communityIf water is the source of life, fertiliser is the source of scaleable food production.The increasing cost of fertiliser is one of the largest contributors to a...

Campaigners call to prioritise grain for human consumption over its use as a fuelThe US will press ahead with biofuels production, the deputy secretary for agriculture has said, despite increasing concerns over a global food crisis, and calls from campaigners to prioritise grain for human consumption over its use as a fuel.Jewel Bronaugh, the deputy secretary of agriculture, said US farmers could...

Team call in Michelin-starred restaurant to help crack challenge of mimicking texture of seafood From plant-based meat that “bleeds” to milk grown in a lab, fake meats and dairy have come a long way in recent years. But there is another alternative that scientists are training their sights on, one with the most challenging texture to recreate of all: seafood.Scientists in Copenhagen are...

At 80 years old, the one-time Beatle offers a vision of optimism and empathy just as moving as the pageantry of the platinum jubileeA week has passed since Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday, and on Saturday he will play to a huge crowd at the Glastonbury festival. The great surge of reminiscence and celebration these two events have triggered – not least online, where millions of pictures,...

Experts worry about financial incentives for unnatural breeding methods without regulationCanine fertility clinics have boomed in the UK during the pandemic, experts have revealed, as calls grow for greater oversight of the industry.The clinics offer services ranging from artificial insemination to ultrasound scanning, semen analysis, progesterone testing and in some cases caesarean sections....

Space agency says daughter of entomologist sold samples from 1969 Apollo 11 mission that belonged to NasaNasa wants its moon dust and cockroaches back.The space agency has asked Boston-based RR Auction to halt the sale of moon dust collected during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission that had subsequently been fed to cockroaches during an experiment to determine if the lunar rock contained any sort of...

Animal thought to have been seeking place to lay egg in ruins of quake-hit home when Mount Vesuvius eruptedArchaeologists in Pompeii have discovered the remains of a pregnant tortoise that had sought refuge in the ruins of a home destroyed by an earthquake in AD62, only to be covered by volcanic ash and rock when Mount Vesuvius erupted.The 14cm (5.5in) long Hermann’s tortoise and her egg were...

First major analysis examines impact across 185 countries since first jab was administered in December 2020Covid vaccines cut the global death toll by 20 million in the first year after they were available, according to the first major analysis.The study, which modelled the spread of the disease in 185 countries and territories between December 2020 and December 2021, found that without Covid...