Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Trump will change the face of US food policy. These are the players to watch

admin — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:00:14 +0000

The industry ties and policy backgrounds of these officials and cabinet nominees are varied – and often contradictory

Trump plots healthier America but deregulation likely to feature on menu

The secret lives of Florida’s crocodiles: study reveals long-distance commutes

admin — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:00:13 +0000

Preliminary research provides rare insight in to the reptile’s habits and movement across urban landscapes

New research has revealed surprising details about the secret lives of crocodiles swimming through Florida’s waterways, including the long distances some travel in search of food and shelter, and their ability to slither unnoticed through populous neighborhoods.

Trump plots healthier America but deregulation likely to feature on menu

admin — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:00:12 +0000

President’s cabinet picks suggest help for big companies and regulatory rollbacks will take precedence in food policy

More carrot, less stick: how meat-loving Danes were sold a plant-led world first

admin — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:00:28 +0000

Agreement between farmers, politicians and environmental groups led to a €170m action fund for plant based food

I’m a Labour MP – but the government’s ‘growth’ mission reeks of panic | Clive Lewis

admin — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 08:00:51 +0000

The decision to expand Heathrow is just the latest evidence that my party is chasing policies that serve profit, not people

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s recent “big growth agenda” speech wasn’t just the expression of a vision for the economy. It was also a warning shot to wavering Labour MPs. The message was blunt: get on board with the government’s economic strategy or step aside. Growth, we were told, is the non-negotiable mission.

Week in wildlife in pictures: a new shrew, itchy deer and tortoises on rafts

admin — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 08:00:49 +0000

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

Land use plan for England to map best areas for farming and nature

admin — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:00:48 +0000

Minister to announce consultation that will exclude certain areas from housing, solar panels and onshore wind

Valuable farmland will be protected from housing, solar panels and onshore wind under a new land use framework, the government has announced.

The environment secretary, Steve Reed, will announce a consultation into how the limited land in England should be used and where is best to farm, restore nature or build infrastructure.

Microplastics in placentas linked to premature births, study suggests

admin — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 22:30:37 +0000

Tiny plastic pollution more than 50% higher in placentas from preterm births than in those from full-term births

A study has found microplastic and nanoplastic pollution to be significantly higher in placentas from premature births than in those from full-term births.

The levels were much higher than previously detected in blood, suggesting the tiny plastic particles were accumulating in the placenta. But the higher average levels found in the shorter pregnancies were a “big surprise” for the researchers, as longer terms could be expected to lead to more accumulation.

Sharks and rays benefit from global warming, but not from CO2 in the Oceans

admin — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 19:05:01 +0000

Sharks and rays have populated the world's oceans for around 450 million years, but more than a third of the species living today are severely threatened by overfishing and the loss of their habitat. Palaeobiologists have now investigated whether and how global warming influences the diversity of sharks based on climate fluctuations between 200 and 66 million years ago. According to the study, higher temperatures and more shallow water areas have a positive effect, while higher CO2 levels have a clearly negative effect.

Promoting cacao production without sacrificing biodiversity

admin — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 18:53:00 +0000

The productivity of cacao trees decreases with time, forcing farmers to renew their plantations by either cutting down the old trees or establishing a new crop elsewhere. Frequently, new plantations are established in areas of the forest that are thinned out to accommodate new, young cacao trees. However, this comes with high economic and ecological costs. An alternative approach is to graft highly productive and native cultivars onto the existing older cacao trees.