A new study reveals how the duplication of the salivary amylase gene may not only have helped shape human adaptation to starchy foods, but may have occurred as far back as more than 800,000 years ago, long before the advent of farming.

As the world's native bee populations are declining, crop production requiring pollinators increasingly relies on commercial pollination services. In the U.S., the beekeeping industry is in great demand, and truckloads of bee colonies travel the country to accommodate crop growers. A new study looks at pollination contracts between beekeepers and California...

Climate change has a negative impact on food security. Researchers have now conducted a study to investigate the natural variation of different chickpea genotypes and their resistance to drought stress. The scientists were able to show that chickpeas are a drought-resistant legume plant with a high protein content that can complement grain cultivation...

A new review systematically shows the harmful effects of nano- and microplastics on bees and other beneficial insects. Their function as pollinators is impaired by the plastic particles. This harbors risks for global food security.

Some people believe that talking to your plants makes them thrive. While there's limited scientific support for sound improving plant health, there's a growing amount of evidence about the benefits of mechanical stimulation, like touch, wind or rain. Researchers examined the impact of watering practices on tomato plants. They found that the size of...

Biologists have curated the red milkweed beetle's genome and its arsenal of genes related to plant-feeding and other biological traits. They sequenced and assembled the entire genome of the host-specialist milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus). They then compared aspects of genome biology to a relative, the host-generalist Asian longhorned beetle...