City dwellers who grow their own fruit and vegetables may be consuming high levels of pollutants. In a recent study, researchers found that vegetables grown on plots in Berlin, Germany, often contained higher concentrations of some heavy metals than shop-bought vegetables, with those grown close to busy roads containing the greatest quantities.

Increases in the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere can be beneficial to crops, by providing a source of carbon for growth. However, very high levels of CO₂ have the reverse effect, decreasing the yield and quality of vegetable crops, a new study has shown. The researchers say atmospheric CO₂ concentration should be kept below 5 000 ppm to enhance the yield of leafy vegetables such as cabbage and lettuce.

Certain vegetables take up heavy metals from contaminated water used for irrigation, a new study finds. The researchers grew vegetables in greenhouses similar to field conditions in Greece and found that concentrations of nickel and chromium increased in potatoes and onions, but not in carrots, when irrigated with water containing contaminant levels similar to those found in industrial wastewater.

The discomfort associated with hot, dry summers in some urban areas can be reduced by planting the most appropriate trees in open city spaces, according to a recent study. The researchers identified the Indian laurel fig as the most effective tree for this purpose in the Greek city of Chania.

Rooftop gardens in cities could provide more than three quarters of the vegetables consumed in them, a case study from Bologna, Italy, suggests. If all suitable flat roof space was used for urban agriculture, rooftop gardens in the city could supply around 12 500 tons of vegetables a year whilst also providing a range of ecosystem services, the researchers say.

Using vegetable waste to produce bioplastics can provide sustainable alternatives to non-biodegradable plastic, new research has found. The biodegradable plastic developed for this study, produced using parsley and spinach stems, cocoa pod husks and rice hulls, have a range of mechanical properties comparable to conventional plastics which are used for products from carrier bags to kitchenware and computer components.

Erratum
This article was amended 10.12.14 to give more information about the nature of trifluoroacetic acid.

Astronomers using ESO telescopes and other facilities have found clear evidence of a planet orbiting the closest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri. The long-sought world, designated Proxima b, orbits its cool red parent star every 11 days and has a temperature suitable for liquid water to exist on its surface. This rocky world is a little more massive than the Earth and is the closest exoplanet to us -- and it may also be the closest possible abode for life outside the Solar System. A paper describing this milestone finding will be published in the journal Nature on 25 August 2016.

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To assess the impact on ecosystems of chemical contamination in aquatic environments, scientists need to measure not only the concentration of the contaminants, but also the extent to which they can disrupt biological processes at a cellular level in plants and animals and at an ecosystem level. According to a new study, considering these complex inter-relationships in combination will help improve the ecological status of waterways, in line with Water Framework Directive (WFD) commitments.

Population growth of any country is ultimately dependent on that country’s access to freshwater resources, which also determines its capacity to produce food. A new study shows that population growth is expected to decline in countries with low water resources, as water-rich countries reduce food exports in order to feed their own growing populations.

An innovative system for pricing household water is proposed in a new EU-funded study1 researched in the US and UK. The tariff is designed by combining the economic value of water with reservoir storage data, and is intended to cut water usage during times of shortage by charging large-volume consumers a higher rate which increases as water becomes scarcer. The tariff increase subsidises water for other users, whilst also ensuring the system is economically stable. A case study suggests that the tariff could cut water consumption in the city of Valencia by up to 18%.

The economic benefits of restoring natural ecosystems outweigh the costs, according to new research. The study examined the financial costs and benefits of restoring a range of ecosystems, including those found in marine, inland and coastal habitats, and concludes that in most cases the large value of ecosystem services provides a net economic benefit.

A framework to combine economically viable agriculture with effective biodiversity conservation has been described in a recent study. According to the researchers, their approach provides a simple guide designed to help planners and farmers achieve sustainable agriculture.

Monitoring of at-risk sites is important for preventing the arrival and spread of invasive species. However, resources are often insufficient to achieve the level of risk reduction desired by authorities. This study presents a novel framework, based on the ‘acceptable level of risk’ construct, to align needs to reduce risk with available resources.

Many here in Massachusetts started social distancing about a month ago and we have no end in sight yet. If you live alone, maybe you are ready to match up with someone after you get through this hardship. Today's guest blogger, Toshi Takeuchi, has a perfect algorithm for you. I love that this was inspired by a problem that, at first glance, doesn't seem very technical or relevant. But it is!... read more >>

Today I'd like to introduce a guest blogger, Stephen Doe, who works for the MATLAB Documentation team here at MathWorks. In today's post, Stephen discusses how to take advantage of recent performance improvements when indexing into tables. The same approach applies to many different data types. While the release notes describe the performance improvements, in today's post Stephen also offers further advice based on a simple code example.... read more >>

The traditional method for estimating contamination levels of vegetables grown in contaminated soils may not be as reliable as previously thought, a new study finds. A new risk assessment technique showed that the daily intake of cadmium in lettuce grown in soils near Swedish glasswork sites was above the safety threshold for a fifth of the study population.

European scientists have conducted the first ever long-term study into the breakdown of alternative plastic bags compared to conventional plastic bags, across multiple habitats — open air, soil and sea. Oxo-degradable, compostable and biodegradable bags are often marketed as being recycled back into nature more quickly than normal bags; however, the long-term environmental studies to back this up are lacking and there is concern regarding microplastic pollution from these alternative plastic bags.

Today I decided to revisit a topic I covered a few years ago: loading discrete signals in a simulation.... read more >>

City dwellers who grow their own fruit and vegetables may be consuming high levels of pollutants. In a recent study, researchers found that vegetables grown on plots in Berlin, Germany, often contained higher concentrations of some heavy metals than shop-bought vegetables, with those grown close to busy roads containing the greatest quantities.

Emissions from well-regulated household waste incinerators do not reduce the quality of vegetables and milk produced nearby, a Dutch study suggests. Researchers found that levels of certain contaminants were similar whether vegetables and milk came from the area surrounding three incinerators, or from elsewhere in the Netherlands. They say biomonitoring programmes could offer a way to increase the understanding of the real impacts of waste incineration and to improve communication between waste management companies and local communities.

Cloud Compute is our latest cloud based data centre service allowing you to self-service and access cloud based infrastructure globally.It's all about choice and flexibility, building the service you need as for long as you need it. Setting up infrastructure that perfectly aligned, faster than ever with near instant provisioning times across private and public availability zones.

Grey got a gift he cannot use, Myke is still outfitting Mega Studio, and they both discuss clarity in projects.

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Sure you could bake some cupcakes, frost them pink and call them Valentine’s Day desserts, but you might want to be a little more creative when treating your

Has Astoria finally found a way to drive away pinnipeds humanely?

A big robotic airship could ply the skies of Venus for up to a year, giving scientists an unprecedented look at Earth's hellishly hot "sister planet."

Kermit pops into ‘Saturday Night Live’ to discuss the school lunch standards.

America does not grow enough fruits and vegetables to satisfy USDA recommendations for all citizens. This infograhic makes the argument easy to understand.

The Institute of Medicine has raised the amount of potatoes, corn and peas it recommends you eat each week.

If you want to get the most nutrients out of your veggies, don't worry about gaining polyphenols or losing nutrients. Just eat them.

If you think your yard has too much shade to grow vegetables, there may be hope.

Growers show off their autumnal bounty at the annual London Harvest Festival Show.

Could this be a Christmas miracle in London ... or the ultimate cold weather pipe dream?

Smoked watermelon "ham," the most bizarre viral dish of 2018, sets its sights on the holidays.

Brussels sprouts are a superfood packed with vitamins, cancer-fighting nutrients, and many health benefits.

Dulse, a succulent red marine alga, is highly nutritious, fast-growing — and supposedly tastes like bacon when fried. The Internet weighs in...

Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas treats will be here soon, but being proactive can help you win the battle of the bulge.

Climate change may be stripping nutrients from the most basic of foods, and that's making its way up the chain to us.

These nutritional powerhouse vegetables can flourish in your yard or in containers.

The O'Neill Passive House, America's first passive house retrofit project, requires as much energy to operate as a standard hair dryer.

NYC announces a scheme in which organic food waste will help to boost production of methane-rich biogas at the city's largest wastewater treatment plant.

These 'Groundhog Day' quotes are perfect for when you feel like you're living the same day over and over.

And that information isn't as useless as it may seem.

Meanwhile, rumors of a pending iPad 3 spread around the Web, but are they to be believed?

Free printable coupons plus recipe ideas to use them to make cooking at home a little easier.