Franconia's agriculture of the future: olives and rice instead of barley and sugar beet?

Unchecked climate change will radically change German agriculture by 2100

10-Mar-2026 - Against the backdrop of climate change, agriculture is facing an unprecedented transformation. While Germany was hardly affected by massive crop failures for decades, the picture has changed drastically since 2015. Since then, heatwaves and dry spells have been responsible for yield losses in ...

Vascular killer LDL cholesterol: are butter, eggs and cheese the culprits?

In addition to drug therapies to lower cholesterol, a healthy lifestyle is important

10-Mar-2026 - Cholesterol-rich foods such as eggs, cheese and butter have long been considered the main cause of increased LDL cholesterol levels, an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. "Today we know that the intake of cholesterol through food only slightly increases LDL cholesterol levels in ...

New study reveals early healthy eating shapes lifelong brain health

Gut bacteria and prebiotics from onions or garlic mitigate long-term brain changes caused by early malnutrition

26-Feb-2026 - Eating unhealthy foods early in life leave lasting brain and feeding changes but gut bacteria can help restore healthy eating, new University College Cork (UCC) research study finds. A high-fat, high-sugar diet during the early life period can cause long-lasting changes in how the brain regulates ...

Hope for global banana farming in genetic discovery

Researchers decode resistance gene against banana disease

24-Feb-2026 - Scientists have pinpointed crucial genetic resistance to fight a funal disease which threatens the global banana supply in a wild subspecies of the fruit. In a valuable step forward for banana breeding programs, Dr Andrew Chen and Professor Elizabeth Aitken from The University of Queensland have ...

Colombia strengthens an industry alliance in Europe for safe and responsible bananas

Logistics, sustainability and a decent wage

09-Feb-2026 - At Fruit Logistica 2026, the Association of Banana Producers of Colombia (AUGURA) and the Association of Banana Producers from Magdalena and La Guajira (ASBAMA) presented a united front. They were accompanied by the Colombian Ambassador to Germany, H.E. Yadir Salazar-Mejía, and ProColombia, in ...

Fewer pesticide residues in food from Germany

Half of all foods without measurable residues, significant differences depending on origin and variety

20-Jan-2026 - Food in Germany rarely contains residues of plant protection products above the applicable maximum residue levels. This is shown by the "National Reporting on Pesticide Residues in Food 2024" published by the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). A total of 16,423 food ...

Inflatable fabric robotic arm picks apples

Soft robot could solve labor crisis in agriculture

13-Jan-2026 - A low-cost, simple robotic apple picker arm developed by Washington State University researchers may someday help with fruit picking and other farm chores. The inflatable arm can see an apple, then extend and retract to pick a piece of fruit in about 25seconds. Weighing less than 50pounds with ...

Postharvest apple immunity: a key factor in shelf life and fruit quality

09-Dec-2025 - Postharvest losses in fruits, particularly apples, are a significant global issue. New research sheds light on how the immune system of apple fruits interacts with their microbiomes during storage, playing a crucial role in maintaining fruit health and preventing spoilage. By investigating the ...

Vegan diet can halve your carbon footprint

Vegan diet cuts carbon emissions by 46% and land use by 33%, while delivering nearly all essential nutrients

12-Nov-2025 - Only around 1.1% of the world's population is vegan, but this percentage is growing. For example, in Germany the number of vegans approximately doubled between 2016 and 2020 to 2% of the population, while a 2.4-fold increase between 2023 and 2025 to 4.7% of the population has been reported in the ...

Between Thuringia and Greece: Young founders launch delicatessen start-up KOKKINO

A life between two worlds

11-Nov-2025 - Maria (34) and Philipp Handwerker (33) from Niederorschel in Eichsfeld have been living between two countries since this year. Maria and Philipp Handwerker have divided their lives between northern Greece and Thuringia - in Piges near Drama they run a small pomegranate farm with around 180 trees, ...