William Meyer, professor in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, has been named the first C. Reed Funk Endowed Faculty Scholar in Plant Biology and Genetics at Rutgers University. This is a tremendous honor for Meyer and the Rutgers Center for Turfgrass Science, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Executive Dean Bob Goodman presented […]
Archives for June 2016
Fight is on against Zika virus although outbreak unlikely
Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties occupy a combined area of nearly 1,500 square miles, yet officials are on the hunt for predators that could fit inside the palm of one’s hand… “We’re working on getting [an answer]… More than likely, an infected person was set upon by mosquitoes in a tropical area. Those mosquitoes then went about spreading it,” explained Scott Crans, senior program coordinator at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), who also teaches mosquito biology.
Weird jet stream behavior could be making Greenland’s melting even worse, scientists say
The vast northern ice sheet of Greenland melts every summer, pooling lakes of meltwater on its surface, and losing fleets of icebergs from its finger-like glaciers.. “I think we can start to connect these dots and say that increasing loss of Arctic sea ice is leading to more blocking patterns, which are contributing to the increasing surface melt on Greenland,” said Jennifer Francis, the Rutgers University Arctic expert whose ideas about Arctic melting distorting the jet stream have ignited one of the biggest ongoing debates in climate science, and who is familiar with the new study by Tedesco and his colleagues.
Rutgers 250: NJAES All-Star Variety of the Month – Dogwood
Scarlet Fire™ Extends Ornamental Dogwood Season The Rutgers 250 All-Star Variety for June 2016 is the ‘Rutpink’ Scarlet Fire™ dogwood tree. This is the first Cornus kousa variety released in over 45 years to the ornamental nursery market. Rutgers plant breeder Tom Molnar, continued the decades of work started by renowned breeder and professor emeritus […]
Farmers market returns to Upper Township June 17
The Upper Township Farmers Market will return for its second season on Friday, June 17 at the field north of the Cedar Square Shopping Center in Seaville… One of the featured vendors this week will be Linda Conover, of Cape May, a master gardener wit…
When eating can be a life-or-death decision
A 13-year-old Chicago, Ill., student died in 2010 from an allergic reaction to peanuts after a Chinese restaurant cooked meals for a school party and apparently used peanut oil, after saying they would not… “People sometimes aren’t aware of how serious food allergies can be,” said Dr. Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, a nutrition researcher at Rutgers. “To them, it may seem like an inconvenience to not put peanut butter sandwiches in their children’s lunch, but there are many other nutritious choices – and leaving the peanut butter at home may save a classmate’s life.”
Melting Greenland ice linked to faster Arctic warming, new research
Scientists from the University of Georgia have linked the 2015 record ice melt in Greenland with a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification, a recent study in the journal Nature Communications reports… The authors stop short of confirming Arctic ampl…
Cash In On Ethnic Crops
The category of ethnic specialty crops has taken off considerably within the past couple years, and as growers bear witness to the market’s growing popularity, many are jumping on the bandwagon… Despite many opportunities in the sector, Richard VanVr…
Is wacky weather helping melt Greenland?
The two main forces that conspire to destroy Earth’s massive polar ice sheets are heat, which melts their surfaces via sunlight and warm air, and gravity, which drives glaciers to slide to the sea. But a new analysis of the Greenland Ice Sheet points t…
Medical Labs May Be Killing Horseshoe Crabs
Drawing the crabs’ blue blood for vital medical testing can condemn the animals to die, even after they are returned to the sea… “There’s not very good science-based information on the mortality of the crabs. I’ve seen figures range from 15 percent to 40 percent but nobody has a really good handle on that,” says Michael De Luca, senior associate director at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University.