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Machine learning and satellite imagery could help protect the world’s most important crops

Driving Food, Water and Energy Solutions

Image of four-step process of capturing microplastics from water.

Mar 26, 2025

New Water Microcleaners Self-Disperse, Capture Microplastics and Float Up for Removal

Proof-of-concept work uses unique, safe particles to remove microplastics in a single cycle. 
Campus gateway sign reading NC State University

Mar 24, 2025

Novel Material Holds Promise for Tech to Convert CO2 Into Fuel

Researchers have developed a novel combination of materials that have organic and inorganic properties, with the goal of using them in technologies that convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into a liquid fuel. 
neatly planted rows of corn

Mar 17, 2025

Researchers Demonstrate New Technique for Boosting Plant Growth with Bacteria

The work paves the way for crop applications that make use of these beneficial bacteria in conjunction with agrochemicals. 
a hen eats corn in a barn

Feb 27, 2025

Avian Flu: How Scientists and Farmers are Working to Adapt

What’s driving the current outbreak of Avian flu? And how are scientists working to find solutions? 
two men in hard hats crouch on a large roof covered with solar panels

Feb 27, 2025

Study Finds Support for Solar Energy Has Become Politically Polarized

While public support for solar energy remains high, that support declined significantly from 2016 to 2022. 
people sort through donations at a food pantry

Feb 20, 2025

New Technique Aims to Make Food Deliveries More Efficient

The technique develops optimized delivery routes to make food delivery faster and more fuel efficient. 
illustration shows how a new technique can tune quantum dots to produce a full range of colors

Feb 18, 2025

Light-Powered Breakthrough Enables Precision Tuning of Quantum Dots

The new technique uses light to tune the optical properties of quantum dots – making the process faster, more energy-efficient and more environmentally sustainable. 
Not only is collecting material with cytology brushes far faster and easier than collecting eraser crumbs, but it also greatly reduces the risk of cross-contamination. If you’re testing an entire book with an eraser, for instance, you must ensure to get up all the crumbs from one page before starting another. “Otherwise, you risk mixing them together,” Stinson says. Plus, from a library’s perspective, using a brush can in some cases be even less invasive than using an eraser. Many manuscripts that have survived hundreds of years aren’t exactly clean. Erasers remove dirt or stains — and leave unsightly white spots. Stinson and his team’s collection technique does not.

Feb 17, 2025

Deciphering the Past with DNA from Parchment Pages

With help from colleagues in the College of Veterinary Medicine, an English professor is examining much more than just what’s written on medieval documents. 
Green rhododendron leave with green blotches

Jan 31, 2025

Moving Plant Disease Diagnosis from Lab to Field for Faster Results

North Carolina State University researchers continue to push the field of plant disease diagnosis forward, developing simple-to-run tests capable of delivering results in minutes, sometimes before plants show visible signs… 
Potato leaf with late blight disease.

Jan 24, 2025

Study Points to South America – Not Mexico – as Birthplace of Irish Potato Famine Pathogen

Spud sleuth Jean Ristaino and lab members solve a longstanding mystery into the origin of the Irish potato famine pathogen. 
a small patch rests on the back of a person's left wrist. the person is touching the patch with their right index finger

Jan 15, 2025

Researchers Make Comfortable Materials That Generate Power When Worn

The work stems from an advanced understanding of materials that increase comfort in textiles and produce electricity when rubbed against another surface. 
a circuitboard features a large black chip with the letters AI written on it

Jan 13, 2025

New Method Forecasts Computation, Energy Costs for Sustainable AI Models

Predicting energy and computational costs allows users to make informed decisions about when to update AI models to improve AI sustainability. 
Powdery mildew on a blueberry plant.

Jan 8, 2025

Blueberries Beware: Powdery Mildew Spreading Across the Globe

Research on fungus spread could help growers predict, monitor and control disease affecting blueberries. 
three waste collection cans sit next to each other. a green one is labeled compost; a red one is labeled waste; a yellow one is labeled recycling

Jan 7, 2025

New Research Improves Predictions for Solid Waste Management

Improved waste predictions can help improve the efficiency of recycling and landfill operations. 

Dec 12, 2024

Machine learning and satellite imagery could help protect the world’s most important crops

A new North Carolina State University study combines satellite imagery with machine learning technology to help model rice crop productivity faster and more accurately. The tool could help decision-makers around the world better assess how and where to plant rice, which is the primary source of energy for more than half of the world’s population.…