Here are some of the best food stories we came across this week:
- Bee Colony Collapse Explained: Pesticide – Scientists have been scrambling for the last six years to figure out the cause of bees’ Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The Bulletin of Insectology will reveal the culprit in its upcoming June 2012 issue: Imidacloprid, a pesticide used regularly across the globe.
- Robot Fish Swim the Seas to Detect Pollution – European scientists have invented fish-shaped robots to detect underwater pollution. The new swimmers can analyze samples and report data in seconds; currently it can take weeks. They swim like living fish, coordinate with each other and could potentially be used for diver search and rescue or cleaning up oil spills.
- The Whole World Eats More Junk Food at Night – A study conducted via the free app, Eatery, found that people across the globe eat more healthfully in the beginning of the day, but eat more poorly with every hour that passes. The results were consistent whether the participants lived in San Francisco, Tokyo or Johannesburg, were omnivores or vegans.
- Are Medium-sized Farms Being Squeezed Out? – Food production is shifting in America, and mid-sized farms may be feeling it the most. As big agribusiness steamrolls forward and local consumers rally around small family farms, medium-sized (often family-run) farms are struggling to survive.
- Certain Fats Do More Damage to the Brain – A study published in the journal Annals of Neurology found that women who consumed the most saturated fats experienced the most rapid decline in memory and abstract thinking over time. Women who consumed the most monounsaturated fat were 44% less likely to experience the same level of decline.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments below, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for links like these all week long.
Image courtesy of UtahWildFlowers.
