The world’s strawberry and tomato production is facing a pressing challenge – finding enough laborers to manually harvest these in-demand crops. While high-bed cultivation has eased some of the physical strain, the need for robots to take over this task is becoming increasingly apparent. Enter Osaka Metropolitan University Assistant Professor Takuya Fujinaga, who has pioneered an algorithm that enables agricultural robots to autonomously navigate and harvest among raised beds with unprecedented precision.

Fujinaga’s groundbreaking research uses lidar point cloud data to create a detailed map of the environment, allowing the robot to move accurately while maintaining a consistent distance from the cultivation bed. This technology is already used in high-end smartphones and autonomous vehicles, making it a reliable solution for agricultural applications.

The implications are vast – with robots capable of performing tasks beyond harvesting, such as monitoring for disease and pruning, farm efficiency will improve significantly. According to Fujinaga, “Once this type of agricultural robot becomes more practical to use, it will make a significant contribution to improving work efficiency and reducing labor, especially for high-bed cultivation.”

Published in Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, Fujinaga’s research is a crucial step towards revolutionizing the farming industry and ensuring that strawberry fields forever remain a staple of our fruit supply.

The world has long been aware of the importance of protein in our diets. However, research has shown that not all proteins are created equal when it comes to longevity. A groundbreaking study by experts at the University of Sydney has found that countries which consume more plant-based proteins have longer adult life expectancies.

Published in Nature Communications, Dr. Alistair Senior and his team analyzed food supply and demographic data from 101 countries between 1961-2018. They corrected the data to account for population size and wealth, revealing a fascinating mixed picture when it comes to comparing the health impacts of meat versus plant-based protein at a population level.

For infants under five, a diet rich in animal-based proteins and fats resulted in lower rates of mortality. However, for adults, the reverse was true – a higher consumption of plant-based proteins led to increased overall life expectancy. This finding has significant implications for public health policies and individual dietary choices.

The researchers used publicly available data on food supply from 101 countries over a 60-year period. They analyzed the availability of calories, proteins, and fats in each country’s food system, taking into account differences in wealth and population size. Their results showed that countries with higher availability of plant-based proteins had relatively longer life expectancies.

This study adds to the growing body of evidence that plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Plant-based protein sources like legumes, nuts, and whole grains have been linked to improved overall mortality rates and longevity in some of the world’s longest-lived communities.

As we consider the impact of our diets on both human health and the planet, it is essential to recognize the importance of plant-based protein as a crucial part of a healthy diet. By making informed choices about where we get our protein from, we can contribute to a longer, healthier life for ourselves and future generations.

Revolutionizing Honey Bee Survival: A New Pollen-Replacing Food Source Brings Hope for the Future

A team of scientists from Washington State University and APIX Biosciences NV has made a groundbreaking discovery that could save honey bee colonies from extinction. The researchers have developed a new food source that can sustain honey bees indefinitely without natural pollen, a crucial nutrient for these vital pollinators.

The innovative food source resembles human-made diets fed to livestock and pets, containing all the necessary nutrients for honey bees to thrive. It’s expected to become a potent strategy for combating the escalating rates of colony collapse and safeguarding global food supplies reliant on bee pollination.

In a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers demonstrated successful trials where nutritionally stressed colonies deployed for commercial crop pollination in Washington state thrived on the new food source. The breakthrough addresses one of the growing challenges faced by honey bees: lack of adequate nutrition in their environment.

“The changes in land use, urban expansion, and extreme weather all negatively impact nutrition for honey bees and other pollinators,” said Brandon Hopkins, P.F. Thurber Endowed Distinguished Professor of Pollinator Ecology at WSU. “Honey bees are generalists and do not get all their nutrition from a single source. They need variety in their diet to survive but find it increasingly difficult to find the continuous supply of pollen they need to sustain the colony.”

Dr. Patrick Pilkington, CEO of APIX Biosciences US, emphasized the significance of this development: “Until this study, honey bees were the only livestock that could not be maintained on a human-made feed. The reported scientific work shows in commercial field conditions that providing nutritionally stressed colonies with our pollen-replacing feed results in a major measurable step change in colony health compared to current best practices. Our product has the potential to change the way honey bees are managed.”

The research, a culmination of over a decade of work, involved extensive collaboration between APIX Biosciences and WSU. The newly published work is the result of a herculean scientific effort of three teams: first, the founders and scientists of APIX Biosciences who tested thousands of combinations of ingredients on honey bees over more than 10 years to create this feed; second, the WSU team with leading honey bee and field expertise; and third, leading beekeepers in California together with extension teams.

A critical discovery within the research is the role of isofucosterol, a molecule found naturally in pollen that acts as a vital nutrient for honey bees. Colonies fed with isofucosterol-enriched food survived an entire season without pollen access, while those without it experienced severe declines, including reduced larval production, adult paralysis, and colony collapse.

To validate the efficacy of the new food source under real-world conditions, WSU conducted field trials with nutritionally stressed colonies in blueberry and sunflower fields, both known for poor pollen quality for bees. Compared to colonies receiving standard commercial feed or no supplementation, those fed the new food source thrived, demonstrating increased survival and colony growth.

“Some beekeepers don’t pollinate blueberries anymore because colonies suffer or die and the pollination fees don’t cover the losses,” Hopkins said. “Blueberry pollen isn’t very nutritious for honey bees, and they aren’t adapted well to pollinating that crop. But if they have this supplemental food source, beekeepers may return to pollinating those fields since they know their bees are more likely to survive.”

The severe challenge of high annual colony mortality, with recent reports indicating crisis-level losses, underscores the urgency of this innovation.

Pilkington expressed optimism about the discovery’s impact: “We are confident that the product will positively impact beekeepers and growers once it’s available to purchase in the US, which is targeted for mid-2026. Meanwhile we are working with WSU and the beekeeping community across the USA to develop the best way to make use of this new tool in agricultural settings.”