The Benefits of Bees
As spring approaches and bees and other insects begin pollinating flowers and crops, a study from the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University shows just how valuable these insects are.
Using publicly available price and production data combined with existing pollination field studies, the team identified key areas in the U.S. that produce economically and nutritionally valuable crops, such as apples or almonds, and are also highly dependent on pollinators like honeybees, butterflies and wasps. By overlaying maps of predicted wild bee abundance, the researchers identified areas where there was high economic dependence on pollinators but low predicted abundance of pollinators.
Pollinators such as bees play an important role in agriculture, but are under threat
The economic value of insect pollinators is much higher than previously thought
February 18, 2021
The economic value of insect pollinators is much higher than previously thought, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University. The team also found that areas that are economically most reliant on insect pollinators are the same areas where pollinator habitat and forage quality are poor. Pollinators like bees play an extremely important role in agriculture, said senior author Vikas Khanna of Pitt s Swanson School of Engineering. The insects that pollinate farmers crops underpin our ecosystem biodiversity and function, human nutrition and economic welfare.
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PITTSBURGH (Feb. 8, 2021) . In this digital age, where the internet accelerates technological development, there has been a surge of scientific innovation designed to improve the quality of life for patients in need. However, there are physical, cognitive, and sensory issues that are often overlooked during the process, resulting in poor design for a particular user group -adults aged 65 and older. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, this group will comprise more than 20 percent of the U.S. population starting in 2030.
Highlighting the importance for safety and efficacy, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration has made incorporating human factors a priority for device approval which can significantly impact the road to commercialization, leaving many researchers stuck in the design phase. Unfortunately, many of these technologies and interventions struggle to advance to commercialization.
Scientists Ask: Can Nanotech And Microbes Partner To Destroy PFAS?
Diana Aga, Henry M. Woodburn Professor of Chemistry at the University at Buffalo. Aga is the project s principal investigator.
Researchers will use analytical and computational techniques to understand, in detail, how PFAS degrade at each step of the proposed treatment process
Imagine this: In a wastewater treatment plant, engineered molecular-scale scissors chop up PFAS, toxic compounds that are so tough to break down that they’re called “forever chemicals.” Then, microbes digest the molecular scraps, clearing them from the water.
In a new project, researchers from the University at Buffalo and University of Pittsburgh are teaming up to design the approaches and tools that would make such a system possible. The group will seek to develop advanced catalytic carbon-metal nanomaterials that react with and snip PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and to identify and isolate bacteria capable of consuming
The business of bees
The economic value of insect pollination services is much higher than previously thought in the U.S., new research finds
Researchers found that the economic value of insect pollinators was $34 billion in the U.S. in 2012.
Image: Leon Plump, Unsplash
The business of bees
February 04, 2021
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. The economic value of insect pollinators was $34 billion in the U.S. in 2012, much higher than previously thought, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State. The team also found that areas that are economically most reliant on insect pollinators are the same areas where pollinator habitat and forage quality are poor.