Discover 3 recent science news in our #PeerusWhatsNew, now on Medium.
1 A few tens of millions of kilometers from us, Venus, the twin sister of the Earth, could welcome life into its atmosphere, according to a new study.
Closer to the Sun, the planet suffers an average ground temperature of 450 ° C. The atmospheric pressure is enormous (92 times that of the Earth) and it rains sulfuric acid. In these conditions it is difficult to imagine that life can exist on the ground.
Researchers speculate that the dark spots seen in the ultraviolet in Venus’ clouds could be efflorescence of bacteria.
2 To feed the world while preserving the planet from global warming, the UN is promoting agroecology, a historic turning point after several decades of “green revolution” based on intensive agriculture.
Since the end of the Second World War, the development of agriculture based on the massive use of fertilizers and chemical resources to achieve food security for the planet has had a high price for the environment while increased production has not eradicated hunger in the world.
“We need to promote sustainable food systems (…) and preserve the environment: agroecology can help achieve this,” said José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the UN Agency for agriculture and food.
3 The bacterium xylella fastidiosa, which decimated thousands of olive trees in Italy, was detected for the first time on olive trees and oaks of Corsica.
This bacterium was detected for the first time in Europe in 2013 in Apulia (southern Italy). Known in the United States as Pierce’s disease, the bacterium is transmitted by insects of the cicada family.
There is currently no cure for sick plants and two xylella fastidiosa research projects are funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 program.
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