AS WEEDS GO, Arabidopsis thaliana is a rather charming specimen. On a spring day, you might see it sprouting from the cracks of a parking lot, unleashing a small riot of white flowers that give it the common name “mouse ear cress.” But its rotund leaves often bear unwelcome passengers: among them, a bacteria called Pseudomonas syringae. It sits there looking for a way into the plant, usually the stomata through which the leaf takes in water and carbon dioxide, or through a wound. That’s when things get interesting.
Tag Archives: food
You Can Thank Horticulturist Booker T. Whatley for Your CSA
Last spring, farms across the country saw a surge in demand for their CSA programs, with signups and waitlists that flourished at rates not seen before. As families sheltered in place at home and farmers’ markets either closed or ran under tight restrictions, more people turned directly to local farms to guarantee food for the months ahead. Some farmers even introduced home delivery options to bring the boxes directly to consumers’ doors.
The Timely Return of the Drive-In Restaurant
For a city that’s still on substantial lockdown, including the suspension of dine-in eating due to COVID-19, San Francisco’s Mel’s Drive-in—at least, its parking lot along Geary Boulevard—is buzzing. Cars occupy many of the restaurant’s parking spaces, each one filled with customers awaiting orders of the burgers, milkshakes and french fries that have made this 1950s-style eatery famous. But there’s something else that has brought them here: the revival of Mel’s carhop service, a once prominent part of its offerings when Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs opened the California restaurant chain’s original location back in 1947. At that time, it was the allure of car-oriented leisure offerings that inspired drive-in restaurants. Today it’s a pandemic. Continue reading The Timely Return of the Drive-In Restaurant
The FDA Finds High Levels of Toxic Compound in Commons Foods
A federal investigation reveals unsettling details about the country’s food supply. Continue reading The FDA Finds High Levels of Toxic Compound in Commons Foods
New Study Reveals How One Person’s ‘Smellscape’ Can Differ From Another’s
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then scent, as revealed by a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is in not only a smeller’s nose, but their DNA. Continue reading New Study Reveals How One Person’s ‘Smellscape’ Can Differ From Another’s
DRINKING TWO OR MORE DIET SODAS A DAY INCREASES CHANCES OF HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES, SAYS MAJOR NEW STUDY
According to a massive study from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, diet sodas and drinks containing artificial sweeteners are even worse for your health than you may have imagined, and can increase the likelihood of heart attacks, strokes, dementia, and diabetes. Continue reading DRINKING TWO OR MORE DIET SODAS A DAY INCREASES CHANCES OF HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES, SAYS MAJOR NEW STUDY
The CDC says everyone needs to toss their romaine
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put out a call to toss all romaine, and not in the distribute-the-dressing sense of the word. Seriously: Get rid of all the romaine in your fridge and do not buy more until further notice. Continue reading The CDC says everyone needs to toss their romaine
The Fat Cat Collective 