More than One Potato

Paradoxically while plant breeding (either planned or unplanned) creates novel and useful genetic combinations, the widespread use of improved varieties can also reduce the overall genetic variation that is the very basis for the valuable traits that plant breeders and farmers want.  This wasn't a very big issue during most of our history as plant breeders.  If anything, localized and small scale breeding may have increased levels of genetic diversity within some crops (depending on your scale of measure).  However, more modern practices now threaten to severely diminish the pool of available genetic diversity for many of our most important crops.   Potatoes are a great example of this story.  Check out this cool video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6XMTUbPwEY&feature=share&list=PL03468DEB0456E448

Last of the Lemurs

Lemur's are cool, and unfortunately like a long list of other very cool animals they are in danger of going extinct.  This cool video describes some of the challenges in conserving lemurs and their habitat in Madagascar.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Anyone trying to grow plants (from large commercial farmers to backyard putterers) knows that fertilizer can do wonders.  For most of human agricultural history fertilizer was expensive,difficult to come by and just as difficult to deliver to plants.  That changed dramatically in the later half of the twentieth century when these roadblocks were lifted  in large parts of the world.....although note that for many of the world's poorest farmers fertilizer is as rare and precious a resource as it has always been.  The fertilizer revolution has created a number of impressive benefits as well as a host of profound problems.  This article in this months National Geographic provides a nice summary of both of these.  If you can, get a hold of the actual printed article that comes with all the nice pictures.