Free Republic

Image courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife While the outbreak of New World screwworm continues in South Texas, an infestation of pasture mealybugs is beginning to threaten Texas’s agricultural industry. Pasture mealybugs primarily feed on important agricultural resources, such as hayfields and forage resources. Immature pasture mealybugs feed on plant sap and can inject toxins that poison plants, causing them to thin or die outright. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension offices across the state have been monitoring the pest. So far, pasture mealybugs have been detected in 70 counties. “It seems like we add new counties every week, sometimes every day,” said...

VIDEO AT LINK......... A nasty gastrointestinal bug is rapidly spreading in several states, with more than 700 cases confirmed in Michigan over the last few weeks. The demand for tests for cyclosporiasis, a pathogen often caused by contaminated fresh produce, is so intense, with so many patients seeking help for diarrhea and crippling abdominal cramps, that many labs can’t keep up. The source of the fast-moving illnesses is unknown, although the Food and Drug Administration said an investigation is ongoing. Cases in Michigan could easily reach 1,000, said Dr. Anurag Malani, vice chief of staff at Trinity Health Ann Arbor....

Royal jelly is only part of what makes a queen honeybee. Scientists found that worker bees build specialized “royal cribs” and work together to create the ideal environment for raising the colony’s future queen. Credit: Shutterstock Honeybee queens are made not just by royal jelly, but by an entire colony engineering the perfect royal nursery. For years, scientists believed the recipe for creating a honeybee queen was surprisingly simple. Feed an ordinary larva enough royal jelly, and it develops into the colony’s ruler. A new study, however, reveals that becoming a queen depends on far more than diet. Researchers found...

The MONTHLY Victory Garden Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

She called me just prior to the inauguration," remembers Leroy Davis, a New York art dealer who served on Mrs. Kennedy's Fine Arts Committee for the White House. "She had heard about a Maurice Prendergast show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and though she didn't know much about him, she was intrigued. So I talked to her for quite a while and encouraged her to see the work. And when the show went to the Whitney in New York, I took her to see it." Several months later, in 1961, during the Kennedys' triumphant state visit to...

Red and green chile peppers are more than just ingredients in New Mexico; they’re a way of life. The question “Red or green?” is one you’ll hear at restaurants across the state. For the indecisive or adventurous, there’s always “Christmas,” a mix of both. Red chile comes from ripened New Mexican chile peppers that are left on the plant longer, allowing them to deepen in color and develop a rich, earthy flavor. As they mature, these peppers take on more natural sugars, which contribute to the velvety depth of red chile sauce. Green chile peppers are a cornerstone of New...

(WASHINGTON, D.C., June 24, 2026) — Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the annual Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payment error rates (PER), which measure how accurately states determine who is eligible for SNAP and how much they should receive. The national payment error rate for fiscal year (FY) 2025 is 10.62%, far surpassing the congressional threshold of 6%. FY 2025 National and State Payment Error Rates While this is a modest decrease from FY 2024, the FY 2025 rate still shows significant waste at the state level. Including both overpayments and underpayments, this year’s rate represents a...

I don't know why this is so funny to me. MANY MANY REPLY MEMES AT LINK............... Yeah, uhh... Tourists are so infatuated with American food — and will be so obese when they leave our country — that the TSA is actually reminding them to pack ranch dressing in their checked luggage. I repeat, our government is reminding World Cup tourists to pack ranch dressing — the most delicious American concoction known to man — under the plane so they can get it home safely and continue their weight-gain into the following weeks. The comments on this were about as...

You've probably heard that adults should aim for 10,000 daily steps. This one-size-fits-all approach provides a clear message, though it doesn't consider how varied human lifestyles and bodies are. In 2024, an international team of researchers found that even the most sedentary among us could ward off the harmful effects of sitting by incorporating more steps into our day. Sedentary lifestyles are increasingly common, and we know they're linked to higher odds of dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD), greater risk of cancer and diabetes, and a shorter lifespan. Those risks are lower for people with higher step counts and faster-paced...

A county park official says the worm was spotted in Cliff Cave Park along the Mississippi River. (Photo courtesy of St. Louis County Parks and Recreation) ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — An invasive hammerhead worm was reportedly found earlier this week at a St. Louis County Park for the first time. A county park official says the worm was spotted in Cliff Cave Park along the Mississippi River. These flatworms originate from Asia and can harm the local ecosystem by preying on native earthworms, which are essential for healthy soil. They are usually seen after heavy rains, hiding under logs,...

A one-in-a-million apple that's half red and half yellow has become a local celebrity at the Sunshine Corner Market in Christchurch, New Zealand, after it came in a random delivery last month. The store's owner, Heather, told the New Zealand Herald, We've been in the game a long time, never seen one like it. Sunshine Corner Market/Facebook And no, that's not AI, that's actually a perfectly halved red and yellow apple known as a chimera apple. Chimera apples are caused by rare gene mutations that cause one apple to form from two different genetic backgrounds, resulting in a really cool...

These subterranean structures, called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks, work in partnership with most of the world's land plants, feeding plants nitrogen and phosphorus in return for their carbon. Now, the first global map of this fungal network has revealed where their intricate branching structures are most densely packed. In grasslands that are high-altitude or flooded grasslands, such as the Everglades in Florida, the top 6 inches (15 centimeters) of soil are especially dense, containing around 40% of the global fungal biomass. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are made up of tiny branching threads called hyphae. These hyphal networks form two-way pipes to...

The MONTHLY Victory Garden Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Peppermint oil is a concentrated extract made from the leaves of the peppermint plant (Mentha × piperita), a hybrid of watermint and spearmint. Rich in natural compounds such as menthol and flavonoids, it is widely used in foods, medicines, and aromatherapy for its cooling sensation and potential health benefits. Credit: Shutterstock Peppermint oil lowered blood pressure in adults with mild hypertension during a 20-day study, offering a potentially inexpensive and effective treatment option. New research suggests that daily peppermint oil supplements may help reduce mildly elevated blood pressure. Researchers at the University of Lancashire found that taking 100 microliters (about...

After decades of stigma, researchers are studying cannabis and its compounds like never before. As regulations and restrictions ease in many parts of the world, including the US, this controversial plant and its ancient health claims are finally being put to the test. For many years now, scientists have noticed that some cannabis users tend to have lower body weight and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who don't use cannabis. That is somewhat unexpected, as cannabis is known to trigger the 'munchies', or an appetite for food, in those who use the drug. Now,...

A new global analysis published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology reports that cases of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have surged 143% since 1990, reaching an estimated 1.3 billion people in 2023, according to the study, as reported by registered dietitian Molly Knudsen. The condition, driven by metabolic risk factors including high fasting plasma glucose, high body mass index (BMI), and smoking, is projected to affect 1.8 billion people by 2050 unless interventions are implemented, researchers stated. Liver cancer cases are expected to nearly double from 870,000 in 2022 to 1.52 million by 2050, with MASLD identified as...

Garlic has been praised for centuries as one of those humble kitchen staples that seems to do more than simply flavor food. It shows up in family recipes, old home remedies, and now, increasingly, scientific studies looking at how natural compounds may affect the body as it ages. A new study suggests one particular compound found in aged garlic extract may have a surprising relationship with muscle health — and the path may run through fat cells. The research, summarized by StudyFinds and published in Cell Metabolism, focuses on a sulfur-containing compound called S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine, or S1PC. In laboratory and animal...

Dark earth, the strange patches of black soil rich in nutrients that cause plants to grow at accelerated rates, while also capturing unusually high amounts of carbon from the air, is one of the Amazon rainforest’s greatest mysteries. Since these patches of dark earth were first discovered by European colonizers in the 1880s, debate has raged over their origins, with ideas ranging from the natural to the artificial. Variants of this dark, nutrient-rich soil have been found in a range of locations around the world, and are most often associated with the accumulation of materials in soil after long periods...

America didn’t ruin Chinese food. It built its own version, and China wants a taste. The same food snobs mocked as fake is now being imported back as a real cuisine. The American palate gets laughed at until the rest of the world starts copying it. BRIEFING Jett here. For years, food snobs have treated American Chinese food like some greasy little crime scene, as if General Tso’s chicken and beef with broccoli were culinary vandalism. My eyes are rolling back in my head right now because American-style Chinese food is freaking amazing. And now, it’s becoming really popular inside...

Taxpayer funded pro-illegal immigration groups are demanding millions of dollars from LA residents to help them attack ICE and fund day laborer hubs near Home Depot sites. The groups are already getting $1-million-a-year from LA City Council, and are now demanding a $2-million-a-year funding increase to help them fight against ICE operations and maintain buildings outside the hardware stores. The hubs offer everything from restrooms to free legal services and employment advice to day laborers, all paid for by nonprofits funded by taxpayers. Socialist councilmember Eunisses Hernandez has backed the move that would see groups like the Central American Resource...