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Even as a fixture in California cuisine and a sizable industry for the state’s farmers, avocados have presented an ongoing mystery for scientists: How do they easily flip sexes? In a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, California researchers have finally answered that question by tracing the process in avocado trees back to a single gene. “Even for a plant that is so familiar to us, there’s been this great mystery for so long,” Jeffrey Groh, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley and first author of the study, told SFGATE. “It’s super exciting...

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...

California’s wine industry has gotten so desperate that one vineyard owner torched his own vines after deciding they were worth more as ashes than grapes. The Golden State’s struggling wineries have faced mounting financial pressure for years, with conditions becoming so grim that California lawmakers recently appealed to Canada to reopen its market to American wine. But while that international lifeline remains uncertain, a new report from The New York Times is offering a look at just how bleak the situation has become. Jason Smith, CEO of Valley Farm Management, said he recently sold all of his land — then...

Pro-life leader says garden could lead to serious health risks or abuse if students use plants Purchase College, a public university in southeastern New York, is home to a student-run “Reproductive Justice Garden” that features plants promoted because of their abortifacient properties. Social media posts by the student club appear to encourage people to use the plants in the garden for self-induced abortions — which one pro-life leader told The College Fix she fears could lead to serious health risks or abuse. The garden, which was launched in 2019 and revamped in 2024, is run by students who are part...

The vast blazes ripping through southwestern France burned so intensely they created a powerful, fire-generated thunderstorm. This rare phenomenon is sometimes seen in the kinds of megafires that afflict the US and Canada, but was unprecedented in France, until now — and it’s just one sign that Europe is entering a new fire era, experts say. Europe has always had wildfires, but they are becoming increasingly extreme as the climate crisis tightens its grip. Firefighters in France and Spain have this week been trying to tame blazes more ferocious and more erratic than anything they’ve tackled before. On Wednesday, authorities...

An immigrant-led business group is gearing up to sue New York City over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s controversial plan to open five taxpayer-funded supermarkets — claiming the $70 million project will create unfair competition for nearby stores, The Post has learned. As the far-left mayor announced new details of his plan this week — including a 30% discount on basic items like produce, meat, milk, cheese and bread – the Multicultural Business Coalition’s board voted to file a lawsuit in the coming weeks to block the pricey initiative, the group’s chairman Frank Garcia told The Post. “The mayor doesn’t seem to...

World Snake Day slithers into focus every July 16, aiming to shed light on the incredible diversity and ecological importance of over 3,500 snake species. This global observance challenges negative perceptions and encourages a deeper understanding of these often-misunderstood reptiles. Learn to appreciate their role in ecosystems, support conservation initiatives, and share facts to help protect them.>>>History of World Snake Day The English word ‘snake’ comes from the Old English word ‘snaca.’ The reptile is thought to have come from terrestrial lizards that existed around 174.1 million to 163.5 million years ago. In fact, Eophis underwoodi, the oldest fossil snake,...

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...