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IPFS News Link • Science, Medicine and Technology

Mathematician Reports Breakthrough on Non-Toxic Pest Control Which Doesn't Harm Bees

• https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org

A mathematician has developed a chemical-free way to precisely target a parasitic worm that destroys wheat crops.

This breakthrough method of pest control works with the plant's own genes to kill specific microscopic worms, called nematodes, without harming any other insects, birds or mammals.

Dr. Konstantin Blyuss from the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sussex, the research who developed the technique, said: "With a rising global population needing to be fed, and an urgent need to switch from fossil fuels to biofuels, our research is an important step forward in the search for environmentally safe crop protection which doesn't harm bees or other insects."

An estimated $130 billion worth of crops are lost every year to diseases caused by nematodes.


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