Under the Microscope

  On this week's Under the Microscope, farmed fish may soon have a certified organic alternative. 

  Hemp is grown throughout the world for its oil and fiber, which show up in everything from beauty products to rope.

  What if we could design a camera that could take a hundred billion pictures a second ― enough to record the fastest phenomena in the universe.

  On this week's Under the Microscope, traffic jams caused by a large harvest. 

  On this week's Under the Microscope, how watching a movie affects your brain and seeds that have been passed down through generations. 

On this week's Under the Microscope, we look at a UV light emitting, germ-killing robot and the art of wool-making. 

On this week's Under the Microscope, we take a look at the junk we have left in space and a record-breaking harvest of corn and soybeans. 

On this week's Under the Microscope, we are looking at The Farm Bill, a lawsuit regarding restrictions on cages for egg-laying hens, and labels on genetically modified foods. 

MU's School of Veterinary Medicine is in the research phase with bacteria and molecules that could change the treatment of cancer. 

On this week's Under the Microscope, we are looking into cancer research and a new hunting technology. 

You may need a camo case for your smart phone now. Last week, the Missouri Department of Conservation released a hunting app. It lets hunters report their yield right from their phone. 

  On this week's Under the Microscope, Missouri is one of ten states at risk for sinkholes. 

On this week's Under the Microscope, Springfield schools implement local foods in kids lunches and research from Washington University is shedding light on schizophrenia.

  Welcome to Under the Microscope, KBIA's weekly at stories in science, health and technology. I'm Maureen Lewis-Stump

  Columbia's sewer system is aging and deteriorating. The city council took steps to address the problem, but not without controversy. 

  On this week's Under the Microscope, we take a look at Smart 911, an emergency service allowing 911 operators to obtain vital information for callers, and Missouri's plans to make old railways into trails. 

Late summer in the Midwest is tomato season. And whether you’re shopping at the grocery store, a discount chain or your local farmer’s market, you’ll find the price varies for a plump, juicy tomato. 

The Environmental Protection Agency released a proposed rule in June to cut carbon emissions by thirty percent by 2030. Since the announcement, a question has come up. How will the rule impact coal-fired power plants and coal-related industries?

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently announced $3.9 million in funding toward developing a vaccine for a disease crushing hog farms.

For a long time, Texas was the center of cattle country. But drought is re-shaping the beef map and raising the price of steak. Ranchers are moving their herds from California to Colorado and from Texas to Nebraska by the thousands. They’re seeking refuge from dry weather and, as Harvest Public Media’s Grant Gerlock reports, cattle producers in the Midwest are making the most of it.

Coming up we’ll take a look and how big data and agriculture are finding themselves intertwined with questions about privacy.

Honeybee colonies have been dying off at alarming rates in recent years. In the Midwest, some people wonder if planting row after row of corn and soybeans may be part of the problem. Researchers in Iowa are trying to find out. Harvest Public Media’s Amy Mayer reports on one factor that may contribute to the grim situation for pollinators in the corn belt.

Nearly 130,000 homes were permitted to be built in Missouri last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  KBIA’s Morgan Dzakowic reports one unique house under construction in Columbia stands out among its neighbors.

Farmers can expect more challenges, thanks to climate change. That’s according to a recent report released by the White House.

Iowa State University professor Gene Takle co-authored the chapter on agriculture in the 2014 National Climate Assessment. He says expected changes in humidity, precipitation and temperature may produce more extreme weather events.

“We need to be thinking forward as to the kinds of adaptation strategies that we need to adopt while at the same time we are looking for measures to mitigate the underlying cause of climate change,” Takle says.

The White House released a new climate change report Tuesday. It predicts threats to agriculture including severe weather, more pests and greater demands for water and energy. Harvest Public Media’s Amy Mayer reports.

Water experts in the Midwest are worried about Asian carp. They say the invasive fish are taking over U.S. waterways -- the Mississippi River and its tributaries like the Illinois and Missouri Rivers, where they out compete native fish.

But as Jacob McCleland reports for Harvest Public Media, river watchers at their wits end have found new hope. And it lies on dinner tables in China.

Monarch butterflies are in trouble. The latest estimates show their numbers have dropped dramatically at their wintering grounds in Mexico.

When we think of plants, intelligence is usually not the first thing that comes to mind. But maybe plants are more than a decorative feature to our dining room table.

KBIA’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson checked in with a monthly science conversation series in Columbia. This month’s topic: the secret lives of plants.