Solanum jamesii, also known as the Four Corners potato, is a unique type of potato for several reasons. With its relatively small size compared to other tubers (a category of vegetable) and its ability to withstand changing weather and diseases, the Four Corners has sustained Indigenous Americans for thousands of years. Additionally, its taste is said to be better and more nutritious. With these factors, a group consisting of an ecologist, an archaeologist, a geneticist, and a nutritionist are trying to determine the possibility of domestication and breeding. Read full article here
Science
An Eerie Poisonous Fog
If you’re visiting a farm, keep an eye out for an ominous-looking bronze fog. Nitrogen tetroxide, a red-orange gas, is made by certain bacteria during fermentation when oxygen is lacking in the crop. The lack of oxygen causes the bacteria to use the nitrate within the crops, which then produces nitrogen tetroxide. Inhalation of the gas is known to cause permanent lung damage or kill people and livestock. To prevent this, farmers have started performing nitrate tests after four weeks of fermentation. Read full article here
Merv
November 30, 2022
