Are you ready for cricket burgers?

Over two billion people regularly eat insects. Why are Americans so squeamish?

A man looks at dry roasted locusts, salt and vinegar crickets, plain roasted meal worms and sweet chilli pigeon burgers at Rentokil's Pop-up Pestaurant at One New Change, central London. (Photo by Nick Ansell/PA Images via Getty Images)
  • Humans have eaten insects for a long time, yet Westerners rarely put them on their plate.
  • Insects are a sustainable and nutritious alternative that can help mitigate the effects of climate change.
  • Currently, the edible insects market is $55 million and growing.
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animals health climate change food agriculture insects
Surprising Science

Why a beefless Burger King Whopper is cause for excitement

Beefless meat enters the mainstream.

The new BK Impossible Whopper is on the left. Image source: CNET
  • Burger King is testing its first major foray into the field of beefless patties.
  • On top of plant-based meats, cellular agriculture — or "cell-ag" — can also yield animal-free patties.
  • A new report lists 90 reasons that cell-ag holds a lot of promise.
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biotech disaster relief future farming environment public health cell-ag lab-grown meat whopper agriculture
Technology & Innovation

Eggs are again linked to heart problems — though the study has problems

Though eggs are back on the menu, some are trying to rewrite the script.

Photo by REVOLT on Unsplash
  • A new study at Northwestern University found a link between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
  • The research relied on self-reporting at the beginning of observation, with no follow-up reporting.
  • Correlation is likely, not causation, as larger studies have found the opposite to be true.
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disease human body biology agriculture health
Surprising Science

Why humans struggled to make 'f' and 'v' sounds until farming came along

Love to drop F-bombs? Thank the shift to agriculture.

Blasi et al.
  • A new study suggests that the f and v sounds were made easier to pronounce by the change in our diets the invention of farming made possible.
  • The idea isn't a new one, but is only now being taken seriously.
  • Even today, many hunter-gather cultures lack labiodentals in their languages.
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human body physiology anthropology ancient world agriculture language
Surprising Science

Active ingredient in Roundup found in 95% of studied beers and wines

The controversial herbicide is everywhere, apparently.

(MsMaria/Shutterstock)
  • U.S. PIRG tested 20 beers and wines, including organics, and found Roundup's active ingredient in almost all of them.
  • A jury on August 2018 awarded a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma victim $289 million in Roundup damages.
  • Bayer/Monsanto says Roundup is totally safe. Others disagree.
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pollution agriculture biotech bees cancer health roundup monsanto bayer glyphosate farming
Surprising Science