From hand milking with a metal pail and wooden stool to tie-stall and parlour systems, the methods dairy farmers have used to milk their cows has certainly evolved over the years. While the most recent milking system introduced to the dairy industry may help free up a bit of time for dairy farmers, there is still no shortage of hard work.

A number of farmers are now adopting an automatic milking system and with it comes a few questions, especially around the environmental impact of the new system.

There's been a lot of interest in the harmful effects of prolonged sitting at work, from academics and the public alike. The attention being paid to sitting – or rather, not sitting – while on the job stems from the scientifically validated message that being sedentary in general, both indoors and outdoors, is bad for your health.

However, comparatively little attention has been devoted to the harmful effects of prolonged standing at work, despite past studies linking it to chronic back pain and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the lower limbs.

Though it may look haphazard, the network of intertwining plant roots snaking through the soil actually represents a deliberate process. Root growth is guided by chemical snapshots taken by young roots, allowing them to detect obstructions and coordinate the paths they take, new research led by Florida Institute of Technology finds.

Roots compete for and share resources with neighboring roots, as well as with billions of microbes. Until now, however, little has been known about how plants coordinate construction of these complex subterranean assemblies.

NASA’s Aqua satellite observed fragmented feeder bands of strong thunderstorms spiraling into the low-level center of Tropical Cyclone Doksuri.  

On Sept. 13 at 2:10 a.m. EDT (0610 UTC) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a visible-light image of the storm as it moved west in the South China Sea. Fragmented bands of thunderstorms spiraled into the center from the western and southern sides of the storm.

The Trump administration has announced that a federal goal to slash the cost of utility-scale solar energy to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour by 2020 has been met early. The goal, set by the Obama administration in 2011 and known as the SunShot Initiative, represents a 75 percent reduction in the cost of U.S. solar in just six years. It makes solar energy-cost competitive with electricity generated by fossil fuels.

Tropical Depression 15E is being affected by vertical wind shear on NASA satellite imagery and appears almost shapeless.

Drexel University researchers have made a discovery that could create roads that melt off ice and snow during winter storms. Their secret? — Adding a little paraffin wax to the road’s concrete mix.

Satellite imagery showed the large extent of the remnant clouds and rains from what was Hurricane Irma. Those remnants were blanketing about a quarter of the continental U.S. over the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and east to the Mid-Atlantic States. 

NASA’s Terra satellite is one of many satellites keeping a close eye on Hurricane Jose and saw the storm between the Bahamas and Bermuda.

Two birds that look the same, but have songs so different they can’t recognize each other, should be considered distinct species, suggests new UBC research.