Study: The biggest asteroid that hit our planet was two times larger than the one that wiped out dinosaurs

Fareeha Arshad

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0xzkkj_0kzgdqun00
Photo byPhoto by Bryan Goff on Unsplash

A new study has revealed that a staggering one-third of the world’s food supply is wasted each year, with fruits and vegetables having the highest wastage rates of any food products. The study published in the journal 'Plos One' found that an estimated 931 million metric tons of food, or 17% of total global food production, is wasted yearly at the retail and consumer levels. An additional 11% of food is lost during production, processing and distribution.

The environmental impact of food waste is significant, with the study estimating that the annual carbon footprint of wasted food is equivalent to the combined emissions of all the world’s cars. Additionally, food waste contributes to biodiversity loss, as land is cleared to produce food that is ultimately wasted. The economic impact of food waste is also significant, with the study estimating that the total cost of food waste at the retail and consumer levels is around $936 billion annually.

The scientists called for a global effort to reduce food waste, noting that the issue is particularly urgent given the increasing demand for food due to population growth and changing dietary habits. They suggested a range of interventions that could be taken to reduce food waste, including improving supply chain management, enhancing food storage and processing infrastructure, and educating consumers about the benefits of reducing food waste.

In conclusion, the study provides a stark reminder of the worldwide scale and impact of food waste. By reducing food waste, we can ensure that more food is available for those who need it while mitigating the impact of food production and distribution on the environment.

Read full story in "NewsBreak" App

Comments / 97

Published by

I am a scientist by profession and a historian by passion. I mostly write about history and science.

Texas State
47K followers

More from Fareeha Arshad

Researchers have now developed simple tests to predict dementia risk among older women easily

A recent study conducted by Australian researchers suggests that measuring grip strength and mobility can be an inexpensive and potentially useful way to gauge dementia risk in older women.

Read full story
2 comments

Researchers discuss why we have never found any aliens yet

Despite the vastness of space, we have yet to receive any confirmed contact with extraterrestrial life. However, researchers from the Laboratory of Statistical Biophysics at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland proposed a new explanation for the lack of communication. According to Grimaldi's statistical model, there may be too much space to scan for radio signals emitted by extraterrestrial life, resulting in Earth's "quiet bubble" devoid of such signals.

Read full story
66 comments

Study: A ‘chance’ event from 1 million years ago changed the human brains for generations to come

Humans possess unique traits that distinguish them from their closest animal relatives, such as chimpanzees and bonobos, and at least some of these traits could be linked to what scientists call human accelerated regions (HARs). HARs are specific regions of DNA that evolved rapidly in humans, and scientists believe they could be behind the qualities that set humans apart.

Read full story
24 comments

Study: Another mysterious surge in the atmosphere because of reckless human activities

New research indicates that the levels of molecular hydrogen in the atmosphere have surged due to human activity. The research analyzed air samples trapped in drilled cores of Antarctica's ice, revealing that atmospheric hydrogen had increased by 70% over the 20th century.

Read full story
48 comments

Study: Melting of ice at the poles is leading to drastic changes in the Earth’s crust

A recent study has found that as the polar ice sheets melt, the underlying surface of the Earth is warping, causing the crust to rise and spread. This movement covers a vast area, although the amount is minimal, with an average of less than a millimetre a year. The research found a feedback loop, where the bedrock shifting under the ice affects how the ice continues to melt and break away, making a full understanding of this process essential in modelling our future world.

Read full story
37 comments

Researchers discovered 5 centuries old illuminated prayer rolls of the ‘Cult of the Cross’

Researchers have rediscovered a Christian prayer roll from five centuries ago, an illuminated manuscript accompanied by rich decorations. This relic from the final years of Catholic doctrine in England is a rare find, as prayer rolls of this kind rarely survive to the modern-day in one piece.

Read full story
31 comments

Study: Several ancient Mayan sites discovered below Mexico show mysteriously unique blueprint

As per a recent study published in the journal ‘Nature Human Behaviour’, scientists have found almost 500 ancient ceremonial complexes, many of which were used by the Maya and the Olmecs civilizations, hidden underneath modern-day southern Mexico. The sites were discovered using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology, which could detect three-dimensional archaeological structures below the surface.

Read full story
50 comments

NASA pushes to discuss what would happen when life beyond Earth is discovered

In a recent scientific commentary, NASA scientists argue that it is time to establish a framework for reporting evidence of extraterrestrial life, even though we have not found such evidence yet. While the existence of alien life is yet to be proven, many scientists believe it is possible, if not probable.

Read full story
117 comments

Researchers discover the reason behind the strange decrease in human body temperatures in the past two centuries

As per a recent study published in the journal 'Cell Biology', scientists have discovered that the average body temperature of humans is no longer 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, as established in France two centuries ago. Researchers have found a reduction in body temperature among men and women born over the past two hundred years. The reason for this decline in body temperature is unclear, but researchers are investigating a possible connection to a decline in physical activity.

Read full story
178 comments

Mysterious glass pieces discovered all over Chile’s Atacama Desert: Researchers reason why

Around a decade ago, scientists discovered a mysterious field of glass fragments scattered across Chile's Atacama Desert, aligned in a vast corridor stretching 75 kilometres long. These strange pieces of glass are clustered in several sites along the desert corridor, and they take many shapes, some occurring in large slabs up to 50 centimetres across. Scientists say they have rough and smooth features and look like they have been folded and twisted into their current forms.

Read full story
34 comments

Study: Human beings have broken the Natural Power Law of Earth’s Oceans

Mathematical laws that describe and allow for predictions in dynamic ecosystems can be found, at least when viewed at a larger scale. However, the destructive impact that humans are having on the planet is throwing these natural universalities into disarray. Marine ecologists have explained that humans have impacted the ocean in a way that has surpassed all our previous activities to give the world one of the biggest power law distributions ever.

Read full story
27 comments

Researchers make a shocking discovery in the link between type 2 diabetes and poor diet

A new study has found that poor diet is the leading driver of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes globally. The study analysed data from 184 countries between 1990 and 2018 and discovered that poor diet has led to type 2 diabetes occurrence among more than 14 million people worldwide in 2018 alone. Around 70% of new diagnoses were observed worldwide in 2018.

Read full story
92 comments

Mummies reveal that ancient Egyptian children were mostly anaemic

A recent study analysed child mummies in European museums and found that anaemia was common in ancient Egyptian children. Using computed tomography (CT) scans, the researchers discovered that one-third of the mummies had signs of anaemia, with one case showing evidence of thalassemia, a genetic disorder that affects the body's ability to produce haemoglobin.

Read full story
17 comments

Microwaves versus ovens: How is one different from the other?

The microwave and oven use different heating methods to cook food quickly or slowly. The oven uses conduction, in which coils directly heat the air in the oven, which is then transferred to the food. In contrast, the microwave sends microwaves through the cooking chamber, which bounce off the metal interior and come into direct contact with the food's particles.

Read full story

Study: Researchers have finally calculated the age of the Earth’s Core

Scientists have long been fascinated by Earth's magnetic field and how it contributes to the planet's habitability by protecting its atmosphere from the solar wind. A new study has narrowed down the age of the solid inner core of the planet to between 1 billion and 1.3 billion years, thanks to laboratory experiments that recreate conditions similar to those in the planetary core.

Read full story
78 comments

The gravity defying hills: The strangest natural event anyone can witness

Gravity hills, also known as mystery spots, are natural phenomena found in several locations around the world, where the slope of the hill creates an optical illusion. Despite defying gravity, vehicles and objects that appear to roll uphill are rolling downhill. The slope of the hill creates an impression that one is going uphill, whereas the true direction is downhill. There are dozens of such hills worldwide, with locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, and Italy.

Read full story
25 comments

Study: The plasma loops visible around the Sun are not what previously assumed

A recent study published in the ‘Astrophysical Journal’ has shown high-resolution simulations of plasma loops that erupt from the surface of the Sun. These plasma loops, also known as the coronal loops, emanate along the magnetic field lines of the Sun and maybe wrinkle over corrugated plasma sheets.

Read full story
12 comments

Study: Gravity plays a small yet very important role in the Particle Physics world

When high up on a swing, did you ever wonder whether gravity has a strong enough force or are the forces that form the planet’s solid surface are stronger?. Gravity is not as strong a force as we assume. It is much weaker compared to other forces like the electromagnetic forces or the nuclear forces of attraction, or the forces that govern the stability of the large planets around the solar systems and the universe.

Read full story

Study: A huge ocean current could serve as a catastrophic tipping point for Earth

According to a study published in the journal 'PNAS', climate change could knock out the vital Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) sea currents much sooner than anticipated. The AMOC transports heat from the tropics to the Northern Hemisphere, significantly influencing global weather patterns, biodiversity, and economic stability.

Read full story
331 comments

Researchers discovered that Neanderthals, in fact, talked like us!

A recent study published in the journal ‘Nature Ecology & Evolution’ revealed that our long-lost cousins, the Neanderthals, spoke like us. The researchers confirmed that the Neanderthals had the potential to produce human-like speech. The analysis was based on studying the fossil remains to understand how speech evolved over the years.

Read full story
52 comments

Comments / 0

Community Policy