Deepa Senapathi, a researcher in the University’s ‘bee team’, reflects on her experience working in a large integrated team with a wide range of stakeholders, and suggests reasons why their…Read More >
Agriculture
Robot farmers could improve jobs and help fight climate change – if they’re developed responsibly
Farming robots that can move autonomously in an open field or greenhouse promise a cleaner, safer agricultural future. But there are also potential downsides, from the loss of much-needed jobs…Read More >
How do you like them apples? Seriously, what’s your problem?
The power of accurately defining problems can be transformative in shaping the direction of research to maximise benefit to society, economy and the environment. We share one experience here that…Read More >
Boosting bee diversity can help stabilise crop production
There are over 20,000 bee species and together they help pollinate more than 75% of the world’s leading food crops. Honeybees tend to hog the limelight, but few realise how…Read More >
The fourth agricultural revolution is coming – but who will really benefit?
Depending on who you listen to, artificial intelligence may either free us from monotonous labour and unleash huge productivity gains, or create a dystopia of mass unemployment and automated oppression….Read More >
Enabling a just transition to England’s new agri-environment scheme
The UK’s decision to leave the EU is seen by the Government as an opportunity to reform UK agricultural land policy. Researchers from the University of Reading and the University…Read More >
Daffodils and snowdrops are here – but what happens next?
If you’ve braved the outdoors recently you may have noticed that snowdrops and daffodils are beginning to show their faces. Professor Richard Ellis and Rosemary Newton explain what happens to…Read More >
Our most popular papers of 2019
Which Reading research publications got the most attention across the globe in 2019? We’ve scoured Altmetric data to bring you the top ten most talked about Reading-authored papers of the…Read More >
Secrets of the perfect seed – and its vulnerability to future climate change
A recent paper by Professor Richard Ellis has got seed scientists talking because it is rewriting the textbooks on when a developing seed reaches peak quality. It also exposes possible…Read More >
A ‘polluter pays’ food tax would hit poor households hardest
The food we consume and its production has a huge carbon footprint – so should food be taxed according to the emissions it produces? On World Food Day, Dr Ariane…Read More >