drought

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Farmer Revives 'Miracle Grain' From Attic Seeds
Farmer Revives 'Miracle
Grain' From Attic Seeds
longform
Nov 1, 2026 9:20 AM CST

Farmer Revives 'Miracle Grain' From Attic Seeds

Smithsonian explores how an ancient wheat could help diversify crops amid climate stress

(Newser) - An Italian farmer's attic clean-out three decades ago may have unearthed both a biblical echo and a blueprint for climate-era bread. Smithsonian magazine tells the story of Parma farmer Claudio Grossi, who in the early 1990s dumped a sack of mystery seeds—likely saved by his great-grandfather—into a...

After Taliban Banned Opium, Kids Became Malnourished

Afghans are now heading back to the poppy fields, driven by poverty

(Newser) - Afghanistan's once-empty poppy fields are quietly filling in again, and hunger is a big reason why. After the Taliban's sweeping opium ban that started in 2022 nearly wiped out cultivation, farmers like 28-year-old Mohammad Dawood in the Balkh province shifted to legal crops such as wheat and cotton—...

El Nino Is Here. Get Ready for a Wild, Stormy Winter

Meteorologists warn of flooding, severe storms, but generally milder temperatures nationwide

(Newser) - El Niño isn't just sticking around—it's supercharged—and the Washington Post reports that could translate into one of the most active US winters on record, with the exact flavor of "busy" depending heavily on where you live. The Post, drawing on its own El Niñ...

Las Vegas Police ID Body Found in Barrel at Lake Mead

DNA match links decades-old Lake Mead killing to identified victim

(Newser) - Las Vegas police say they've finally put a name to the body that surfaced in a barrel at Lake Mead more than four years ago, ABC News reports. Authorities believe they have positively identified the person whose remains were found by boaters in May 2022, though the name has...

These Moths Are a Thrilling Sight in Australia

Bogong moths appear to be making a comeback

(Newser) - For Australians yanking open curtains, a fluttering surprise is back, and it's a welcome one. After a collapse of roughly 99.5% of their population during droughts in 2017 and 2018—which continued a decline that began in the 1980s due to factors like insecticides and habitat reduction—bogong...

Op-Ed: 'There Is Still Time to Get Ready' for Super El Niño

Prolonged heat, floods, droughts, wildfire risks loom, writes climatologist Dr. Jeffrey Shaman

(Newser) - A massive pulse of warm water lurking beneath the Pacific is about to reshape the world's weather, and a climate scientist is warning there's no excuse to be caught off guard. In a New York Times op-ed, Dr. Jeffrey Shaman describes how the current El Niño—already...

Sleeping Teen, Camper Hurt in Colo. Bear Encounters

Officials blame drought, scarce food for unprecedented incidents involving humans

(Newser) - Colorado wildlife officials say a bad year for bears just intensified. In the first of two separate incidents just days apart, a black bear bit a woman on Friday through her tent at a southwest Colorado campground in Rio Grande National Forest, near South Fork, report the Guardian and ABC...

For Rockies' Bears, Cruel Summer Sends Them on Prowl

Human confrontations are up as hungry ursines descend into populated areas on the hunt for food

(Newser) - Patrick Sullivan was sure it was a "crazy neighbor" honking a car horn nonstop while Sullivan was up feeding his infant son at 3am one night this summer. It was a neighbor all right, but not a human one. A black bear had opened the door of a Toyota...

France's Wine Country Hasn't Struggled Like This Since '50s

Heat waves, drought, shrinking vineyards slash output to predicted 70-year low across key regions

(Newser) - France's wine vats are on track to be the emptiest they've been in roughly seven decades . The nation's Agriculture Ministry says 2026 output is expected to slip another 6% from 2025's already record-low level, to about 900 million gallons—about 17% below the 2021–2025 average,...

France Loosens Rules for Iconic Cheeses

Temporary change aims to protect famous cheeses amid historic drought

(Newser) - French cheesemakers are getting some rare leeway from the government as drought shrivels pastures and squeezes milk supplies. Producers of Comté, Beaufort, and Abondance—prestige cheeses with protected-origin status, made from the raw milk of cattle grazing in the mountains—will be temporarily allowed to feed cows more imported fodder...

As Europe's Rivers Run Dry, a Historic Ship Emerges

Drought and heat in Serbia reveal the WWII shipwreck of the Slovenian, not seen since 1945

(Newser) - The wreck of a steam tugboat dating from the early 1900s is the latest relic to emerge from shrinking waters in Serbia as Europe's rivers run dry, with the continent engulfed in prolonged, extreme heat and drought. The rusting hull—once a famed vessel known as the Slovenian—surfaced...

In Champagne, They're Harvesting Earlier Than Ever

Winemakers face smaller yields, shifting flavors as heat accelerates the grapes' ripening

(Newser) - The grapes are coming off in France's Champagne region, and they started earlier than ever. As Reuters reports, the official harvest kicked off on Aug. 12—the earliest start since records began—after record heat and drought sped up ripening and slashed acidity. Some growers got permission to begin...

Crucial Southwest Reservoir Is 30 Feet From Big Trouble

If Lake Mead keeps dropping, its Glen Canyon Dam won't be able to generate power

(Newser) - The West's two giant water savings accounts are now in record territory—and not the good kind. Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona line dropped to its lowest level ever over the weekend, reports CNN , following Lake Mead's similar plunge a week earlier , developments that leave the Colorado River...

Nero's Bridge Emerges as Tiber River Drops

Rome is facing water crisis after weeks with no rain

(Newser) - The remains of an ancient bridge have emerged in Rome's Tiber River, near St. Peter's Basilica, as weeks with virtually no rain caused water levels to plunge. The bridge—known as Nero's Bridge, named for the former Roman emperor—once connected Rome's city center with the...

Record Low Danube Closes Nuclear Reactors

Romania begins shutdown of Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant's 2nd reactor amid low river levels

(Newser) - Romania on Thursday began a controlled shutdown of the second reactor at its Cernavoda nuclear power plant as a severe drought continues to grip the continent. Scorching heat and low rainfall in recent weeks have left the Danube River at record lows and forced the state-owned Cernavoda plant to shut...

Ship Pays $4M to Skip Long Wait at Panama Canal

Iran war, El Nino have slowed traffic through chokepoint half a world away from Hormuz

(Newser) - With traffic through the Strait of Hormuz still largely halted, another shipping chokepoint half a world away is getting a lot more expensive. A container ship recently paid a near-record $4 million to leapfrog a growing line of vessels waiting to cross the Panama Canal, Bloomberg reports. As drought and...

As El Nino Builds, Oceans Hit Hottest July on Record

Marine heatwaves and European drought intensify with event set to be the strongest on record

(Newser) - The planet's oceans just notched another heat record, and scientists say El Niño is only part of the story. EU climate monitors report that average sea surface temperatures between 60 degrees north and 60 degrees south hit 69.6 degrees Fahrenheit in July, edging past last year's...

Vital Lake Mead Drops to Record Low Level

Reservoir on Colorado River supplies 20M with water, and painful cuts are coming

(Newser) - Lake Mead just slipped past an unwanted milestone: It's now at its lowest level since the reservoir was filled in the 1930s. The lake's surface fell to 1,040.5 feet on Thursday, edging below its previous record from 2022 and reinforcing what one researcher called "uncharted...

Romania Sinks Barges to Buy Time for Nuclear Plant

Record-low water levels in the Danube could force power plant offline within days

(Newser) - Romania raced on Thursday to sink four barges laden with rock into the Danube River in an attempt to redirect water downstream toward a nuclear power plant, to buy more time before its second reactor is likely forced offline due to record-low water levels. Extreme heatwaves and low rainfall across...

Puerto Rico Is Rationing Water in Major Cities

There's no end in sight to drought gripping US territory

(Newser) - Puerto Rico will implement water rationing measures in San Juan and other major cities as a drought grips the US territory with no relief in sight. More than 180,000 customers will be without water for 48 hours at a time starting Friday as part of an alternating schedule while...

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