In some municipalities in Hokkaido to be designated as national strategic special zones, autonomous tractors will be allowed to travel on public roads without a driver onboard. The government decided Thursday to designate 19 municipalities in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, including the city of Obihiro, as national strategic special zones to promote artificial intelligence-powered agriculture. The government will apply special deregulation measures to the areas, including simplifying the procedures needed to operate robot tractors autonomously on public roads and spraying pesticides with drones. Under current laws, robot tractors capable of autonomous operation must have a driver when traveling on public roads, such as from a warehouse to a field. When multiple tractors are used on vast farmland, each tractor must be crewed, thus preventing farmers from fully realizing the benefits of the labor-saving technology.

The families of eight Ecuadorian fishermen who vanished at sea after reporting US surveillance are demanding answers. They believe the men could be victims of a US drone strike or detention. UN approves new map showing Africa's true size Did Israel's destruction of Gaza worsen its water crisis? Judge declares mistrial in Lindsay Clancy children's murder case

A two-toned lobster like Ethel is 1 in 50 million, while a blue one like Gertrude is 1 in 2 million. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Ethel the split-colored lobster (left) and Gertrude the blue (right) were donated to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

Will self-flying planes transform the skies? Image caption, Pyka's crop dusters are used in the US and Brazil Over an alfalfa field in California's San Joaquin Valley, a small crop-spraying plane is flying scarily low to the ground. There's little risk to humans though, as the plane is pilot-free. We can actually go lower than a human pilot can, says Russ Marotzke, as the aircraft skims over the crop. Flying lower means less spray drift and therefore less chemicals are needed than in conventional manned crop-dusting, he says.

The Download: engineered microbes for crops, and OpenAI's culture problem Plus: reports of AI escaping users' control nearly doubled in a month. How engineered microbes could help feed the world's crops Fertilizer is crucial for the global food supply, but making it uses a lot of energy and produces a lot of emissions. Some companies hope microbes can help, by providing crucial nitrogen to help plants grow, potentially reducing the need for chemical fertilizer. Startup Switch Bioworks is taking a new approach: using a genetic switch that allows microbes to establish themselves and grow before shifting into nitrogen-producing mode. The company is currently trialing its product in six US states. And, although it's too early to say exactly how well the approach works in the field, its modeling suggests microbes could eventually replace about 50% of synthetic fertilizer.

Health How gross is wearing your shoes inside? Poop and pollen are unavoidable, but there are still ways to leave them at the door. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . Do you take your shoes off when you enter your home?

Environment Conservation Land'Proof by Underpants' offers a cheeky way to test soil Over 2,000 pairs of cotton underwear were buried in Switzerland in the name of science. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. More organically active soil is great for decomposition, but that's not always a good thing. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

Companies are turning to artificial intelligence and sensor technology to improve the efficiency of indoor farming in Japan as the country faces a growing shortage of farmers. Oishii Farm, which runs a strawberry factory in the United States, recently established a new research and development base in the city of Hamura in western Tokyo. It plans to develop efficient methods for cultivating other crops, such as tomatoes, indoors and robots capable of automatically planting and packaging produce. The company uses AI to manage the breeding environment for bees, which are essential for pollination. The technology has raised the pollination rate for its strawberries to 95%. "We're able to achieve hundreds of years' worth of traditional outdoor breeding progress within a single year," said Hiroki Koga, co-founder and CEO of Oishii Farm, emphasizing the benefits of plant factories unaffected by seasons or weather.

'The fish is in the right' says man bitten by blue shark while angling A man who was bitten by a shark on a boat off the coast of County Waterford is due to undergo surgery. Sebastian Achim was part of a crew tagging sharks for research off Ram Head, Ardmore, when the incident happened on Tuesday. The crew, who were experienced fishermen, were catching the sharks, tagging them and then releasing them back into the sea. Later in the day, Achim caught another shark and was bitten in the leg after pulling it into the boat. 'The fish is in the right' Speaking to RTÉ Radio One's Morning Ireland, external programme, Achim said the plan was to hook the shark, tag it and release it.

Startups and Big Ag are using Crispr gene editing to create crops that taste better and grow on a hotter planet. But will they find a market? If you wanted to create better blackberries, you could try to breed a variety without the seeds that get stuck in your teeth. Or one without the thorns that make the berries hard to pick. Or you could aim for more environmentally efficient plants that produce more berries per acre with less water and fewer chemicals.