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FACTS
New Agriculture Robot Uses 5G Technology
Chinese researchers have developed a new agricultural robot with
5G technology and sensors that moves between greenhouse rows,
collects plant data, and sends it to a control room for analysis by
artificial intelligence. The robot’s head is equipped with two
five-megapixel cameras functioning as its eyes and two seven-
megapixel cameras functioning as ears. It has sensors on its
head and mouth allowing the robot to detect wind speed,
CO 2 levels, humidity, and other data about the environment
of a greenhouse. “Currently, the robot can determine the
health condition of the plants and decide if they require pest
control measures,” says Chen Li, deputy director of marketing
for the Fujian Newland Era Hi-Tech Co, adding the robot is
a prototype and further research is needed to develop robots
that can harvest fruits with a bionic hand. The global agriculture
robotics industry will be worth $20.42 billion by 2025.
— freshplaza.com
Urban Gardening a “Cool” Thing
With urban gardening becoming more popular, millennials
are taking up the mantle. Gardening expert Frank Ferragine
(a.k.a. Frankie Flowers) says it’s now a bit of a trend to grow an
urban garden as millennials embrace the gardening movement.
“A lot are gravitating towards tropical plants and there’s been a
whole rage over succulents, which are probably the number one
photographed plant on Instagram,” says Ferragine. “Because we’re so
attached to our digital screens, taking some time to care for something
is appealing.” According to studies, gardening offers numerous health
benefits, providing stress relief, elevating happiness, and stimulating
the brain. “Right now, to be a grower or a gardener is cool,” he says.
“There’s an increase in the number of people wanting to either
grow plants indoors, grow their own food, or even grow their
own cannabis.” Condo and townhome balconies are great for
growing flowers, tomatoes, and lettuce.
— canada.com
Study Shows Tomatoes May Reduce Risk of Liver Cancer
A study in the journal Cancer Prevention Research states eating tomatoes
could be associated with a decreased risk of liver cancer caused by high-fat
diets. The health benefits of tomatoes have come to light after a study on
mice that showed tomatoes, rich in lycopene (a strong antioxidant, anti-
inflammatory, and anti-cancer agent), help in effectively reducing fatty
liver disease, inflammation, and liver cancer development. “Consuming
whole foods like tomatoes and processed tomatoes from sauces, tomato
paste, canned whole tomato products, ketchup, and
juice, provides the best source of lycopene,” says
Xiang-Dong Wang, a professor at Tufts University.
“We observed that tomato powder is more effective
than the same dose of purified lycopene supplementation
to prevent liver cancer development.” Eating tomatoes and products
like tomato sauce rich in lycopene is also associated with a lower risk of
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers, the study showed.
— freshplaza.com
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