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Scientists uncovered the nutrients bees were missing — Colonies surged 15-fold
(www.sciencedaily.com)
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this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2026
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Technology
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Get outta here with your sensible, practical solutions! ;-)
Seems easier than engineering edible yeast to get them the sterols they need.
But Brawndo has the electrolites that plants crave!
Just in case the joke is too far of a stretch to make the connection, what I'm saying is the obvious simple solution isn't profitable.
They'd rather sell you a solution that doesn't actually work, then give you a solution that works that they can't make profit on.
So Brawndo for bees too? Done!
But you see they can sell this! Can't sell "fallow fields"...
Yes well known fact we shouldn't research any technology to reverse the collapse of our biosphere or to alleviate climate change. Wouldn't want anyone being able to sell that tech. Best we just turn off the lights and plant some flowers.
I love planting some flowers, but we're going to need technology to undo the mess we created.
Fellows can sell seeds for fallow fields, my friend. never fear for they will forage, and be fine.
Didn’t use fertile or follow or falter. Fine folly.
"They" being the University of Oxford?
Plenty of companies have been founded by former university researchers based on discoveries they've made while at said universities. Seems like nothing prevents those folks from patenting the newfound methods for themselves.
Or, they will license the technology to a big manufacturer. Seeing as the University of Oxford is probably ill-equipped to produce industrial amounts of yeast.
You would be surprised, yeast vats and breweries have a ton of overlap, IE pretty cheap tanks and reasonably standard infrastructure. Most universities with a biology research wing are going to have a few bio-reactors, and while they may not be able to produce the feed itself industrially, they can easily breed starters to sell to places like breweries and companies that already produce yeast at massive scale.
That's it! I'm calling my beer brewing vessels 'bio-reactors'! No more carboys for me!
I mean, yeah. What did you think a bio-reactor was but a really fancy carboy?
There is some nuance in amenities, but at the end of the day it is a temperature-controlled and sterile environment for microbial growth to take place.
It also doesn't degrade ecosystems further.
Bees aren't just the domesticated honey bees.
In the end, it probably isn't easier at all. Once the yeast is created, yeast is dirt cheap and easy as hell to grow, and wouldn't require managing a field of wildflowers that are going to drop seeds for the following year when you intend to plant crops there. I'm not saying it's a good or ethical choice, but the yeast definitely has the potential to be easier and cheaper
Yeah, I found that pretty weird, too. Not only that, but you can't get that yeast for the next two years. Your method works yesterday haha.