# brainfood — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 4 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover brainfood. Page: Feed: --- ## WTF is Up with the Tea Bag? _2026-08-20 · The BrainFood Show_ Legend says that brewing tea dates back to around 2737 BC, when tea leaves fell into water being boiled for Emperor Shennong of China. There does not appear to be any hard evidence of tea being discovered this way, but evidence we do have suggests that brewing tea did indeed likely start in China, first as part of a medicinal elixir. The first documented reference to this is found during the Shang… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL7066113882.mp3) ## [Towards a digital workflow for forest restoration](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/towards-a-digital-workflow-for-forest-restoration/) _2026-08-20 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ I missed the “From Seeds to Success: Digital Tools for Planning and Managing Forest Restoration” webinar a few weeks ago, jointly organized by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the Millennium Seed Bank at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Forest Restoration Research Unit (FORRU), Chiang Mai University. Too busy moving to another … Continue reading "Towards a digital workflow… ## [The revenge of the sweetpotato](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/the-revenge-of-the-sweetpotato/) _2026-08-19 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ Speaking of digital imagery and its uses in genebanks, get a load of the recently published catalogues of the Cuban sweet potato collection at the Research Institute of Tropical Roots and Tuber Crops (INIVIT), and of Peruvian cacaos. Beautiful. And do yourself a favour and don’t skip the foreword, preface and introduction to the Cuban … Continue reading "The revenge of the sweetpotato" ## Why the Heck Did Goose Die Ejecting in Top Gun, but Maverick Didn't at Mach 10 in Top Gun: Maverick? _2026-08-19 · The BrainFood Show_ During the 1986 beach volleyball film Top Gun, U.S. Navy aviators and ultimate bros Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Nick “Goose” Bradshaw are flying dogfight exercises in a Grumman F-14 Tomcat when they accidentally fly into the jet wash of another aircraft, causing both their engines to flame out. The Tomcat immediately snaps into an unrecoverable flat spin and hurtles towards the earth, giving… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL1332899002.mp3) ## [A picture is worth a thousand descriptors](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-descriptors/) _2026-08-18 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ For decades, germplasm characterization has relied on people looking at plants, seeds and fruits and recording what they see; first on paper forms, more recently admittedly on tablets and the like. I’ve done that myself, and let me tell you, recording the colour of taro stems on bits of damp paper in the middle of … Continue reading "A picture is worth a thousand descriptors" ## How Did Edgar Allan Poe Die? _2026-08-18 · The BrainFood Show_ Edgar Allan Poe is probably best known for his raven that squawks “Nevermore,” but he’s also one of the first American short story writers and is often credited with being the “inventor” of detective fiction. He also contributed heavily to the genre of science fiction. Not only that, but he was one of the first American writers to earn a living from his writing alone. What’s not as well-known… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL5311571306.mp3) ## [Mo’ better veggies](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/mo-better-veggies/) _2026-08-17 · Jeremy Cherfas · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ In the latest Eat This Newsletter I shared this item, which may be relevant here too. There’s no shortage of advice that we should all eat more vegetables. They are undoubtedly good for long-term health, and not eating enough vegetables is one of the top five dietary risk factors for disease. And yet, despite all … Continue reading "Mo’ better veggies" ## [Brainfood: Mung bean pan-genome, Sunflower resistance, Olive adaptation, Allergic peanuts, Weird coffees, Chinese tea, Measuring selection](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/brainfood-mung-bean-pan-genome-sunflower-resistance-olive-adaptation-allergic-peanuts-weird-coffees-chinese-tea-measuring-selection/) _2026-08-17 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ Graph-based pan-genome reveals structural variations associated with agronomic traits in mung bean. Pan-genome captures extensive structural variation missed by a single reference genome, providing new targets for mung bean improvement. Wild genes to the rescue: high-throughput genomics reveals the wild source of broomrape resistance in sunflower. Combining high-throughput root phenotyping with… ## NASA’s Most Hilarious Failure _2026-08-17 · The BrainFood Show_ On April 11, 2026, the Orion spacecraft Integrity splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, bringing astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, and Christina Koch (cook) safely back to earth after an epic 10-day journey from the earth to the moon - the first such mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. Aside from some minor issues with the spacecraft’s toilet and Microsoft Outlook, which…… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL9630236236.mp3) ## [Nibbles: Processing, Shōjin Ryōri, Philippines landraces, National Soybean Germplasm Collection, Kazakhstan genebank, Reading chocolate, Parmesan bank](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/nibbles-processing-shojin-ryori-philippines-landraces-national-soybean-germplasm-collection-kazakhstan-genebank-reading-chocolate-parmesan-bank/) _2026-08-16 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ Grinding, fermenting, and detoxifying our way to bigger brains — an anthropologist makes the case that food processing, historically women s work, did as much for human evolution as the mammoth-spearing got credit for. Speaking of transforming raw ingredients into something civilization-defining: a Japanese temple has been quietly perfecting vegan cooking for 700 years, no marketing Continue… ## [Anthony Ettinger on LinkedIn (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/i7jaAriBo7jo) _2026-08-16 · **Sponsored**_ Public LinkedIn profile at linkedin.com/in/anthonyettinger. ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 514](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-514) _2026-08-16 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ Canaries in the Coal Mine real time dashboard, Explosive growth of PhD's from Chinese universities, Brief history of QoH from Gerry Crispin, Botoxing your CV, LinkedIn Cringebot and more... ## Can You Actually Tip a Cow? _2026-08-15 · The BrainFood Show_ ⁠ ⁠In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at a rather fascinating fact about dogs and cats that you probably didn’t know. Next up we begin by debunking a variety of common whale related myths, most notably frequently depicted in movies the world over. Among other things, we then look at what exactly the uvula does (that dangly thing in the back of your throat), whether cats… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL9035659849.mp3) ## [The fruits of migration](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/the-fruits-of-migration/) _2026-08-14 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ As chance would have it, following my recent speculative foray into the possible connection between language and crop diversity, an essay by the great Andrea Wulf has just appeared that tells the story of how a remarkable German naturalist used breadfruit and linguistics to work out Polynesian migration patterns long before DNA or archaeology could Continue reading "The fruits of migration" ## [Featured: Fresh for who, and at what price?](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/featured-fresh-for-who-and-at-what-price/) _2026-08-14 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ Jeremy rides his hobby horses in his comment on my recent ride on my own: Good point, that improved varieties always depend on existing diversity yet those doing the improving seldom contribute to maintaining the diversity they depend on. I would add a couple of my hobby horses. Will ordinary Zimbabweans be able to afford Continue reading "Featured: Fresh for who, and at what price?" ## The U.S.'s Biological Warfare Against Its Own Citizens, the Nazi Breeding Program and Much More _2026-08-14 · The BrainFood Show_ In the "Forgotten History" compilation video today, we're looking at the United States' biological warfare program tested on its own citizens, the women who were used for breeding by the Nazis, the amazonian arrow poison that revolutionized medicine, the only axi prisoner to escape from Canada and make it back to Germany, the forgotten and extremely tragic valcartier grenade incident, and much,… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL3214340377.mp3) ## [Fresh out of diversity](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/fresh-out-of-diversity/) _2026-08-14 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ “Blueberries are a great example of agriculture as high-tech industry,” argues Daniel Hulls, the boss of AgDevCo, an investment fund. Driscoll’s, an American agribusiness giant, supplies seeds to farmers in Zimbabwe that are the result of years of cross-pollination. Polyethylene covers protect bushes. Storage rooms have optical sorting machines. To maximise profits, firms time production Continue… ## [Nibbles: Festivals, Wheat breeding, Cowpea, Community seed bank, Mint diversity](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/nibbles-festivals-wheat-breeding-cowpea-community-seed-bank-mint-diversity/) _2026-08-13 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ Festivals, rituals and seed-saving go hand in hand, as this photo essay on Koraput s Adivasis shows for World Indigenous Peoples Day. Speaking of unlikely alliances, Israeli and Palestinian researchers have teamed up on wheat that can take the heat in a warming, drying Middle East. Not to be outdone in the resilience stakes, the cowpea Continue reading "Nibbles: Festivals, Wheat breeding, Cowpea,… ## The Forgotten American Civil War Death Camp _2026-08-13 · The BrainFood Show_ On November 10, 1865, Henry Wirz, the commander of Andersonville prison in Georgia (a.k.a. Camp Sumter), was executed for his actions during the Civil War. A Swiss immigrant, Wirz was the only Confederate officer convicted and put to death for war crimes. (Even Confederate President Jefferson Davis ultimately got off more or less scot free.) Built in 1864, Andersonville, or Camp Sumter, was the… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL2471505256.mp3) ## How Close are We to Creating a Handheld Laser Gun? _2026-08-12 · The BrainFood Show_ Laser guns are a staple of science fiction. Engineers are very good at making science fiction, science fact, with a lot of money and awesome science and engineering. So how close are we to creating a handheld sci-fi laser gun? “Ancient weapons and hokey religions are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” In this memorable line from 1977’s Star Wars, loveable smuggler and rogue Han Solo… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL9485934467.mp3) ## [A Babel of agrobiodiversity](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/a-babel-of-agrobiodiversity/) _2026-08-12 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ The rise and fall of language diversity through the Holocene by Blasi, Hamilton, Gray Bowern, published in Science last month, does something I really love. It complicates a standard narrative. The received story of language diversity is that it has been declining steadily for centuries, largely driven by colonialism and globalization. But direct evidence Continue reading "A Babel of… ## [Get started with Turso (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/1tSUpAw6cvWW) _2026-08-12 · **Sponsored**_ Create your Turso account to access the app. ## [The accessions in Spain fall mainly everywhere](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/the-accessions-in-spain-fall-mainly-everywhere/) _2026-08-11 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ My ex-colleagues at the Crop Trust have a very nice animation on the Genesys blog-type thing showing the progress of landrace collecting around the world over the past 125 years. Do please read the post for the details of how it was done, and some observations on the results. Here I just wanted to highlight Continue reading "The accessions in Spain fall mainly everywhere" ## The Real Story of Amelia Earhart _2026-08-11 · The BrainFood Show_ In the field of aviation, few figures loom larger in the popular imagination than Amelia Earhart. Over her relatively brief 10-year career, the legendary aviatrix became an icon and inspiration for women everywhere, becoming the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo and setting dozens of long-distance flight records. Her mysterious disappearance during an attempted round-the-world flight in 1937… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL2439439407.mp3) ## The Incredible Engineering Behind Driving on the Moon _2026-08-10 · The BrainFood Show_ Long before the Apollo Program was officially announced in 1961, engineers and science fiction writers recognized the value of giving future moon explorers some kind of wheeled vehicle to increase their mobility. Most early concepts for such vehicles were large truck-like contraptions with pressurized cabins, allowing the astronauts to operate in so-called “shirt-sleeve” conditions, not unlike in… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL2306547952.mp3) ## [Brainfood: Avocado history, Brazil commuity seedbanks, Citizen science, Agroecology double, Indigenous knowledge, Turkish seeds, Swiss biodiversity](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/brainfood-avocado-history-brazil-commuity-seedbanks-citizen-science-agroecology-wealth-indigenous-knowledge-turkish-seeds-swiss-biodiversity/) _2026-08-10 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ Ethnobotanical and genetic assessments of Central American avocado landraces reveal novel sources of biodiversity and ancient migration patterns. DNA from landraces, and interviews with farmers, show that people transported and cultivated avocados across the Americas long before European contact, with landraces from lowland Nicaragua and Honduras in particular showing evidence of ancient migration… ## [Nibbles: Museum of Cider, Aport apple, Rattan genebank, Sri Lanka rice, Saudi coffee landscapes](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/nibbles-museum-of-cider-aport-apple-rattan-genebank-sri-lanka-rice-saudi-coffee-landscapes/) _2026-08-09 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ In the UK, Herefordshire s Museum of Cider is picking up national recognition for its genebank of heritage apple trees. The BBC s canonical autumnal apple story comes a little early this year. Speaking of iconic apples, Kazakhstan is scaling up efforts to bring back the Aport, the giant heirloom that once made Almaty famous. No word Continue reading "Nibbles: Museum of Cider, Aport apple, Rattan… ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 513](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-513) _2026-08-09 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ Notion AI Renovation, EU AI Act now in force, The New Hiring filter, a brilliant essay on Mark Granovetter's weak ties as it applies to job search ## [Smelling the heirloom coffee](https://agro.biodiver.se/2026/08/smelling-the-heirloom-coffee/) _2026-08-08 · Luigi Guarino · Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog_ Yet more on agrobiodiversity marketing in Kenya. This time it s coffee. Spring Valley Coffee gives out nifty little cards on all its products, providing information on the varietal composition of different blends, and where the beans that go into each are grown. This decaf from Guji in Ethiopia caught my eye in particular because the Continue reading "Smelling the heirloom coffee" ## The “Trial of the Century” That Led to Women Jumping Out of Cakes _2026-08-08 · The BrainFood Show_ ⁠ ⁠In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start with a Simon rant, then look at what the M’s stand for in M&Ms. Next up we look at when exactly humans started putting living things in food items for the purpose of entertainment, the origin of “That’s What She Said” and “Said the Actress to the Bishop”, and then all leading up to the first “Trial of the (20th) Century” and what exactly that had… [Listen](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CTL6246715720.mp3) ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 512](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-512) _2026-08-02 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ AI Labour Market Tracker, UK Staffing Agency Trends 2026, Inside China's AI Labs, 5 x Vibe Coding tools for Recruiters, and important changes to the fine print from Indeed.. ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 511](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-511) _2026-07-26 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ Atlassian's AI Journey, Botsitting - the hidden tax on productivity, US workforce data explorer, the end of Zombie Startups (and it's implications for hiring demand), DeepSeek on team stability... ## [Persona-led AI publishing (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/HBSKeIYJfWG3) _2026-07-26 · **Sponsored**_ Generate drafts, schedule subdomain publishing, and keep human review where needed. ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 510](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-510) _2026-07-19 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ State of Open Source AI, Meta sued for using bossware to fire the under represented, a great rejection email template from Glen Cathey, VA's with AI and a great piece of analysis on Peak Workforce... ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 509](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-509) _2026-07-12 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ HR Automation Explorer, Job Search as a AI Project, the History of HR Tech, Why Investment happens and why, and what Global CEO's really think about AI... ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 508](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-508) _2026-07-05 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ Future of Entry Level Work, Remote Labour Index 2026, AI Chief of Staff, teleworking as the remote working for blue collar andAlex Karp going to bat for open source AI? ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 507](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-507) _2026-06-28 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ The State of the AI Economy, LinkedIn launches Creator Marketplace, Hybrid working in UK / EU tech, one very cool AI guide for HR and inference from scraping job post for Chinese AI... ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 506](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-506) _2026-06-21 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ AI Scenarios 2030, Reuters Digital News Report 2026, Algorithmic Monocultures in Hiring, Gender inequality in AI resume generation, Meta engineering culture change and one very cool travel website... ## [Recruiting Brainfood - Issue 505](https://recruitingbrainfood.substack.com/p/recruiting-brainfood-issue-505) _2026-06-14 · Hung Lee · Recruiting Brainfood_ Europe 2031, export ban of Fable 5 for all non-Americans, shift from Talent Acquisition to Talent, job board for staffing agency roles, startup guide to People Ops & Nature's human migration tracker..