FCC task force will help connect farms and ranches

Today, the FCC announced a task force meant to support the deployment of broadband across unserved farms and ranches. The Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force will work with the US Department of Agriculture and public and private sector stakeholders....

FDA and USDA will meet to debate the future of lab-grown meat

It's inevitable that lab-grown meat will play some kind of role in the future of food supply, but at this stage, it's unclear how much of a role, or what its regulatory frameworks will look like. This is why the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...

The Engadget Podcast Ep 26: The Sounds of Science

Managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Nathan Ingraham join host Terrence O'Brien on the latest episode. First Dana and Nathan face off in the latest installment of Flame Wars, tackling the latest news around Google Voice, struggling streamin...

Agriculture Department lifts USDA gag order after public outcry

That didn't last long. Less than a day after the US Department of Agriculture issued an internal memo dictating that its main research division "not release any public-facing documents" the agency has rescinded that order, according to emails obtaine...

Amazon and online grocery services will soon accept food stamps

Thanks to a pilot program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, families who rely on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy groceries will soon be able to use online services like Amazon and FreshDirect. When the two-year pr...

ICYMI: The USDA created milk-based cling wrap

Today on In Case You Missed It: MIT's Self Assembly Lab came up with a phone that can be put in something that looks like your old rock tumbler and snap together by itself, with the force of magnets. And scientists at the US Department of Agricul...

Genetically modified mushrooms cleared by the USDA

While the ethical debate rages on about genetically modified human embryos, the United States Department of Agriculture has cleared its first CRISPR-modified organism. CRISPR, in case you've forgotten, is an editing technique that can alter the genom...

White House says broadband is a ‘Core Utility’ just like power and water

Think you could survive in this day and age without access to a broadband connection? The White House has its doubts. A recent report from the Broadband Opportunity Council (under the auspices of the Oval Office) described broadband connectivity as...