Meet the Cool Beans Designed to Beat Climate Change
A planet that is warming at extraordinary speed may require extraordinary new food crops. The latest great agricultural hope is beans that can thrive in temperatures that cripple most conventional beans. They're now growing in test plots of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, or CIAT, in Colombia.

A Way to Get Power to the World's Poor without Making Climate Change Worse
Nearly a third of the human family lacks access to basic energy services. On the other hand, more energy for the poor means more climate pollution. But a new paper argues that, combined with the right policies, new technologies can bring everyone now lacking energy access onto the energy ladder. And, at least the first few steps up that ladder can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
 
Scientists Have Discovered a Simple Way to Cook Rice That Dramatically Cuts the Calories
Rice, the lifeblood of so many nations' cuisines, is perhaps the most ubiquitous food in the world. But like other starch-heavy foods, it has one central flaw: it isn't that good for you. But what if there were a simple way to tweak rice ever so slightly to make it much healthier? The prospect of lower calorie rice is a big deal. Obesity rates are rising around the world, particularly in the developing world, where people rely more heavily on cheaper food staples.