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Ask Dr. Universe agriculture
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Why are butterflies considered a pest by some farmers? — Opemipo, 11, Texas

Dear Opemipo,

We usually think of adult butterflies. Those fluttery insects flit from flower to flower. They sip nectar and move pollen. They’re beneficial insects. They help plants and people.

But baby butterflies are another story.

I talked about it with my friend Dowen Jocson. She’s an insect scientist at Washington State University.

Young butterflies or moths are larvae, or caterpillars. They hatch from an egg deposited near a plant. Then they get busy eating and growing.

Caterpillars have jaws adapted for chewing. Their munchy mouths will change when they transform into adult butterflies. Then, they’ll have a straw-like mouth for slurping up … » More …

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Why do dairy cows produce so much milk compared to beef cows? – Kristen, 6, New York

Dear Kristen,

This answer is fueled by coffee with a splash of milk from a dairy cow.

I asked my friend Kimberly Davenport why my morning milk doesn’t come from a beef cow. She’s an expert in cow genetics at Washington State University.

She told me that all cows are the same species: Bos taurus. But different kinds of cows have different traits—like making lots of milk or growing big muscles.

“Over time, we’ve selected these cows to either make more milk or more meat,” Davenport said.

Selecting means noticing the traits you like and keeping animals with those traits. When those animals reproduce, … » More …

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Why do carrots have sugar? They are so yummy! – George and Samuel, 6, Virginia

Dear George and Samuel,

Roasted and soft. Raw and crunchy. Baked into a cake. I love eating all kinds of carrots.

I asked my friend Tim Waters why those orange veggies are so tasty. He studies vegetable crops at Washington State University.

He told me that we eat the carrot plant’s root. That’s where the plant stores all the sugar it makes during photosynthesis.

“The sugars that carrots have are sucrose, glucose and fructose,” Waters said. “They’re stored in the root as a source of energy for the plant while it’s growing.”

It turns out carrots are biennial plants. It takes two years … » More …

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