Better rules for sustainable fish farms could provide the state with a $1 billion a year industry, says a coastal conservation research group called the Michigan Sea Grant.

Smart meters are easy to read and an accurate way of measuring how much electricity is used by utility customers.

The Michigan Public Service Commission recently approved rules to control how data collected by the meters is used.

But some customers worry that the meters are a technological invasion of privacy.

As workers at many farms and orchards become more and more scarce, the need for mechanical harvesting is rising.

Blueberries, cherries and grapes are all increasingly being harvested by machines rather than farm workers.

A recent survey asked people if global warming had been happening and if they believed the government should regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

Strangely enough, there were instances of states with noticeable disparities – people who want greenhouse gases regulated but don’t believe they cause climate change, and people who believe in climate change but do not want to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

Michigan farmers are increasingly turning to technology to track weather, map the precise spreading of fertilizers and seeds and follow prices for input and services.

Their only hurdle? Dealing with often shoddy broadband Internet service.

A curious, century-old population trend in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula shows a yo-yoing cycle of growth and decline every 20 years.

It could be rooted in natural resource issues.

Perhaps the timber or mining industries are behind it… or maybe the weather.

The impact of most of these “chemicals of emerging concern” on the health of people and aquatic life remains unclear, according to the International Joint Commission.

A Sisyphean task is one that is “endless and ineffective.”

Does protecting the Great Lakes fall under this definition?

Throughout the 20th century large investments of time and money were made to help restore big game populations across the U.S.

Many of these efforts were successful and continue today. But they may be short lived.

Think all ice is the same?

That’s not the case on the Great Lakes.

And now scientists have found out how to detect the differences.

With math.