This week, science is discussing and deciding about about bees and space, as well as messing about with nanosponges and beans.

The EU votes today on banning pesticides that threaten bee populations
The European Union is expected to make a decision today regarding a ban on neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides said to be contributing the global problem of bees dying off due to colony collapse disorder. Developed in the late 90s as an alternative to other pesticides that are harmful to humans, neonicotinoids kill insects by binding to receptors in their nervous systems. The ban would prevent their use only on plants that bees are attracted to.

Imidacloprid, the world’s most popular pesticide, is one of the ones in question. A Harvard University study showed a direct link between dietary exposure to imidacloprid and hive health. The issue, however, is far from settled, as it's hotly debated on all sides, including these protesters in full bee attire.

Experts say Earthlings need to clean up after ourselves, and soon
Members of the Sixth European Conference on Space Debris say large pieces of junk need to be removed from around Earth in the near future—or we’ll be risking damage to some $1.3 billion worth of active equipment orbiting our planet, including further incidents like the piece of Chinese space debris that essentially disabled a Russian satellite in January.

Nanosponge disguises itself as a red blood cell and “soaks up” toxins
Researchers at UCSD found that nanosponges (microscopic, spherical particles “cloaked” in the membrane of red blood cells) can trick toxins that attack by puncturing red blood cells. The sponges trap the toxins when they attack. Read more at Scientific American.

UW biology doctoral student messes up an experiment, awesomely
What Frederick Dooley did was use 1/10 of the amount of the toxin hydrogen sulfide that he meant to in an experiment with beans and other plants. Hydrogen sulfide, also called "sewer gas" (characteristically smells like rotten eggs), is implicated in several mass extinctions and is very poisonous. But instead of killing the plants in the experiment, the low dose of the toxin surprisingly caused them to grow a whole lot faster. Care for some sewer beans with your poop steak?

Ok, to be fair this is far less unsettling than the steak. This video of two seeds of dwarf wheat demonstrates the accelerated growth (on the right), which nearly doubles crop yields: