(Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University) A genetic analysis of fruit in the mandarin family has unraveled a complex journey from the mountainous region of southern China to the markets of Okinawa, says researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University ..read more

(University of Colorado at Boulder) Even in the absence of bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire, trees in Colorado subalpine forests are dying at increasing rates from warmer and drier summer conditions, found recent University of Colorado Boulder research ..read more

(UK Research and Innovation) The UK marine economy is worth £48 billion with strong growth in renewable energy and aquaculture. However, the marine environment is under pressure from the triple ocean crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Researchers will investigate how to strengthen the marine economy while protecting ecosystems and communities ..read more

(Allegheny College) A new analysis by scientists shows that Shark Week, now in its 33rd year on the Discovery Channel, is deeply flawed in ways that undermine its goals, potentially harming both sharks and shark scientists. To document just how pervasive these issues are, a team of researchers performed a content and discourse analysis of more than 200 Shark Week episodes ..read more

(University of Massachusetts Amherst) University of Massachusetts Amherst food science Ph.D. candidate Cassandra Suther has received a prestigious predoctoral fellowship of $180,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) to study the effect of norovirus on the development and severity of food allergies ..read more

(Cambridge University Press) Horseweed is a serious threat to both agricultural crops and natural landscapes around the globe. In the U.S., the weed is prolific and able to emerge at any time of the year ..read more

(Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research) Great honour for Prof. Dr Nicolaus von Wirén: The National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has accepted the Head of the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology at the IPK Leibniz Institute as a new member. For Nicolaus von Wirén, this is already the second award within a few months. Only recently he was recognised by the Web of Science as an influential researcher ..read more

(University of Cambridge) Scientists have created plants whose cells and tissues 'blush' with beetroot pigments when they are colonised by fungi that help them take up nutrients from the soil. This is the first time this vital, 400 million year old process has been visualised in real time in full root systems of living plants. Understanding the dynamics of plant colonisation by fungi could help to make food production more sustainable in the future ..read more

(Aalto University) Researchers at Aalto University have used lignin, a natural polymer abundant in wood and other plant sources, to create a safe, low-cost and high-performing coating for use in construction. As there is a global urge to meet the rising sustainability standards, this new coating has great potential to protect wood, whose use in construction is continually increasing. The new coating is non-toxic, hydrofobic, it retains wood's breathability and natural roughness while being resistant to colour changes and abrasion ..read more

(Botanical Society of America) The National Science Foundation recently provided funding to over 100 herbaria across the Southeast U.S. to digitize more than three million plant specimens collected by botanists and naturalists across the country. Researchers tracked the speed and productivity of staff and students who handled the specimens, from the collection drawers to online repositories, to provide institutions with a framework to better determine the time and money needed to digitize remaining collections ..read more