News by Subject Biology

Radical changes to the food system are needed to safeguard our food supply and combat malnutrition in the face of climate change, environmental degradation and epidemics, says new report.

A study published in the journal Scientific Reports reveals the genetic structure of the land snail Xerocrassa montserratensis and it provides new scientific tools for the improvement of the conservation of this endemic and threatened species in Catalonia.

A global team of researchers recently released the results of a 'data-rich' modeling approach designed to illustrate a range of what-if scenarios for future oil palm plantation development in Indonesia. The study provides new insight into crop production strategies available to an industry facing increasing scrutiny.

New research examining the major causes of the world's biodiversity loss calls for an urgent and profound re-organisation of the global post-pandemic economy to prevent further planetary harm. Existing trade rules, economic policies, debt loads, subsidies, and tax loopholes, as well as a long-standing failure by rich countries to meet spending commitments, are not only undermining efforts to conserve biodiversity, but are fundamental drivers of ecological damage, the report outlines.

Some water strider males (Microvelia longipes) have enormous back legs relative to the rest of their body, which they use to guard egg-laying sites and to fight off rival males. William Toubiana, Abderrahman Khila and colleagues from the Universite? de Lyon in France report that the development of this exaggerated male sexual characteristic depends on the production of a ubiquitous growth factor, BMP11, also found in humans and mice. The study publishes 11th May, 2021 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.