The new Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems, or CROPPS, funded by a five-year, $25 million National Science Foundation grant, aims to grow a new field called digital biology.

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology were the first to uncover the genome and transcriptome of Japanese seafood delicacy kuruma shrimp, which could aid with fisheries and aquaculture management.

A new, location-specific agricultural greenhouse gas emission study is the first to account for net carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions from all subsectors related to food production and consumption. The work, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign atmospheric sciences professor Atul Jain, could help identify the primary plant- and animal-based food sectors contributing to three major greenhouse gas emissions and allow policymakers to take action to reduce emissions from the top-emitting food commodities at different locations across the globe.

Previous fires may hold the key to predicting and reducing the severity of future wildfires in the western United States as fire activity continues to increase, according to researchers from Penn State and the U.S. Forest Service.

Large carnivore populations are expanding across Europe and experts are calling for increased support for communities to encourage harmonious relationships with their new neighbours.