Sunlight provides the energy necessary for photosynthesis and growth, but it also exposes plants to harmful ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. Plants must therefore strike a delicate balance between growth and protection. By studying Marchantia polymorpha, a plant similar to some of the earliest land plants, an international team led by scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) sheds light on the evolution of fundamental UV-B perception mechanisms and plant adaptation strategies to light stress. In a context where climate change is altering light exposure conditions, these findings, published in Plant Physiology, could prove particularly valuable.

What does it mean to weigh a $170 billion gold mine against a way of life? Researchers at Kyushu University and Oita University found that for Alaska Native communities, the answer cannot be reduced to simple ‘support’ or ‘opposition.’ Many community members occupy multiple, often conflicting roles, and must balance economic opportunity, cultural survival, and environmental stewardship. The findings call for governance structures that center Indigenous worldviews and their own definitions of well-being.

A 7-year study reveals the endangered Key Largo woodrat has plummeted post-Hurricane Irma and python invasion, while the co-occurring cotton mouse unexpectedly increased—offering critical insights for island biodiversity conservation.

There’s a conundrum that has perplexed biologists since Charles Darwin himself. Why do some exotic species take off as invasive pests while others don’t?

A new study argues that protected areas alone cannot safeguard Africa’s biodiversity, urging a shift to inclusive, community-centered conservation across human-managed landscapes.

Climate change is causing a worldwide decline in biodiversity, but it is also altering energy flow between trophic levels in both brackish waters and the subarctic region. In Lapland, changes in the biomass of small herbivores are rapidly reflected in the reproductive success of the larger animals that feed on them. A recently published longitudinal study conducted at the northernmost region of Finland shows how the biomass of moths, which are a vital food source to insectivorous birds, has changed over the past few decades.