An international team of researchers has demonstrated how artificial intelligence (AI) can now detect contaminated food in fields and factories before it reaches consumers, potentially saving four million deaths annually.

Tile drainage is a common practice used in agricultural fields to remove excess water, but it also transports harmful nutrients into water bodies, contributing to algal blooms that deprive aquatic life of oxygen. Woodchip bioreactors are an efficient way to reduce nitrogen pollution by treating the water as it exits the field. However, these denitrifying bioreactors may leach phosphorus from the woodchips into the environment. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign evaluates data from 10 bioreactors in Illinois to determine whether they are a source of phosphorus pollution.

How do plants regenerate roots from scratch after being wounded? In this study, scientists used spatial transcriptomics and time-series gene expression analysis to trace poplar root regeneration from its earliest stages.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common liver cancer, includes aggressive subtypes resistant to treatment. Researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan, identified a key mechanism behind one such subtype and developed a mouse model replicating its characteristics. Their study found that combining angiogenesis inhibitors with immune checkpoint blockers effectively disrupted the tumor’s defenses, enabling immune cells to attack. These findings offer a promising strategy for improving treatments and outcomes for patients with aggressive HCC.

Understanding the molecular basis of fruit ripening is essential for improving shelf life and quality. In this study, researchers uncovered a critical role of the histone deacetylase gene SlHDA7 in regulating tomato fruit ripening. 

Tiny spikes on cucumber fruits, known as trichomes or fruit spines, serve as more than just surface features—they play a key role in defense and quality. Now, researchers have identified CsTs, a C-type lectin receptor-like kinase gene, as a master regulator of trichome development.