A new APPC survey reveals broad pessimism about AI and a bipartisan belief that the government has done too little to regulate it.

Soils are home to some of the most diverse animal communities on Earth. These animals – including nematodes, springtails, mites, earthworms, spiders and other arthropods – drive decomposition, regulate microbial communities and contribute to nutrient cycling. However, little is known about how these animals’ “trophic diversity” – meaning the variety of feeding activities – is affected by land use and climate. An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has now shown that soil animal communities have greater trophic diversity in agricultural ecosystems and in tropical regions. The study analysed carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios from over 17,000 soil samples, covering 28 major groups of organisms from 456 sites across 19 countries. The results were published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

An early warning system for sepsis, one of the deadliest infections for hospital patients, has been approved for use by the FDA, one of the first AI-based medical tools to get clearance.

The tool, developed by Johns Hopkins University researchers and now commercialized by Bayesian Health, detects sepsis hours faster than doctors and has reduced deaths by nearly 20%.

- Achieving an international conservation target to protect almost a third of the world’s land and sea in the next four years could directly affect the lives of almost half the people on the planet, finds a new report.

- The study is the first to consider the social implications of the target at the global level.

- Supporting the people who live near areas that could be designated for nature - financially and otherwise - is vital for success.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a water-based nanotechnology formulation that improves how agricultural pesticides adhere to plant leaves, reducing chemical waste and environmental runoff while increasing effectiveness in wind and rain.