A new study of the plant that produces robusta coffee suggests its heat tolerance has been consistently overestimated. Worse yet, when temperatures just slightly cross this point, yields plummet. The findings suggest the multibillion-dollar coffee industry could be facing a much tougher future on even a slightly warmer planet. The study's findings contrast with current estimates, based on historical botanical explorations in Central Africa, that had suggested robusta had a higher temperature tolerance.

To find prey in the dark, bats use echolocation. Some species, like Molossus molossus, may also search within hearing distance of their echolocating group members, sharing information about where food patches are located. Social information encoded in their echolocation calls may facilitate this foraging strategy that allows them to find food faster.

Teff, an ancient grain originally from Ethiopia, is a staple crop for 50 million people in the country. It is also increasingly popular worldwide, touted as a superfood for its gluten-free, high fiber and protein, and low-sugar properties. Yet dramatic temperature increases projected in Ethiopia by 2070, could force farmers to grow it only in mountainous areas at higher altitudes, driving down production.

Root crops like cassava, carrots and potatoes are notoriously good at hiding disease, or deficiencies which might affect their growth. While leaves may look green and healthy, farmers can face nasty surprises when they go to harvest their crop. New research using machine learning and to help predict root growth and health with aboveground imagery was published June 14 in Plant Methods.

Researchers learned from some unusual sweat bee species on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, how the sophisticated division of labor in highly complex insect societies can arise from humble beginnings.

The international trade in timber, tobacco, cocoa, coffee and cotton accounts for a high proportion of malaria risk in exporter countries, according to a collaborative study by scientists in Brazil and Australia published in Nature Communications.

Doped with carbon and magnesium, the material becomes thermoluminescent in response to UV radiation.

Created at the University of São Paulo's Engineering School (POLI-USP), the machine costs approximately 7% as much as a conventional ventilator and can be freely manufactured by companies that obtain approval from the national health surveillance authority.

The same procedure will be extended to the entire Atlantic Rainforest biome, remnants of which are located on the coast of 17 Brazilian states.