The transition to agriculture and a sedentary lifestyle is one of the great turning points in human history. Yet how this Neolithic way of life spread from the Fertile Crescent across Anatolia and into the Aegean has been hotly debated. A Turkish-Swiss team offers important new insights, by combining archaeology and genetics in an innovative way.

Rice is showing to have many benefits in brewing beer, including making nonalcoholic beer taste more like its full-strength counterpart, according to recently published research out of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture in collaboration with the Research Institute for Raw Materials and Beverage Analysis, officially known as Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei — or VLB — in Berlin, Germany. The research also shows that some rice varieties have lower gelatinization temperatures, which opens up its use to more craft brewers, and that rice breeding programs are developing rice with qualities that contrast with factors that aid in brewing efficiency and sustainability.

A collaboration between Aston University and RAD Global will help small farmers in East Africa keep food fresher for longer, preventing food waste and improving livelihoods. Working with other partners they have developed pioneering cold storage boxes which can keep food fresh without access to grid electricity.

The grant will launch a community-led queen conch aquaculture facility in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, in partnership with The Island School’s Cape Eleuthera Institute. Focused on restoring declining queen conch populations—vital to Caribbean ecosystems and coastal food economies—the project is part of a larger mission to transform food systems and strengthen coastal resilience through sustainable aquaculture. It builds on the Queen Conch Lab’s growing network of 10 community-based farms across the Caribbean, underscoring the species’ importance to ocean health, food security, and cultural identity.

Join us in Antwerp for this year's Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) Annual Conference!

A new study reveals that water-extractable organic matter (WEOM) from air-dried soils can effectively estimate microbial biomass, offering a safer alternative to traditional methods. This approach reduces the use of toxic solvents, simplifies sampling, and shows a strong correlation between WEOM and microbial biomass carbon. The findings open new doors for accessible and scalable soil microbiology research. This innovative method provides a safer, more efficient alternative to traditional chloroform fumigation extraction, enhancing soil microbiology research.