Theanine, a unique amino acid responsible for tea's refreshing taste and calming effect, plays a central role in determining tea quality. 

Chlorinated organic pollutants (COPs), widely used in industry and agriculture, persist in soil and groundwater for decades and threaten ecosystems and human health. 

Recently, a research team led by Professor Wenfeng Cong from China Agricultural University, in collaboration with Dr. Wopke van der Werf from Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, revealed the changing trends of dietary zinc intake among Chinese adults and the underlying reasons by analyzing data from China Health and Nutrition Surveys conducted between 2004 and 2011. The study covered 21,266 adults aged 18–50 from 9 provinces and 3 municipalities directly under the central government in China. The results showed that from 2004 to 2011, the average daily zinc intake of Chinese adults decreased from 11.1 to 9.89 mg, and the proportion of people with insufficient intake increased from 23% to 37%, a growth of more than 60%. Notably, this trend was prevalent across different income groups—although the zinc intake of high-income groups was consistently higher than that of low-income groups, zinc intake in all income strata showed a downward trend. The related paper has been published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2024584).

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have investigated the genetic diversity and future distribution of Shorea macrophylla (Dipterocarpaceae), an important tree species endemic to Borneo. They found that populations in northeastern Borneo represent the species' origin. Climate change projections suggest that suitable habitat for this tree will expand in the future.

Planting wheat earlier in the spring to avoid crop damage from ever-hotter summers may not keep harvests on pace with current levels.

New research at Washington State University challenges assumptions that earlier planting could offset the effects of a warming climate. Researchers used computer modeling to show that moving crop plantings earlier in the season brings about other plant growth issues that could hinder productivity.

The findings were published in Communications, Earth, and Environment.