University of Queensland research shows emissions from the global chocolate industry could be reduced by growing more shade trees over farms in the region that supplies 60 per cent of the world’s cocoa.

A team of researchers from the Spanish National Research Council, an entity attached to the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, has made a significant advance in plant biotechnology by developing a new method for silencing genes. The novel technique uses ultra-short ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequences carried by genetically modified viruses to achieve genetic silencing, allowing the customization of plant traits. The work, published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, opens up new avenues for crop improvement, functional genomics, and sustainable agriculture.

Humans have engineered climate change by manipulating the environment. There’s a hope that we may also be able to mitigate this, predominantly through reducing emissions, but in some cases by leveraging some of these same natural processes, a plan called Nature-based Climate Solutions (NbCS).

Scientists have discovered a previously unknown virus in farmed Pacific oysters during a mass die-off in B.C., Canada. Pacific oysters are the most widely farmed oyster species worldwide.

The discovery serves as a reminder that growers should exercise caution when moving young oysters internationally and domestically, to prevent potential spread of pathogens, according to a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.