Scientists show that molybdenum nanoparticles sprayed on leaves can suppress toxic cadmium uptake and harmful oxidative stress in rice Cadmium-contaminated soils threaten food safety worldwide, particularly rice safety in Asia. Researchers at Foshan University have discovered that foliar application of molybdenum nanoparticles (MoNPs) can reduce cadmium accumulation in rice roots while limiting oxidative damage. The findings demonstrate how targeted nanoparticle treatment modulates key molecular and biochemical pathways to improve plant resilience against metal stress, offering a promising strategy for safer food production in contaminated farmlands.

An international study published in Science reveals that mixing grasses, legumes and herbs in agricultural grasslands can boost productivity, cut nitrogen use and help farmers adapt to climate change.

Rising greenhouse gas emissions could see the size of extreme floods in the Central Himalayas increase by between as much as 73% and 84% by the end of this century.

A subtle change in how climate risk is communicated—mentioning a person’s local area—can significantly increase attention to disaster preparedness messages, according to a new study by researchers at the Stockholm School of Economics and Harvard University, published in Nature Human Behaviour. The findings offer a practical, low-cost strategy for governments, insurers and local authorities seeking to boost climate resilience in vulnerable communities.

With climate change and higher incidence of crop diseases, global cocoa production and supply is being threatened. A research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS), motivated by these reports, set out to enhance the taste of carob, making it a more appealing and sustainable alternative to cocoa.

The NUS team, led by Associate Professor Liu Shao Quan from the Department of Food Science and Technology at the NUS Faculty of Science, has developed two innovative techniques to enhance the taste of carob pulp.

“Our carob-based innovation meets the relatively untapped and nascent market of alternative chocolate sources. Additionally, our new techniques improve the taste of carob itself, without the use of additives such as flavourings. So, consumers can have the best of both worlds – better flavour and a simple ingredients list. With these innovations, we aim to make a meaningful contribution towards addressing the current challenges and needs of the chocolate industry,” said Assoc Prof Liu.

A new study led by researchers at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, and published in One Earth, analyzes projections from state-of-the-art Earth System Models and narrows the uncertainty of the amount of additional CO₂ that can be emitted before crossing critical climate thresholds. By accounting for feedback between the climate and carbon cycle, the team finds that the remaining budget for limiting warming to 2 °C since 2020 is approximately 460 billion tons of carbon. This is higher than the average value predicted by the models (352 billion tons). However, given that current global anthropogenic carbon emissions are approximately 11 billion tons, the remaining carbon budget to limit global warming to 2°C is extremely small. The refined numbers provide governments, businesses and communities with clearer guidance for setting emission reduction targets and developing effective climate change countermeasures.