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The geology of Brazil’s volcanic Trindade Island has fascinated scientists for years, but the discovery of rocks made from plastic debris in this remote turtle refuge is sparking alarm. Melted plastic has become intertwined with rocks on the island, located 1,140 kilometres from the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, which researchers say is evidence of humans’ growing influence over the earth’s geological cycles. “This is new and terrifying at the same time, [...]

Insect pests which attack crops have extraordinary powers to develop resistance to greener pesticides and a new way to manage resistance risks is needed, according to analysis by University of Stirling scientists. For more than 70 years, agriculture’s response to pesticide resistance has been to seek new pesticides in an endless race to keep up with evolving pests. Researchers now propose a new way to step off this treadmill as farmers embrace the ongoing green revolution in pest [...]

According to a study in the journal Urban Forestry Urban Greening, the factors that most influence and increase the risk of tree failure in São Paulo (the capital of São Paulo state in Brazil) are the height of nearby buildings and the age of the neighborhood. Sidewalk width and tree height are the next most significant variables. Tree failure in streets with buildings of five or more stories is double the average for the city as a whole, the researchers found. It is also above [...]

The banana borer Cosmopolites sordidus and the disease Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum, are among the most harmful pests that threaten the livelihoods of banana growers, who face major challenges in attempting to control them. The former is a species of weevil that bores into the plant's rhizome (the underground stem that produces roots and shoots), weakening its root system, reducing nutrient absorption and significantly lowering yield. The adult insect [...]

A study conducted at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil identified orphan genes in Wild sugarcane, Saccharum spontaneum, a species with exceptional resistance to biotic stresses such as nematodes, fungi, bacteria and other pests and diseases, and abiotic stresses such as cold, drought, salinity and nutritionally deficient soil.  According to an article on the study published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, the scientists responsible set [...]

Typha domingensis, the Southern cattail, a reedy marsh plant that inhabits fresh to slightly brackish waters and is about 2.5 m tall, can scavenge up to 34 times more manganese from contaminated soil than other plants found in similar environments. In a recent study, it accumulated between 10 and 13 times more manganese than other naturally occurring wetland plants such as hibiscus, sedges and rushes, demonstrating its potential for use in sustainable rehabilitation of areas affected by iron [...]

The countless benefits of native forests include the capacity of tree biomass to store large amounts of carbon, which can counterbalance greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. A paper published in the journal Science Advances reports on an innovative analysis of a large dataset designed to clarify the concept of carbon sequestration, a strategic issue in the discussion of global climate change. “We still know little about the factors that can lead forests to store [...]

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) have conducted the most comprehensive genetic analysis ever of the American bullfrog (Aquarana catesbeiana) in Brazil, concluding that there are two populations of the species here, living on frog farms or invading local ecosystems. Bullfrogs are considered the world’s main invasive amphibian. An article on the study is published in Scientific Reports. “We confirmed the [...]

A study published in the journal PLOS ONE could one day help health workers determine whether bacteria of the species Streptococcus pneumoniae, which cause meningitis—an inflammation of the membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord—are resistant to antibiotics. This type of analysis is no easy task when the conventional method is used. The bacteria must be isolated from a patient sample and analyzed while still alive, which is difficult because the microorganisms are [...]