Conventional mulch films are often plastic-based or made from non-renewable and toxic materials. In a recent Research article, a team from China introduced a novel biodegradable liquid mulch film derived from bamboo residues. This film shows high potential for selenium-enriched crop cultivation, as evidenced by the enhanced rhizome growth of pak choi seedlings. The innovation is poised to significantly advance sustainable agricultural practices.

Glaciers hold layers of history preserved in ice, offering unique insights into Earth's past that can also help us interpret the future. Trapped amidst the frozen water are microscopic deposits of dust, pollen, and even pollutants that scientists can use to examine environmental changes through time. DRI’s Ice Core Lab has used this technique to highlight atmospheric lead pollution and economic turbulence in Ancient Rome. Now, their latest study found that a glacier in the French Alps dates back to the last Ice Age – the oldest known glacier ice in the region. Serving as a record that spans through the development of agriculture in Western Europe and the advent of industrialization, the glacier holds insights into an era of rapid change.  

A study conducted by Martin SAMPHIRE and colleagues at Bangor University in the UK addresses this question through a three-year field trial. The article was recently published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2025608).

Over the last 3,800 years, agro-pastoral activities have accelerated alpine soil erosion at a pace 4-10 times faster than their natural formation. The history of this erosion has just been revealed for the first time by a research team led by a CNRS scientist. The team has shown that high-altitude soil was degraded first, under the combined effect of pastoralism and forest clearing to facilitate the movement of herds. Medium- and low-altitude soil was then eroded with the development of agriculture and new techniques such as the use of ploughs, from the late Roman period to the contemporary period. The study has also revealed that the acceleration of soil erosion in mountain environments by human activities did not begin everywhere in the world in synchronous fashion.