This study reveals that female Helicoverpa armigera moths utilize plant-emitted CO₂ as a key cue for egg-laying, preferring young leaves with higher CO₂ emissions to enhance offspring survival. However, the increase of CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere disrupts this oviposition strategy. Three gustatory receptors (HarmGR1, HarmGR2, and HarmGR3) were essential for CO₂ detection in H. armigera. Disrupting any of these receptors impaired CO₂ sensing and oviposition behavior. These findings highlight how climate change may alter insect reproduction and crop pest dynamics.

Natural weathering processes are removing CO₂ from the air in a wide range of environments across continents and ocean. Until recently these ‘CO₂ vacuum cleaners’ were often studied separately, without properly examining their complex interactions. Now, an international team of Earth scientists is proposing an integrated vision of the many factors that influence the removal of atmospheric CO₂ from the highest mountain peaks to the deep ocean floor, including their various interactions. The so-called weathering continuum provides a much more complete picture on what controls and regulates the natural removal of CO₂, which could help in the development of enhancing weathering techniques.

As Asia grapples with a surge in extreme weather events, from record-breaking rainfall and typhoons to prolonged heatwaves, one of the world’s leading climate scientists is sounding the alarm with an eight-point manifesto aimed at combating climate change now.