A new study reveals that exposing dwarf spiders to a brief period of warm temperatures can disrupt a phenomenon where internal bacteria normally force genetic males to develop as females. Surprisingly, this reproductive disruption skips the directly heated spiders and hits their children and grandchildren instead, leading to a sudden comeback of male offspring. The temporary heat scrambles the spiders' internal microscopic ecosystem, allowing a rival bacterium to surge ahead and block the feminizing bacteria from taking over.

Why do some coral reefs weather marine heatwaves better than others? A new study published in Scientific Reports shows that the answer may lie not only in local ocean conditions, but also in climate patterns that span entire ocean basins. By combining long-term ocean observations with chemical records preserved in coral skeletons, the researchers reveal how large-scale climate oscillations regulate the natural cooling that can help protect coral reefs during marine heatwaves. First author Dr. Hana Camelia and Dr. Thomas Felis from MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen lead the study.

Tropical moist forests account for 70 per cent of global living biomass. Deforestation and degradation – that is, the partial damage to tree stands – as well as the subsequent regeneration of forests therefore play a pivotal role in the global carbon cycle. Whilst the effects of large-scale tropical deforestation are well understood, the impacts of forest degradation have remained highly uncertain until now. A large-scale international study led by Dr Viola Heinrich from the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam (Germany) and Dr Amelia Holcomb from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom now synthesises data from 146 studies on tropical moist forests since 1988 and offers one of the most comprehensive assessments to date of carbon dynamics following forest disturbances and regeneration. Among other things, the researchers show and quantify that forest degradation also leads to significant carbon losses in above-ground biomass. However, forests that retain some of their structural integrity sequester carbon much more quickly than areas that have been completely cleared by deforestation. The study is published in the journal Science Advances. The database created as part of the study and the quantitative meta-analysis will help to improve forest carbon modelling, national greenhouse gas inventories and reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

An international collaboration between Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has successfully grown premium Japanese rice on Kauaʻi using water-saving upland methods. The rice matured one month faster than in Japan while achieving comparable yields and producing larger, higher-quality grains. This research demonstrates the potential to reestablish local rice production, enhance food security, and offer a sustainable farming model for water-scarce island regions.