Leaf functional traits are stronger predictors of herbivory than climatic factors or insect richness across Chinese forests, according to a study led by researchers from the South China Botanical Garden (SCBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Contrary to the classic resource availability hypothesis, the team found that some carbon-based defense traits may actually backfire.

A team of researchers has developed a green catalyst from cotton hulls that can dramatically improve the ability of ozone to remove stubborn organic pollutants from water. The study, published in Biochar, shows that a nitrogen-doped biochar catalyst called N-BC-800 can efficiently degrade N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, better known as DEET, a widely used insect repellent that is increasingly detected in rivers, wastewater, and other aquatic environments.

Ultrahot exoplanet, atmospheric differences: Researchers discovered clear differences in the atmosphere between the morning and evening sides of the ultrahot gas planet WASP-121 b using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Temperature and chemical variations: The evening side absorbs more infrared light due to higher temperatures caused by strong winds moving heat eastward, while water molecules decrease in the evening terminator due to high temperatures breaking them apart.

Planetary rotation and observation method: WASP-121 b’s synchronous rotation reveals different atmospheric regions during transit, allowing scientists to analyse changes in light absorption over time and longitude.

As cases of a deadly cattle disease rise in Arkansas, researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station are testing two treatments they hope will help ranchers protect their herds. No approved drugs or vaccines to treat or prevent the pathogen are currently available in the United States, but research on the two methods to control it is now underway at the experiment station thanks to a two-year, $492,218 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

A new study from Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences pitted ordinary pets, trained by their owners, against experienced human searchers in a hunt for spotted lanternfly egg masses. It was the first test of community dog-handler teams in real-world conditions, where egg masses occur naturally, scents compete, and target locations are unknown. The dogs outperformed the people by more than 2 to 1 in densely vegetated areas.

An international team of researchers has announced the discovery of two new species of caddisflies from the Middle East and Caucasus ecoregions, shedding light on the hidden biodiversity of the area's river ecosystems. The findings were recently published in the open-access peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal.

Minute warty birch caterpillars ardently defend their leaf tip homes from invading caterpillars, but how do they defend against lethal ladybeetle attacks? Jayne Yack reports in Journal of Experimental Biology that the tiny day-old caterpillars are able to distinguish between the footsteps of approaching adult ladybeetles and shuffling caterpillar attackers, allowing the defending caterpillar to evade deadly ladybeetle attacks by first falling silent and then by hurling themselves from the leaf on a silken safety thread.