Categoria: Internacional

Berna Gomez, a former science teacher from Spain, became a scientific subject herself in 2021. After being blind for 16 years, she took part in an experiment to restore her ability to perceive light. Gomez, then 57 years old, was fitted with an implant in the area of the brain responsible for visual processing. The…

Each time a plane takes off or lands, flaps on the wings extend or retract to maintain stability and serve as a visual reminder that an aircraft is composed of thousands of complicated parts. Redesigning some of these components might also reduce the greenhouse gases – including carbon dioxide – that aircraft emit. Aviation accounts…

Cancer of the colon and rectum is a pernicious killer. A colorectal tumour, for example, can be removed completely from a patient but then pop up elsewhere in the body in another guise.  Researchers in Spain believe they’re on the right track to stop this type of cancer from spreading. Deadly wanderers  A colorectal tumour…

About 20 years ago, Matteo Martelli was browsing in a bookshop when he chanced upon an intriguing work. Opening the pages of “The Origins of Alchemy in Graeco-Roman Egypt”, he became engrossed. Martelli is a professor at the University of Bologna in Italy who trained in the history of classical languages. His interest was piqued…

Trees and other vegetation grow on the site of a former soap factory in northwestern France. While the greenery suggests all is well in the Ploufragan commune near the Brittany coast, the truth is that a plant for making cleaning products has left a mess. The surrounding soil is saturated with toxic hydrocarbons – byproducts…

In the prehistoric times of Neanderthals and early modern humans, one of Europe’s largest-ever bear species roamed the land and inhabited its caves. But the cave bear, weighing up to one tonne, died out some 25 000 years ago. Its bones have been found in caves located from England to Russia. Competing views Possible reasons…

It’s sometimes called the “white-coat” syndrome – when a stressed-out person goes to a doctor and the nervousness causes the patient’s blood pressure to spike. Researchers who enjoy the same authority as doctors can often have a patient-like apprehension about something very different: being in the spotlight. Into the limelight Yet many will overcome such…

Switzerland is renowned for its mountains, cheese and chocolate. Less well known is how Lindt, a Swiss chocolate producer, is packaging the delights in greener ways. The paper packaging used for some of Lindt’s products has green fibres running through it. More than just a splash of colour, the green is actual grass to replace…

Dr Janina Seubert believes the path to healthier human diets is through the nose. Seubert, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, is researching the role of smell in shaping public preferences towards foods. She’s curious whether scents could help people embrace protein sources such as insects as alternatives to meat and dairy.…

Livestock farmers in Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UK are trying a new method to produce milk and meat: feeding their cows mainly or only grass. Cattle diets usually include a variety of grains, which make the animals grow faster and – by extension – their meat and milk cheaper. But the practice has hefty…

Near the north-western Italian town of Asti, known for its vineyards and sparkling white wine, Alberto Mossino helped cultivate a different crop: maize. On a farm surrounding a 19th-century villa he revived the production of Ottofile maize, which is used to make polenta. Ottofile, a red-orange, creamy-tasting grain type typical of the region, has been…

Armed with headlamps and tweezers, American evolutionary ecologist Jonathan Shik and his team spent more than 100 hours lying on the floor of a tropical forest in Panama watching leafcutter ants going about their business. First the researchers wanted to learn about the ants’ foraging paths and preferences. Then, with the tweezers, they would withdraw…

Ann Trappers harnessed a shock in her native Belgium to help heal social wounds across Europe.  After Islamic terrorist attacks in Brussels in March 2016 left 35 people – including three suicide bombers – dead and more than 300 injured, Trappers and her colleagues at a non-governmental organisation called Foyer sought to rebuild community trust…

The consumption of mineral fertilisers (nitrogen and phosphorus) in agricultural production in the EU was 10.9 million tonnes in 2021, equivalent to a year-on-year decrease of 2.2% compared with 2020 and a cumulative decline of 6.4% from the relative peak in 2017. The consumption of nitrogen-based fertilisers in agriculture was estimated at 9.8 million tonnes…

The negative impact is particularly strong for spring barley, for which the yield forecast at EU level was revised downward by 4% at EU level, to 11% below the 5-year average. For other crops, the yield forecast at EU level remains close to the 5-year average. Rain in the Iberian Pensiula arrived too late for…

On 31 March 2022, the Commission proposed a regulation that would lay down, in a single legal text, rules for geographical indications (GIs) for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, which are currently spread over three different regulations. During the May II plenary session, Parliament is expected to hold a debate on the report from…

Reducing the intensity of forest management increases carbon sequestration in forests. However, even if forest management were removed altogether, the mitigation potential of this strategy is limited. O artigo foi publicado originalmente em JRC.

Invasive alien species are a major threat to native biodiversity and ecosystems functioning, and can affect negatively human health and the economy. O artigo foi publicado originalmente em JRC.

The current situation in Ukraine has led to severe supply chain disruptions, contributing to a sharp increase in food and commodity prices globally and the limitation of fossil fuel imports from Russia to the EU. Moreover, to end Europe’s dependence on semiconductor suppliers from Asian countries, it is necessary to take immediate action of a…

The May edition of the JRC MARS Bulletin – Global outlook for North Africa – describes one of the worst droughts in recent decades in the Maghreb area. O artigo foi publicado originalmente em JRC.

Strongly contrasting weather conditions in Europe affect crops in multiple ways According to the May 2023 issue of the JRC MARS Bulletin – Crop monitoring in Europe, the weather observed during the review period (1 April to 14 May) was marked by strongly contrasting patterns of drier- and wetter- th O artigo foi publicado originalmente…

Precipitation deficits, above-average temperatures and recurrent heatwaves are causing one of the worst droughts in decades. O artigo foi publicado originalmente em JRC.

The number of outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in pigs and cases reported in wild boar in the European Union (EU) fell considerably in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to a new report published today by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). O artigo foi publicado originalmente em EFSA.

On 5 April 2023, the Commission responded to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘Save bees and farmers!’ by stating that the priority is to ensure that the proposals currently being negotiated on the sustainable use of pesticides and the restoration of nature are adopted and then implemented in… O artigo foi publicado originalmente em Eurostat.

O ministro das Infraestruturas ucraniano considerou hoje que a proposta russa de prolongar por 60 dias o acordo sobre a exportação de cereais contradiz o acordo inicial que termina no próximo sábado, mas não rejeitou formalmente a proposta de Moscovo. “O acordo sobre a ‘Iniciativa cerealífera do Mar Negro’ implica no mínimo 120 dias de…