New areas of land suitable for agriculture will open up under climate change’s effects, new research predicts, particularly in far northern regions of the world. However, the overall quality of land for farming will decline and many regions, including Europe, could lose large areas of suitable land.

Driven by trade, the spread of alien species is increasing worldwide. This study combined 60 years of trade data with that on biodiversity and climate to model the spread of plant species across 147 countries. The model predicts significant increases in plant invasions in the next 20 years, especially for emerging economies. The authors say trade legislation must consider biological invasion and focus on regions at high risk.

From driving behavioral change to encouraging doctor-patient collaboration, telemedicine’s time in the sun has proved beneficial as a collateral benefit of Covid-19.

Gendered expectations in marriage are not just bad for women, they are also bad for men, according to a new study by University of Connecticut (UConn) sociologists.

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The first inkling of the potential of the industry came with the appearance of smartphones like Nokia 9000, which found ready acceptance among professionals, entrepreneurs and even enterprises.

CIOs should focus their energy on the resolution of issues that arise as almost 100% of their workforce work remotely and building resistance towards the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The North American pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is a pest worm species that causes a disease known as pine wilt. It was discovered for the first time in the EU in Portuguese forests in 1999. Today, the entire territory of Portugal is demarcated for the presence of PWN, with a 20 km buffer zone, free from the pest, established along the Spanish border with the aim of preventing its further spread. The spread and establishment of PWN in the rest of EU territory is very likely if no strict measures are taken, as required by Decision 2012/535/EU of the European Commission, with serious economic and environmental consequences. To date, Spain has experienced five outbreaks of PWN, three of which have been successfully eradicated thanks to the EU measures and the effective work of the Spanish forest administration; and two outbreaks are currently being eradicated.

Like any other CIO I get several mails and calls and meeting requests from vendors – small and big, old companies and startups, current partners and potential partners. I must admit, I do not entertain most of the requests.

Researchers have developed a new scientific method to estimate the time lag between the introduction of an alien species and its extensive spread. For New Zealand weed species, the study estimated that the average lag was around 20-30 years. Although this may seem to be a long time, seemingly rare but fast-spreading species could become tomorrow's harmful weeds.

Researchers have identified areas of Italy that have a climate capable of sustaining a population of tiger mosquitoes, an invasive mosquito species that can carry several human diseases. The findings also indicate how these areas will expand as the climate changes in future.

By 2090, up to 76.7 million more people in Africa could be at risk of infection by the parasite that causes sleeping sickness, according to recent research. The study predicted which areas of Africa would be at greatest risk in future.

A recent study sheds light on why some alien species are more likely to become invasive than others. The research in Switzerland found that the alien Spanish slug is better able to survive under changing environmental conditions than the native Black slug, thanks to its robust 'Jack-of-all-trades' nature.

Decreasing biodiversity in an ecosystem can increase the spread of disease, research suggests. Researchers studying amphibian communities in natural wetland ecosystems as well as controlled experiments have shown that as diversity increased, infection rates dropped.

Milder winters under climate change could increase the extent of alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) decline in Europe due to the increased spread of the pathogen Phytophthora alni, a recent study has found. However, this may be offset by hotter summers, which reduce the severity of the disease.

A new disease capable of devastating European salamander and newt populations was probably introduced via international wildlife trade, new research has found. The study shows that the disease is deadly for many European species of salamanders and its analysis of more than 5000 amphibians from across four continents suggests the pathogen spread from Asia to Europe via the pet trade.

Driven by trade, the spread of alien species is increasing worldwide. This study combined 60 years of trade data with that on biodiversity and climate to model the spread of plant species across 147 countries. The model predicts significant increases in plant invasions in the next 20 years, especially for emerging economies. The authors say trade legislation must consider biological invasion and focus on regions at high risk.

The ability of organisms to adapt to toxic chemicals like pesticides is essential for their survival, but also an agricultural annoyance. This study shows that interactions between different species can delay the development of pesticide resistance and therefore suggests that biodiversity supports effective pest management.

Sewage sludge and manure are sometimes added to soil to improve crop production. However, these ‘natural fertilisers’ may contain not only nutrients and organic matter but also antibacterial agents. This study investigated their impact on the microbes in soil, revealing an increase in antibiotic resistance genes. The researchers recommend greater efforts to remove antibiotic residues from wastewater and manure.

Earlier this year, I learned something about DICOM datasets that surprised me. I had downloaded a Head-Neck CT+PET study, and I wanted to create a volume array in MATLAB. I tried to do this the hard way at first, and of course I got it wrong. (Spoiler: there's an easy... read more >>

Last week, my colleague Mariano Lizarraga Fernandez pointed me to the Washington post simulation of COVID-19 and we thought it would be interesting to implement something similar using MathWorks products.... read more >>

In a previous post, I introduced a model simulating the exponential spread of a phenomenon like COVID-19. With more and more talks in the news about deconfinement plans, I thought it would be interesting to run multiple simulations with different deconfinement scenarios and observe the potential outcomes.... read more >>

A study on the transport of radioactive isotopes from Fukushima in the two months after the nuclear incident suggests that they were at official levels of contamination for 34,000 km2 of Japan, and that 2.8% of iodine radionuclides from the event were calculated to have reached the EU.

Grey is a leaf on the wind, Myke shares his thoughts on Todoist, and they both share their experiences on hiring and applying.

SUFFOLK – While landfall of Hurricane Florence is imminent along the North Carolina coast, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Hampton...

VIRGINIA BEACH – The Virginia Department of Transportation Hampton Roads District continues to monitor interstate and rural road conditions while...

In January 2019, St George’s Shopping Centre embarked on an exciting project, with the aim to improve literacy for local primary school children and encourage more children in the community to read and write stories for fun.

A new book will tell the story of Watford’s lost places.

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With its fresh and bold design, engaging content, and the creative use of augmented reality (AR) in its bimonthly magazine for students, NTU has earned approval from new and old readers alike, and now the evaluators at the prestigious International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Awards this year....

I'd love to be excited about bringing you this week's update on my Weight Watchers journey, but I'm sorry to say the news isn't exciting. I gained a pound.

Food news and items of interest from around the Web for your weekend reading.

Food news and items of interest from around the Web for your weekend reading.

Increased sea ice drift forces polar bears to expend more energy walking on a fast-moving 'treadmill' of sea ice.

Climate change has already taken a serious toll on human well-being and world economies.

Understanding what you are eating is a crucial step to healthier living. But what do all those food labels really mean?

Video: A Florida marine ecologist narrows down the spread of the first lobster virus.

Locked-in syndrome, often the result of injury or illness (such as Lou Gehrig's), causes complete paralysis. With advanced technology, these people get closer t

When the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu get together to share wisdom, we should all stop to listen.

Danny Ferraro was driving on Highway 105 in Texas when he spotted clouds arranged in an angelic way.

Stung by high gas prices, 68% of drivers say they'll consider an electric car within three years.

The traditional Italian holiday bread is used to make a warm, slightly sweet dessert.

Whole wheat beats white bread sales for the first time.

What started off as a recall of one version of Trader Joe’s peanut butter has spread to other brands of peanut butter, other nut butters and tahini.

It’s fallen out of dietary favor, but bread can be part of a healthy diet if you make smart choices.

Scientists are searching for possible sources for life on Earth on the edge of our Solar System.