Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Latest Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Histone Variants Control DNA Methylation Patterns in Plant Genomes

Histone variants help establish DNA methylation at transposons (jumping genes) while preventing this epigenetic modification from spreading to essential genes in plants, reveals a study from Institute of Science Tokyo.

17 Aug 2026

Researchers Uncover Molecular Defenses in Cold-Resilient Loquat

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is an evergreen fruit tree whose winter growth and flowering make it especially vulnerable to sudden freezes.

10 Aug 2026

New Molecule Restores Muscle Repair Signal Linked to Age-Related Muscle Loss

One of the first tissues to deteriorate with aging is skeletal muscle. Weakness, scarring, internal muscle fat accumulation, and the loss of fast-twitch muscle fibers—which are crucial for rapid and forceful movements—can result from this deterioration.

27 Jul 2026

UC San Diego and Innovative Genomics Institute Partner to Develop Cutting-Edge Genomic Tools

The University of California San Diego and the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), founded by Nobel laureate and CRISPR gene editing co-discoverer Jennifer Doudna, announced a new partnership today to jointly develop cutting-edge genomic tools for addressing large-scale challenges in health and the environment.

21 Jul 2026

Sweeteners Shown to Slow Growth of Important Gut Bacteria in Lab Tests

Cambridge researchers have shown how commonly-used sweeteners slow the growth of certain gut bacteria.

16 Jul 2026

Xiaowan Reservoir Study Shows Stable Functions Despite Microbial Community Shifts

Microbial communities in large reservoirs may change markedly from year to year, yet the essential processes they perform can remain surprisingly stable.

15 Jul 2026

Gut Bacteria Metabolites Successfully Boost Immune Response to Melanoma Tumors

A new study from a team including University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers is the first to show metabolites produced by certain bacteria in the gut can positively impact the body's immune response to cancer.

15 Jul 2026

Genetically Stable Bacteriophages Open New Frontiers for Fighting Crop Disease

Researchers have discovered that a group of viruses known to infect an agriculturally important plant pathogen has remained genetically stable for an astonishing four decades.

14 Jul 2026

Intermicrobial Antagonism Controls Essential Bacteria Populations in Human Guts

Mougous, John F. Enders Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis at Yale School of Medicine (YSM), studies bacterial warfare, or how different microbes defend their ecological niches against other species.

14 Jul 2026

How Touch Science Shapes Better Cosmetic Products

This pedagogical review explains how skin physiology, mechanoreceptors, trained panels, and standardized methods shape tactile evaluation in cosmetics. It also assesses instrumental tools, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and electronic sensors as promising complements to human sensory testing.

9 Jul 2026

New Pathogen Mimics Symbiotic Microorganisms to Kill Stink Bugs

Researchers at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), in collaboration with researchers from The University of Electro-Communications (UEC) and Akita Prefectural University, have discovered a new insect pathogen that invades the gut symbiotic organ of stink bugs by mimicking their symbiotic microorganism, and this pathogen ultimately kills the host bugs.

2 Jul 2026

Chinese Researchers Map Greek Oregano Genome for Better Agriculture

Oregano belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which includes many aromatic and medicinal plants.

30 Jun 2026

Automated Cell-Free Systems Boost Protein Production Performance Five-Fold

A research team led by Professor Joongoo Lee in the Department of Chemical Engineering at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has developed an automated, modular method for assembling reconstituted cell-free systems, which are test-tube systems that can produce proteins outside living cells.

25 Jun 2026

New Research Identifies Gut Fungi as Markers for Food Allergies

Two new studies jointly published in Nature: The Clinical Microbiome reveal that certain species of fungi in the gut play a key role in the development of immune dysregulation and some pediatric allergic diseases - and may be promising targets for new therapies.

24 Jun 2026

Study Reveals How Arsenic Pollution Alters Bacterial Metabolism and Detoxification

As arsenic levels increased, bacterial richness and diversity declined, while arsenic-tolerant groups such as Proteobacteria became more abundant. The study also found that bacteria strengthened stress-response pathways, including signal transduction and cell motility, and upregulated arsenic-resistance genes such as arsC2 and arsB.

23 Jun 2026