As a non-native English speaker I must say Marlene’s list is a great showcase of how tricky English can be at times.

Fertilizer production, trade and use - by nutrient and metric An interactive visualization from Our World in Data.

The chart includes the latest data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It covers all countries since 1961, so you can see how fertilizer use has changed over time.

Explore the data in our new interactive chart: ourworldindata.org/grapher/fert...

Choropleth map of fertilizer application per hectare of cropland in 2023, measured in kilograms of total nutrient per hectare, where East and South Asian countries and Brazil show the highest application rates while much of Africa and some other regions show low application. Data source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025). License: CC BY.

📊 Billions of people depend on synthetic fertilizers. Track how they're produced, traded, and used.

Fertilizers have played an essential role in feeding a growing global population. It's estimated that just under half of the people alive today are dependent on synthetic fertilizers.

Top brass in China reaffirm goal to be world leaders in tech, AI The new five-year plan calls for more original scientific research to facilitate the country's bid for self-reliance.

China has just announced its new 5-year plan. In it, it is pledging to use ‘extraordinary measures’, including 10% science budget rise, to support its bid to become a global leader in AI, quantum technology & other cutting-edge technologies. Impressive!
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www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A cartoon by Paul Karasik. #NewYorkerCartoons

I wonder how many could have predicted this finding - AI tools boost individual scientists but could limit research topics

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Dormancy is the suppression of seed sprouting under environmental conditions that normally favor germination. In domesticated barley, grains with low levels of dormancy can sprout before harvest in the field after exposure to dew, mist, or rain. Preharvest sprouting in barley and other cereals reduces the quality of mature grain and jeopardizes its end-use value.

In domesticated barley, grains with low levels of dormancy can sprout before harvest in the field after exposure to dew, mist, or rain. Preharvest sprouting in barley and other cereals reduces the quality of mature grain and jeopardizes its end-use value.

Learn more: https://scim.ag/3KVkV86

Generative AI, 3 years in

Balancing Ethics and AI Innovation J.P. Singh criticizes the unbalanced approaches to governing the technology taken by EU and US policymakers.

Effective AI governance will require policymakers to find a balance between innovation and ethics, notes @jp-singh.bsky.social – not to choose one or the other, as the EU and the US have done. bit.ly/47mNYsa

Mission-oriented industrial strategy: global insights Authored by Prof. Mariana Mazzucato, Sarah Doyle and Luca Kuehn von Burgsdorff

Read more on mission-oriented industrial strategy ➡️ www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub...

The October issue is now fully online:

www.nature.com/nplants/volu...

New Editorial: "Old crops in new places" rdcu.be/eL09N

All over the world, farmers are finding new ways to adapt to climate change. But these innovations risk severing connections to the land that have been shaped over millennia.

Be ready for English Champagne.

Natural directed evolution in gut microbiota Bacteria undergo rapid genetic changes that are selected by alterations in the human gut environment

Bacteria undergo rapid genetic changes that are selected by alterations in the human gut environment.

Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: https://scim.ag/4qaRWNh

Ensuring effective removal of transgenes before release of genome-edited crops - @research-science.bsky.social @ceplas.bsky.social @hhu.de go.nature.com/3WbbKlW

The Economics of Water - Valuing the Hydrological Cycle as a Global Common Good Water is essential for life. It moves in complex, often invisible ways, all around us. And this water is under threat.

Read more in our report from the GCEW ➡️ watercommission.org#report
Read our new report on blended finance ➡️ www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub...
Our letter in the Financial Times, with Ministers Carlos Cuerpo, Fernando Haddad & Enoch Godongwana ➡️ www.ft.com/content/53cd... 2/2

Unlocking gene regulatory networks for crop resilience and sustainable agriculture - Nature Biotechnology Gene regulatory networks are crucial for understanding complex gene regulation in plants and could advance crop improvement for more sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices.

Unlocking gene regulatory networks for crop resilience and sustainable agriculture @dinglab.bsky.social bit.ly/4lDVIvC

Chart showing the global average land-sea surface temperature relative to a pre-industrial baseline, the 1861–1890 average Temperatures have risen by approximately 1.3°C since then (as a measure of climate ,the average over decades) Temperatures in the last couple years have been closer to 1.5°C.

Human emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are the main drivers of recent climate change.

On Truth

Review of PROOF @thelancet.com by @philipcball.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Adam Kucharski: The Uncertain Science of Certainty A Leading Mathematician on Scientific Evidence, Truth, and Proof

An enthralling conversation with @adamjkucharski.bsky.social on uncertainty in science and his new book PROOF, with some emphasis on things we learned from Covid, and much more.
video, audio, transcript; all open-access
erictopol.substack.com/p/adam-kucha...

Is being bilingual good for your brain? Perhaps. Learning languages offers other, more concrete benefits

Numerous studies have shown that bilinguals undergo a later onset of dementia, perhaps of around four years, on average—though some of these have failed to replicate. The good news is that it is never too late to start learning https://econ.trib.al/weUpnrW

How your brain controls ageing — and why zombie cells could be key Research is revealing the cellular mechanisms that link mental well-being and longevity.

Nature reports on how scientists are working to decipher the precise mechanisms that connect the brain to processes associated with ageing. #medsky 🧪

The first article of the modern German constitution is an absolute banger. The first five words alone are a wonderful guide for all future policies. What this looks like in practice is often challenging but I for one LOVE that principle.

Is being bilingual good for your brain? Perhaps. Learning languages offers other, more concrete benefits

Reams of papers have been published on the cognitive advantages of multilingualism. Beyond the conversational doors it can open, multilingualism supposedly improves “executive function”. We explain how https://econ.trib.al/jUTUFSF

A line graph illustrating Japan's foreign aid contributions over time, labeled "Japan's contribution to foreign aid has more than doubled in just five years."

Japan has more than doubled its foreign aid budget in just five years

Screenshot of the Editorial.

New Editorial: "Naming is caring" rdcu.be/esS4x

We can now carry in our pockets applications that accurately identify the plants around us. These are interesting tools for researchers, but they also help everyone to appreciate the diversity of the natural world.

A blueprint for the batmobile.

Your genome is not a blueprint. A thread about misleading metaphors in science communication. 🧬🧪 1/n

Screenshot of the study titled The effect of ChatGPT on students' learning performance, learning perception, and higher-order thinking: insights from a meta-analysis

The fear: AI will make students lazy. The reality? It’s making them smarter. A new meta-analysis of 51 studies (!!) shows AI is actually boosting critical thinking, not just grades. My biggest takeaways: 1/

In Times of Trouble, Seek Moral Beauty The lovely paradox of doing good in the world is that it does you good too.

“When you can see moral beauty in others, you will find goodness in yourself as well,” writes Arthur C. Brooks. “If you simply want a sure way to get happier, looking for such moral beauty might be just what you need”:

How much coffee is too much? Studies suggest moderate consumption is harmless. It may even be beneficial

Humanity drinks around 2bn cups of coffee every day. The good news for those who contribute to that figure is that regularly consuming moderate amounts doesn’t appear to be harmful. There may even be benefits https://econ.trib.al/8I5gIKl