Pinch point

An increase in suspended sediment affects crayfish respiration by blocking their gills and preventing adequate oxygen supply. Crayfish are also sensitive to pollutants, including pesticides, that can enter rivers. They seem to be particularly...

Waste opportunity

Could metalotollerant bacteria help produce valuable metal nanoparticles from the world’s spent batteries? Giovanni Maddalena, Professor Louise Horsfall FRSB and Dr Virginia Echavarri-Bravo explain 28th September 2020 Lithium-ion batteries power our...

Reports

Lambing time at Llysfasi 13 March 2024 We are standing in a chilly damp wind 265 metres up in the Clwydian Hills, looking down at the distant Llysfasi ‘campus’ over 100 m below. Despite the conditions we are totally engaged in listening to Dewi Wyn...

Earth’s final frontier

The ROV Aurora, launched as part of the Ocean Census: Arctic Deep expedition in Norway, 2024. Martin Hartley / The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census 26 May 2025 The race is on to collect and synthesise data on Norwegian Sea ecosystems before...

Ground rules

As the International Year of Soils nears its end, Dr Tudor Dawkins and Dr Farnon Ellwood examine the nature and importance of soil and how farmers can keep it in good shape The Biologist 62(5) p26-29 The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)...

Caught in a trap

It's easy to forget that plants can catch prey too. Dan Rowson looks at the weird and wonderful ways different plants of the genus Nepenthes get their fill The Biologist 62(2) p12-14 Last year, a new species of carnivorous plant was discovered – not in...

Algal biofuels

Can we fix it?

For more than 40 years, scientists have attempted to engineer cereal crops that can fix atmospheric nitrogen. With more mouths to feed than ever, a breakthrough may finally be within reach, writes Jack Parsons The Biologist 64(4) p12-15 The first...

Going back in genes

A new analysis of the genes common to bacteria and archaea offers strong evidence that the earliest cells on Earth lived deep in hydrothermal vents, explains William F Martin The Biologist 64(2) p20-23 The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the...