Crops such as wheat and maize have undergone a breeding process lasting thousands of years, in the course of which mankind has gradually modified the properties of the wild plants in order to adapt them to his needs. One motive was, and still is, higher yields. One "side effect" of this breeding has been a reduction in genetic diversity and the loss of useful properties. This is shown, among others, by an increased susceptibility to diseases, a lack of taste or a reduced vitamin and nutrient content in modern varieties. Now, for the first time, researchers from Brazil, the USA and Germany have created a new crop from a wild plant within a single generation using CRISPR-Cas9, a modern genome editing process. Starting with a "wild tomato" they have, at the same time, introduced a variety of crop features without losing the valuable genetic properties of the wild plant. The results have been published in the current issue of Nature Biotechnology.

New research suggests that protecting the Amazon rainforest from deforestation may just be shifting the damage to a less renowned neighbor. The unintended consequences are profound.

In 2017, researchers working in the Ecuadorian Andes stumbled across a previously unknown species of hummingbird--but as documented in a new study published in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, its small range, specialized habitat, and threats from human activity mean the newly described Blue-throated Hillstar is likely already critically endangered.

On a recent expedition to the remote Brazilian archipelago of St. Paul's Rocks, a new species of reef fish--striped a vivid pink and yellow--enchanted its diving discoverers from the California Academy of Sciences. First spotted at a depth of 400 feet beneath the ocean's surface, this cryptic fish inhabits rocky crevices of twilight zone reefs and is found nowhere else in the world. Upon discovery, the deep-diving team was so captivated by their finned find that they didn't notice a massive sixgill shark hovering above them in an exciting moment captured on camera. The new fish description published today in Zookeys.