This study presents the development and large-scale field application of a real-time PCR assay designed for the detection of Mycoplasma agalactiae in bulk tank milk from dairy sheep farms. The assay demonstrated high analytical specificity and sensitivity, enabling reliable identification of low levels of target DNA typically present in bulk milk samples. Following analytical validation, the test was used to estimate within-he...

Chemical communication plays a central role in reproductive interactions, yet the extent to which female endocrine state is reflected in chemical cues and used by males remains poorly understood in most amphibians. We investigated seasonal variation in urinary 17β-oestradiol (E2) and its association with male responses to female chemical cues in the Italian endemic salamander Salamandrina perspicillata . Using non-invasive uri...

Understanding regional hydroclimatic variability and its drivers is essential to anticipate the impacts of climate change on water resources and sustainability. Yet, considerable uncertainty remains in the simulation of the coupled land–atmosphere water and energy cycles, largely due to structural model limitations, simplified process representations, and insufficient spatial resolution. Within the framework of the Collaborati...

Based on the evaluation of 3,902 local floristic references published between 2005 and 2025, an update to the floristic knowledge map of Italy is presented. To measure the progress in floristic knowledge across Italy’s administrative regions, the ‘Index of Floristic Knowledge Advancement’ (IFA) is proposed here. This index categorizes regions based on the proportion of potential improvement that has actually been achieved. Res...

Estuarine fishes experience marked environmental variability and rely on tightly regulated osmoregulatory mechanisms to maintain internal homeostasis. Settleable atmospheric particulate matter (SePM), a complex mixture of metals and metalloids, is an emerging stressor in aquatic systems and may interfere with regulatory processes. This study investigated the effects of SePM exposure on osmoregulatory homeostasis in the estuari...

Soil microbiomes are critical for ecosystem functioning, yet the global influences of climate and agricultural practices on their diversity and structure remain incompletely characterized. Here we analyzed 1921 soil samples from 33 countries worldwide across diverse biomes to assess how climate gradients and agricultural inputs, including pesticides and fertilizers, shape prokaryotic and fungal communities. We found that micro...

On March 14–16, 2025, a sequence of two distinct landslide events affected the Poggio Baldi landslide (PBL) area (43° 54′ 26″ N, 11° 48′ 34″ E, 441 m a.s.l., Northern Apennines, Italy): an earth flow on March 14 involving the debris talus accumulated since 2010, followed by a rock slide on March 16 affecting the right shoulder of the main scarp of the former PBL. Both events were triggered by exceptional rainfall (117.8 mm/day...

Down syndrome (DS), or trisomy 21 (T21), represents the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability worldwide and is associated with a wide range of medical, developmental, and neurodegenerative conditions, including a universal predisposition to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Since its establishment in 2014, the Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21RS) has provided a global forum for advancing DS research across di...

This study evaluated the effects of increasing inclusion levels of biological silage produced from tambaqui ( Colossoma macropomum ) by-products (BST) in diets of commercial hens at different ages. A completely randomized design in a 2 × 5 factorial arrangement was adopted, comprising two hen ages (23 and 83 weeks) and five BST inclusion levels (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4%), with four replicates of six birds per treatment. Moderate BST...