In light of growing mental health challenges globally, understanding the positive impacts of nature on mental wellbeing is more important than ever. However, the impacts of one of the most common intentional human–wildlife interactions, feeding wild birds, are not well understood. We surveyed 3658 participatory scientists in the USA and Canada who take part in Project FeederWatch to examine associations between wellbeing and b...

Keymessage Standardized microhaplotype databases for eight diverse crops enable multiallelic analyses, comparative genetics, and breeding decisions. Abstract Microhaplotypes are short genomic segments that contain multiple tightly linked variants, providing multi-allelic data that can enhance genetic resolution compared to traditional biallelic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Here, we present the creation and uti...

Experimental determinations of trace element distribution between rocks/minerals and fluids at mantle pressures and temperatures have concentrated on eclogite and on fluids containing H 2 O with or without the addition of NaCl. Here we present data for websterite (pyroxenite) coexisting with five different fluids: H 2 O, H 2 O+CO 2 , H 2 O+NaCl, H 2 O+CO 2 +NaCl and H 2 O+NH 3 . All experiments were conducted at 1.5 GPa and 80...

Lynch syndrome, the most common hereditary cancer syndrome, is caused by germline pathogenic variants in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes. Identifying complex or structural MMR gene pathogenic variants can be challenging with short-read sequencing resulting in patients with unexplained MMR-deficient tumours. In this study, we report multiple members of a family who developed MSH2-deficient tumours where clinical multi-gene pane...

Rationale A major obstacle in the pre-clinical study of mood-related disorders and novel affective state therapeutic evaluation is the lack of animal models that fully recapitulate human symptomatology. Objective In this study, we developed a touchscreen-based cognitive judgement bias (CJB) task for mice. Methods In the CJB task, animals first learned to discriminate between two visual stimuli displayed on the touchscreen: one...

Soil microbes aid in the drought tolerance of plants, yet the extent to which a microbial community’s previous drought exposure can affect plant responses to contemporary drought is largely unknown. To address this gap using a greenhouse experiment, we planted saplings of three eastern hardwoods ( Prunus virginiana , Liriodendron tulipifera , and Quercus rubra ) in field soils exposed to experimentally-induced drought or ambie...

Aim We investigate the distribution of dispersal modes — endozoochory (via animal ingestion), synzoochory (via animal seed accumulation) and anemochory (via wind)—and seed mass of woody plants across Brazilian ecosystems, testing whether their relative abundance in local plant communities could be predicted by climate, edaphic factors and dispersal agents (e.g., the main vectors moving seeds). We expected climate to be the mai...

Indigenous tribal communities are frequently underserved by genomic medicine because they are under-represented in research, often live in remote locations and have ethical and cultural perspectives that vary from westernised standpoints. The Rakeiora platform, a permissioning and analytical environment that incorporates Māori perspectives and ethical frameworks on how precision medicine research is best conducted was used to...

Key message Identification of Rk candidate gene and diagnostic markers enabled precise introduction of the slow‑darkening (SD) allele into pink beans, producing stable SD phenotypes and expanding breeding utility across market classes. Abstract Common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a globally important and nutritious crop with diverse market classes. Multiple genes control the seed coat color and patterns that characterize t...

Endemic species with narrow ranges are vulnerable to extirpation, and understanding their habitat needs is fundamental to effective management. The Etowah Bridled Darter, Percina freemanorum , is a recently described fish species endemic to the Upper Etowah River in Georgia. Little is known about how its habitat requirements differ from its sister taxon, P. kusha, with which it was previously synonymous . Our objectives were t...

Mycorrhizal fungi are critical plant mutualists that influence nutrient cycling, yet we have an incomplete understanding of factors driving their diversity and function. While it’s presumed that diverse host plant communities support diverse mycorrhizal fungal communities, abiotic factors and non-host plants may also be important. We investigated whether ectomycorrhizal fungal (ECMF) communities in soils and roots varied among...