Natural Resource Today Weekly - Issue #137

Author

Rendy Mulaudzi
September 07, 2025

The most significant scientific findings you need to know today.

Cranfield University:

Researchers have developed a new method to edit raspberry DNA. Their research is published in the journal Frontiers in Genome Editing.

United States Department of Agriculture:

Researchers provide new insights into a special type of tomato plant that is resistant to a harmful virus called tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). The virus has been damaging tomato crops around the world. The study is published in Plant Biotechnology Journal.

University of Utah:

Researchers have found that shifts in seasonal rainfall are accelerating glacier melt in High Mountain Asia. The research is published in IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing.

Southern Illinois University:

Scientists are one step closer to treating high blood pressure. Their research, published in New England Journal of Medicine, shows that a new pill called baxdrostat can significantly reduce blood pressure in patients who have not responded well to existing medications.

Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior:

In a new study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers have discovered that shrews experience seasonal brain shrinkage due to water loss within their brain cells.

Charles Darwin University:

Researchers have created a new guide for groundwater projections. Published in the journal Earth’s Future, the guide explains how to build reliable groundwater projections by combining climate science, hydrology and modelling tools.

Dibru-Saikhowa Conservation Society:

A recent study is PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases suggests that climate change may lead to a rise in snakebite cases across India, particularly in rural communities.

University of Rovira i Virgili:

Researchers have found that Mediterranean diet and physical activity lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by more than 30%. Their study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

University of Liege:

In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers reveal a growing crisis of deep erosion channels known as urban gullies across 26 cities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Researchers mapped nearly 3,000 gullies and found that over 118,000 people were forced to leave their homes between 2004 and 2023.

University of Sao Paulo:

Scientists have found that deforestation is a major driver of reduced rainfall during the dry season in the Brazilian Amazon. Their research findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.