The vine, which has been domesticated for about 6,000 years, has about 60 wild relatives, including the European wild vine Vitis vinifera ssp. vinifera. It is regarded as the origin of viticulture with about 10,000 varieties worldwide. Many of these wild species are threatened and have not yet been genetically recorded. Chinese researchers have now analysed the genomes of 48 of these 60 species and also made use of a collection from the Botanical Institute of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

The vegan silk biopolymers of the company AMSilk seem to be in particular demand with Swiss companies at present: After the luxury watch manufacturer Omega announced a cooperation with the Martinsried biotech company in January, Givaudan, the world's largest manufacturer of fragrances and flavors, announced its next coup: The specialty chemicals company based in Vernier will take over the cosmetics business of AMSilk GmbH. The acquisition is part of Givaudan's 2020 strategy to strengthen its Active Beauty business. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

In many areas, the chemical industry is trying to replace petroleum-based products with bio-based alternatives. However, sustainability, which is welcomed by consumers, is not always a sufficient argument for actually using the new raw materials. The threshold for this is low for raw materials that can be substituted without having to change processes or equipment. However, if development work or even investments in the conversion of existing plants are necessary, economic aspects hamper the switch to ecological alternatives.

Studies have shown that insecticides from the neonicotinoid group are responsible for bee mortality. Three out of five such preparations are therefore banned in the European Union for use in the field - and rightly so, as an international study involving the University of Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) has now shown. However, the insecticide clothianidin does not impact honeybees as much as wild bees such as bumble bees.

Balmy summer nights and hot days? What vacationers love, potatoe farmers fear. At 29 degrees Celsius during the day or 27 degrees Celsius at night, potato yields plummet. The nightshade plant reacts sensitively to heat and stops tuber formation if temperatures are too high. The highest yields can be gained at 21 degrees Celsius during the day and 18 degrees Celsius at night. In times of climate change, this could become a problem. But now, scientists have discovered the potato's thermostat and managed to switch it off.

It is one of the most important protein complexes for life on earth: the so-called Photosystem I. As part of photosynthesis, the complex is used by plants to generate energy for their metabolism from sunlight. Electrochemists have been trying for a long time to use this principle for technical applications. Now, an breakthrough has been made by a team from the University of Bochum.

How has biodiversity changed in recent decades? What are the causes and how can the loss of biodiversity be stopped? In the first global report on biodiversity, the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) provides answers. The 1,500-page Global Assessment was presented to the public on 6 May in Paris – the most comprehensive report on this topic ever completed. 145 lead authors from 51 countries, including seven scientists from Germany, were involved.

Whether made of steel or aluminium, long or short: nails have become an indispensable part of everyday life. Metal pins are an important element for connecting individual components, especially in timber construction. For a Euro pallet, for example, 78 steel nails are required to fasten the individual boards. With around 400 million pallets produced each year, this is almost 200,000 tons of steel. Hans Korte is convinced that there is an alternative.

While the Blue Lupin is celebrating its comeback, the Yellow Lupin has almost disappeared from the fields in this country. The reason: the fungal disease anthracnosis brought the cultivation of Lupinus luteus to a standstill in the early 1990s. "The fungus attacks the plant's vascular vessels and thus interrupts the supply of nutrients. The plant dies, which can lead to total crop failure," explains Brigitte Ruge-Wehling from the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI).

Children's toys, food boxes or shopping bags: many products already consist of bio-based feedstocks and are therefore considered sustainable. In order to be classified as sustainable, however, the organic content of the material must account for at least 35%. Fraunhofer researchers have been working for years to increase the biogenic content of materials such as plastics.