Carbon dioxide forms the basis for many organisms to produce carbon compounds through their metabolism. Plants and certain bacteria use photosynthesis, other bacteria use chemosynthesis. However, animals do not possess this ability and have therefore formed symbioses with protozoa. The bacterium Kentron has also been regarded as a chemosynthetic symbiont of the ciliate Kentrophoros.

Proteins are an important component of animal feed. However, protein-rich crops such as lupins and peas are still niche products on European fields. The protein used in European cattle feed mainly comes from soya and fish meal imports.

In 2017, the German specialty chemicals group Evonik and the Dutch company DSM jointly founded Veramaris. Now the young joint venture has started industrial bioproduction and has commissioned what it says is the world's largest plant for the fermentative production of omega-3 fatty acids in Blair (USA).

The thale cress Arabidopsis thaliana serves plant researchers as a model organism because its genome is relatively simply structured. However, it is impractical if the model plant is not a good model for other plant species. Researchers have recently discovered that this may be the case with thale cress.

Some microorganisms from the early days of life on earth have a defence mechanism against radioactive heavy metals. Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have now described this mechanism for the first time and recommend that it be considered in the safety assessment of possible repositories for high-level radioactive waste.

Worldwide, an estimated 100,000 animal species produce toxins. Some serve to protect against predators, others to hunt prey. What many poisons have in common is that they can have the opposite effect in small doses: Important antihypertensives, anticoagulants and pain killers are based on animal toxins, and a toxin of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is making waves as a biological insecticide. Unlike snakes or spiders, little is known about the toxins of predatory flies.

In agriculture, mineral fertilizers play an important role in supplying plants with nutrients. But these fertilizers are problematic as both their energy-intensive production and import are harmful to the climate. In addition, the reserves that can be economically exploited are limited and will probably be exhausted within a few decades. Biobased fertilizers are therefore becoming increasingly important - but they too can have their problems.

Most people are familiar with the feeling of relaxation and recuperation when spending time in a natural setting. Scientists at the University of Heidelberg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now investigated how green spaces affect well-being and what goes on in the brain.

Strenzfelder, Lacaune or Lizagarotte - in Europe there are about 5,000 landraces of maize. They were developed during the 400 years of cultivation without systematic breeding. But for about 50 years, they have existed almost exclusively in gene banks, and elite breeding lines have taken their place. While the latter have been optimized for yield and quality, the land races have other strengths: they are more robust because they are well adapted to different environmental conditions.