Documenting novel cases of tool use in wild animals can inform our understanding of the evolutionary drivers of the behavior’s emergence in the natural world. We describe a previously unknown tool-use behavior for wild birds, so far only documented in the wild in primates and elephants. We observed 2 Atlantic puffins at their breeding colonies, one in Wales and the other in Iceland (the latter captured on camera), spontaneously using a small wooden stick to scratch their bodies.

The EU is currently taking measures to review the ruling on gene editing and overhaul the current GMO legislation, according to EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan. "The Commission has asked EU member states to provide the necessary data in order to help the EU executive to come up with a robust response to the EU court's ruling and draft a legislative response for the next Commission," Hogan stated in an interview. He added that this is a sensitive issue considering that member states have different views and opinions on genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The VIB in Belgium has submitted an application for a new field trial for genetically modified (GM) maize with an improved growth factor called AN3. The AN3 gene activates other genes involved in plant growth. When it is overexpressed, cell division continues for a longer period and important plant parts such as leaves become larger, therefore increasing biomass. Greenhouse experiments also showed that the plants will continue to grow better during drought, indicating that the plants would likely be better adapted to the threat of global warming.

DNA test is widely used for disease detection and identification of GMOs. However, DNA test is expensive and there is a need to develop a rapid, low-cost, user-friendly, and field-deployable DNA test method. Huazhong Agricultural University scientists developed a CRISPR-Cas9-based DNA detection method and the results are released in Molecular Breeding. Fourteen (14) CRISPR RNAs were engineered to target two rice blast fungus genes and a synthetic Cry1C gene used in Bt rice.

Desert Locust swarms in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia - already unprecedented in their size and destructive potential - could swell exponentially and spill over into more countries in East Africa if efforts to deal with the voracious pest are not massively scaled up across the region, FAO warned today. "This has become a situation of international dimensions that threatens the food security of the entire subregion. FAO is activating fast-track mechanisms that will allow us to move swiftly to support governments in mounting a collective campaign to deal with this crisis," said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.

Locusts are the oldest migratory pest in the world. They differ from ordinary grasshoppers in their ability to change behaviour (gregarize) and form swarms that can migrate over large distances. The most devastating of all locust species is the Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria). During plagues, it can easily affect 20 percent of the Earth's land, more than 65 of the world's poorest countries, and potentially damage the livelihood of one tenth of the world's population.

The ubiquity, portability and mobility of digital technologies are transforming agriculture and food production. Specifically, in the agriculture and food sector, the spread of mobile technologies, remote-sensing services and distributed computing are already improving smallholders’ access to information, inputs and markets, increasing production and productivity, streamlining supply chains and reducing operational costs.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, which surprised agricultural analysts. It was anticipated that yields for corn and soybeans would decrease, but USDA reported "a slightly higher production, reduced food, seed, and industrial use, larger feed and residual use, lower exports, and smaller ending stocks" for corn.

Research conducted at the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside) has identified a protein that controls plant growth. The protein, IRK, was found in the root cells of a plant related to mustard while researchers were looking for clues to the ways plant cells divide or expand. According to Jaimie Van Norman, assistant professor of plant sciences at UCR and leader of the study, when IRK is present, the root perceives a signal that tells cells not to divide. "This discovery gives us another way to control growth," Van Norman said. "Understanding how the plant itself stops growth can also allow us to accelerate growth."

An international consortium of key academic and global seed company leaders from the USA, Canada, Europe, and Israel has successfully sequenced the canola genome. The consortium, led by Dr. Isobel Parkin, research scientist from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), and Dr. Andrew Sharpe, director of genomics and bioinformatics from the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) reached a key milestone in completing the full assembly and mapping the genomes of 10 diverse canola varieties cultivated in Canada, U.S., and Europe.