Direct and indirect effects of pesticide exposure on the gut microbiota of a farmland raptor.

Recent studies in humans have shown that certain pesticides could affect the composition and functions of the gut microbiota, an essential modulator of vertebrate physiology, leading to potential dysbiosis. However, this relationship remains largely unknown in wild birds despite the implications of pesticides in the current decline of farmland species. The present study sought to fill this gap by providing data on the association between pesticide concentrations in blood and gut microbiota characteristics in relation to individual traits in a farmland raptor, the Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus).

Organic compounds in valley fogwater in North and Mount Lebanon during COVID-19 period.

Caltech Active Strand Cloudwater collectors are used to collect valley fog samples from Mount and North-Lebanon during 2021 for the speciation of organic matter for the first time ever. Numerous compounds including pesticides, phenols, acids, and persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified in fogwater samples. They are extracted using the liquid-liquid extraction performed on the XTR chromabond columns.

Timing and Graded BMP Signalling Determines Fate of Neural Crest and Ectodermal Placode Derivatives from Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) offer many potential research and clinical benefits due to their ability to differentiate into nearly every cell type in the body. They are often used as model systems to study early stages of ontogenesis to better understand key developmental pathways, as well as for drug screening. However, in order to fully realise the potential of PSCs and their translational applications, a deeper understanding of developmental pathways, especially in humans, is required.

First evidence of age-dependent decreases in non-persistent pesticide mixtures in nestlings of a farmland raptor.

Intensive use of synthetic pesticides in conventional agriculture may harm non-target organisms through sublethal effects on life-history traits. Farmland birds are exposed throughout their life cycle, but the fate of non-persistent pesticide mixtures in wild birds remains unknown. In this study, we investigated changes in pesticide contamination levels in Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) nestlings during their growth.