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Northern China Agriculture and Food Ecosystem Low-Carbon and Climate Resilient Development Project

The proposed Northern China Agriculture and Food Ecosystem Net Zero Transformation Project (project) will support the PRC to achieve its climate commitment through catalyzing financing and strengthening institutional capacity for net zero transformation in agriculture and food ecosystem.




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GMS Cross-Border Livestock Health and Value Chains Improvement Project

The project will reduce trans-boundary animal diseases (TAD), food safety and zoonotic disease risks and strengthen livestock value chains and COVID-19 responses through investments in infrastructure, capacity building and policy support. The project will have the following outcome: health, value chains, and formal trade of livestock and livestock products improved. The project will be aligned with the following impact: GMS vision as a leading supplier of safe and environmentally friendly agriculture products realized.




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Resilient Amu Darya River Basin Sector Development Program

The proposed project will undertake a long-term and strategic approach to deliver climate adaptive solutions for water resources management in the Amu Darya River Basins in Uzbekistan. Predicted climate change impacts include increased temperatures, increased frequency and severity of extreme events such as floods and droughts, and a reduction of water availability and increased variability of water flows in the major river basins. Decreasing availability and increased water requirements by different sectors are leading to a growing seasonal and absolute supply-demand gap.




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MFF: Green and Resilience Financing Facility Investment Program

The proposed program is a large-scale transformative and integrated initiative addressing the constraints. It aims to bridge the financing, capacity, institutional, and technical gaps in implementing the NAP and adaptation measures mentioned in the NDC and GRID while promoting mitigation, biodiversity, air pollution, and food security as co-benefits.




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Preparing the Babeldaob Island Urban Resilience Project (formerly Strengthening Urban Planning and Management)

For approval in 2023.




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Oldest rocks on Earth may contain strange and ancient life forms

Fossils in rocks that are 3.8 billion years old have puzzled biologists as they look nothing like modern cells, but now it seems they may be an ancient precursor life form that was unable to control its structure




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The inside story of heroic efforts to save three bird species

The graft involved in trying to bring the peregrine falcon, Hawaiian crow and California condor back from the brink in the US makes for compelling reading in Feather Trails by Sophie Osborn




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Charles Darwin’s frogs turn mating upside down

Turning around and backing up out of pools found in tree hollows may help mating Charles Darwin’s frogs find a safe place to lay their eggs while fending off competitive males




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Are horses in equestrian sports being harmed by bending their necks?

Horses experience hyperflexion, or rollkur, when their necks bend far towards their chests – it could place the animal at a greater risk of physical discomfort and stress




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Racehorse success may depend on their gut microbiome in early life

Horses that are bred to race seem to perform better on the course if they had a diverse gut microbiome as foals




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Bird deaths from building strikes may be double past estimates

An estimate of annual bird fatalities due to building collisions in the US brings the figure to more than 1 billion – it is the first to include deaths from injuries after the strike




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Leeches use their whole bodies to entomb and eat ultra-fast worms

Blackworms are ultra-fast swimmers, and they tangle up into worm balls to protect themselves from predators – but leeches have an ingenious method of catching them called “spiral entombment”




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A surprisingly wide range of bacteria live inside microwaves

Microwaves in homes, offices and laboratories have been found to host diverse microbiomes, highlighting the importance of regular cleaning




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The best livestream so far this year? A corpse flower slowly blooming

Forget videos by gamers or influencers. For a real online thrill, watch the world's biggest flower emerging in a former web designer's greenhouse, says Annalee Newitz




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We now know how kestrels stay perfectly still while hovering

Two nankeen kestrels have been filmed flying in a wind tunnel to learn how the raptors keep their heads in a fixed position under turbulent conditions




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How crocodiles were taught to stop eating deadly toxic cane toads

Invasive cane toads have decimated native freshwater crocodile populations in northern Australia, as the predators don't know they should avoid the toxic amphibians




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Consumer insecticides are useless for fighting cockroach infestations

Lab-reared German cockroaches are susceptible to consumer insecticide sprays, allowing manufacturers to pass US regulatory tests, but insects taken from real-world infestations are able to shrug off the products




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Largest genome sequenced so far is 30 times bigger than a human's

The South American lungfish has a whopping 180 gigabases of DNA in each cell, compared with 6 gigabases in human cells




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Top astrobiologist explores the possibilities of alien life

It's time to expect the unexpected, says Natalie Cabrol, one of the world's top astrobiologists and author of an authoritative book on the hunt for life's origins – and ET




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Endangered skates saved from extinction by hatching in captivity

The Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is only found in one habitat in Australia, which is under threat from human activity. Now the species has been saved from extinction by hatching in captivity




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If we could talk to whales, what might they say?

This week, we journey to the early 2030s, when machine learning first allowed us to communicate with sperm whales. Rowan Hooper tells us what they have to say




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Has the mystery of life’s 'handedness' finally been cracked?

All living creatures use only the left or right-handed forms of certain molecules, and now we might understand why




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Spiders use fireflies as flashing lures to catch more prey

Male fireflies caught in an orb-weaver spider’s web start flashing in an unusual pattern, a deadly deception that seems to attract additional victims for the spider




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Why the underground home of the world’s weirdest wildlife is in danger

Up to 100,000 extraordinary species, from spiders and beetles to salamanders and fish, live in subterranean caves and cracks. They aren’t as safe down there as we thought




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David Attenborough's latest explores the lives of an orangutan family

The veteran presenter adds authority to Secret Lives of Orangutans, a film about a family of endangered orangutans in Sumatra. File this new entry in his vast oeuvre under lovable but lightweight




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Backflipping springtails are the fastest spinners known in nature

High-speed camera recordings show that springtails spin at up to 368 rotations per second when they jump away from danger




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A selection of elaborate birds' nests from around the world

These photos showcase some of the intricately created birds' nests found in the Natural History Museum in Tring, UK, home to one of the world's largest ornithological collections




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Wild bees have found a surprising place to nest in cities

A survey found 66 species of insects making their homes in cobbled pavements on the streets of Berlin, and greater biodiversity near insect-friendly flower gardens




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Stunningly preserved pterosaur fossils reveal how they soared

The largest pterosaurs, ancient reptiles that were the first vertebrates to master flight, may have mostly soared while smaller ones flapped their wings, a pattern that persists in today's birds




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Watch eels escape from the stomachs of fish after being swallowed

X-ray videos of Japanese eels swallowed whole by dark sleeper fish have revealed how the eels can make a daring escape from being digested




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Ants change the way they build nests to stop diseases spreading

When worker ants are exposed to a pathogenic fungus, they build nests that are more compartmentalised to reduce the risk of an epidemic




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Fish size themselves up in a mirror to decide if they can win a fight

Cleaner wrasse use their reflection to build a mental image of their body size, which they use to compare themselves to rivals before picking a fight




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Is life better as a dog? A philosopher investigates

What is it like to be a dog? And what can we learn from them? Mark Rowlands's take, in his book The Happiness of Dogs, is full of insights, finds Abigail Beall




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Antidote to deadly pesticides boosts bee survival

Feeding bees edible bits of hydrogel increases their odds of surviving pesticide exposure by 30 per cent




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How the hidden lives of dinosaurs are being revealed by new technology

From migrating sauropods and semi-aquatic predators to doting parents, palaeontologists are finally uncovering the mysteries of the lifestyles of dinosaurs




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Is it really cheaper to cultivate your own fruit and vegetables?

Our gardening columnist James Wong isn’t convinced, and does the maths to get some answers




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Octopuses and fish hunt as a team to catch more prey

An octopus will work with several different species of fish to find and catch prey - and punch those that aren't helping




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These fish have evolved legs that can find and taste buried food

Northern sea robins are formidable marine hunters, and they owe their success to modified fin rays that let them find prey buried in the seabed




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Dolphin 'smiles' may truly be a sign of playfulness

Captive dolphins are more likely to make an open-mouthed expression when their playmate can see them and they often reciprocate, hinting that it is a form of visual communication




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Two injured comb jellies can merge to form one individual

A pair of ctenophores, or comb jellies, can fuse their bodies together, merging their digestive and nervous systems, without any issues with immune rejection




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Paramotorists collect rare plant species from Peruvian desert oases

Kew scientists use paramotorists to collect rare plant species from Peruvian desert oases




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Living microbes found deep inside 2-billion-year-old rock

Ancient volcanic rock from South Africa has been found to harbour primitive bacteria, which may shed light on some of the earliest forms of life on Earth




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There could be 30,000 species of earthworms wriggling around the world

Nearly 6000 species and subspecies of earthworms have been identified by scientists – but the true number could top 30,000




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Richard Dawkins's latest crams gorgeous writing in an ill-fitting box

A new book from the science-writing legend is an Attenborough-esque romp through some of the wonders of the natural world. Just beware the title's misfiring metaphor




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Seven newly named frog species make whistles that sound like Star Trek

A group of frogs from Madagascar have mating calls that sound like Star Trek sound effects – now their species names honour captains from the series




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Puppies as young as 6 weeks old know to ask people for help

Puppies that are raised in someone's home seem to benefit from that extra human interaction, by asking for help at a younger age than those brought up in kennels




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Male mice flee to female mice to de-escalate fights

During a fight between two male mice, one will often run to a female mouse to distract their aggressor, a bait-and-switch strategy that could help abate social conflicts




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Motor made from bacteria parts is one of the smallest ever built

The natural motors that power tail-like appendages in bacteria seem to have a single evolutionary origin, allowing parts from different species to be combined to create a tiny new engine




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These stunning photos celebrate the intricacy of the microscopic world

A mouse's tumours, scales from a butterfly's wings and a smiling cross-section of a bracken fern are some of the incredible images from the Nikon Small World photography competition




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Preserved tracks suggest non-avian dinosaurs used their wings to run

Not all winged dinosaurs were necessarily capable of full flight, but this anatomical feature may have enabled them to travel further by flapping or gliding