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All the news
Scanning electron microscope image of a sample of human faeces, showing the abundance and diversity of the bacterial population.. © Thierry MEYLHEUC - Inra, MEYLHEUC Thierry

Press release

02 Nov 2017

Antibiotics affect the efficacy of immunotherapy

Mechanisms of living organisms

A study published in the journal Science by a research team from Gustave Roussy, INSERM, INRA, AP-HP, IHU Méditerranée Infections and Paris-Sud University shows that prescribed antibiotics impair the efficacy of immunotherapy in cancer patients.

Wine and cheese. © fotolia

Press release

23 Oct 2017

Sensory analysis—an innovative tool for pairing wine and cheese

Food and nutrition

To study sensory associations between different types of wine and cheese, INRA researchers came up with a customized version of the temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) method, a form of sensory analysis. Using their novel approach, they discovered that cheese consumption changed and improved the taste of wine. In contrast, wine consumption only slightly modified the taste of cheese but did not enhance the pleasure of eating cheese.

Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC 12046 stained with fluorochrome. © INRA, BOYAVAL Patrick

News

19 Oct 2017

Intestinal lactobacilli: allies in cases of undernutrition

Food and nutrition

In cases of chronic undernutrition, certain kinds of intestinal lactobacillus bacteria help maintain host growth by stimulating digestive enzyme expression and activity.

Tree in winter. © INRA, Hervé Cochard

Press release

18 Oct 2017

How light and wind shape tree architecture

Plant health - Plant biology

In this virtual ecosystem, trees compete for light, change their growth patterns in response to wind, and experience storms that can snap their branches. The researchers found that light competition and wind selected for fractal forms—morphological patterns that repeat themselves (are "self-similar") across different scales. Such self-similarity* has been observed in real trees by ecologists and forestry scientists. Consequently, it is possible that light and wind acted in tandem over evolutionary time to sculpt the current architecture of trees. These findings were published on October 18, 2017, in Nature Communications.

Cover of the book

Just published

12 Oct 2017

Poultry Quality Evaluation

Food and nutrition - Results, Innovations, Transfer

Poultry Quality Evaluation: Quality Attributes and Consumer Values provides a new reference source that covers these aspects with the same scientific authority as texts on traditional poultry meat quality values.

Grandes Cultures Experimental Farm—INRA Occitanie-Toulouse @INRA. © INRA

News

05 Oct 2017

Multiservice cover crops: a key pilar of the ecological transition.

Agricultural systems

The development of new methods and techniques is a central part of efforts to improve the economic performance and environmental friendliness of French agriculture. Of particular interest are strategies for reducing synthetic inputs (i.e., pesticides and fertilisers) and for boosting ecosystem services that will benefit farmers and everyday citizens alike. During the agricultural innovation symposium (CIAg) held October 4–5, 2017 in Toulouse, INRA presented a key tool that can be exploited by farmers: multiservicencover crops.

Person working with an isolation chamber for the study of intestinal microbiota in a confined and controlled environment. © Bertrand NICOLAS, INRA, NICOLAS Bertrand

Press release

05 Oct 2017

Human intestinal microbiota: progress towards a standardised protocol for the processing of stool samples

Diet and health - Mechanisms of living organisms

The major impact of DNA extraction on the evaluation of the microbial composition of human stool samples.

Plot of wheat in the Yvelines (greater Paris region). © INRA, WEBER Jean

Press release

02 Oct 2017

Win-win strategies for climate and food security

Climate Change

Climate policies that target agriculture and forests could lead to increased food prices, but reducing deforestation and increasing soil carbon sequestration in agriculture could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while avoiding risk to food security, according to new research published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.  

Pile of journals © Gabriella Fabbri-Stock.xchng

Press release

26 Sep 2017

Research and agricultural higher education publications: ranked 1st worldwide for number of citations in animal and plant sciences

Economics and social sciences

An exploratory study carried out by INRA within the Agreenium network has made it possible to identify the key strengths in French research and agricultural higher education on an international level. Agreenium is a cooperation institute that brings together 14 higher education institutions and 4 research bodies.

Spodoptera frugiperda caterpillar © Marie FRAYSSINET

Press release

25 Sep 2017

Scientists decode the genome of Fall Armyworm: a moth pest that is invading Africa

Animal biology

As part of an international consortium, INRA researchers, in partnership with the CEA and INRIA, have sequenced one of the first genomes of a moth from the superfamily Noctuoidea: Spodoptera frugiperda, or armyworm. This crop pest – until now only known on the American continent – has become invasive in Africa since 2016.