The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on plastic pollution are United Nations member states who will convene for the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Geneva (INC5.2) 5-14 August, 2025 to negotiate a global plastics treaty. The Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty (‘The Scientists’ Coalition’) is an international network of independent scientific and technical experts who have been contributing robust science to treaty negotiators since INC1 in 2022. The Scientists’ Coalition established a series of working groups following INC5.1 in Busan, Korea 25 November – 1 December 2024. Each working group has produced science-based responses to the selected articles of ‘the Chair’s text’ (the latest version of the draft global plastics treaty text). This Letter to the Editor summarises those responses.

This paper contributes to an emerging discussion in social policy scholarship concerning inequality and the potential of regulation targeting the richest in society. It focuses on public support for maximum income, a policy understood as ‘eco-social’ due to its potential to address the dual crises of increasing inequality and the climate emergency. Based on fifty qualitative interviews conducted in Belgium, the study aims to understand how people reason about the idea of capping the maximum level of income and whether there is potential to increase public support depending on how the policies are designed. The proposal of maximum income prompts rather polarised reactions among supporters and opponents. We identify four distinctive positions: the egalitarian, the supporter of redistribution, the meritocrat and the libertarian. While they are characterised by ideological divergence, both the proponents and opponents of maximum income share concerns about the implementation of such a policy. Using vignettes of differently designed proposals for maximum income, the study also identifies several trade-offs that should be considered when designing a maximum income policy that can secure broad public support.

In Europe, organic food must comply with specific regulations which do not include nutritional criteria. The ability of organic food to meet the nutritional needs of children is not assessed. This narrative review discusses the nutritional composition (macronutrients, micronutrients) of organic food compared with conventional products and its clinical relevance with a paediatric focus, as well as the health impact of these differences and of contaminants which interfere with metabolism. Other potential differences, particularly regarding the direct/indirect exposure to other contaminants in conventional food, are not addressed in this review. The composition of some organic food may differ from conventional food. Protein content was lower in cereals and eggs. A lower n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) ratio was observed in milk, meat and eggs. Long-chain PUFA and vitamin E may be higher in milk, meat and fish, as well as some minerals and antioxidants (phenolic compounds, vitamin C) in fruits, vegetables and starchy food and carotenoids in fruits and vegetables. Epidemiological studies suggest an association between organic diets and lower prevalence of childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, whereas the protective effect on allergy and cancer is controversial. Some organic food may be of greater nutritional interest for children’s diet than conventional food. Standardised studies comparing food composition and diet in children are needed. Considering the lower toxicologic risk and the sustainability of organic food, the Committee on Nutrition encourages the use of organic food, provided that such food is affordable, alongside specific baby food which is subject to strict specific European Union regulations.

Transgressive segregation refers to the phenomenon whereby the progeny of a diverse cross exhibit phenotypes that fall outside the range of the parents for a particular trait of interest. Segregants that exceed the parental values in life-history traits contributing to survival and reproduction may represent beneficial new allelic combinations that are fitter than respective parental genotypes. In this research, we use geographically disparate paraquat-resistant biotypes of horseweed (Canada fleabane) [Erigeron canadensis L.; syn.: Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist] to explore transgressive segregation in biomass accumulation and the inheritance of the paraquat resistance trait in this highly self-fertilizing species. Results of this research indicate that the paraquat resistance traits in E. canadensis biotypes originating in California, USA, and Ontario, Canada, were not conferred by single major gene mechanisms. Segregating generations from crosses among resistant and susceptible biotypes all displayed transgressive segregation in biomass accumulation in the absence of the original selective agent, paraquat. However, when challenged with a discriminating dose of paraquat, progeny from the crosses of susceptible × resistant and resistant × resistant biotypes displayed contrasting responses with those arising from the cross of two resistant biotypes no longer displaying transgressive segregation. These results support the prediction that transgressive segregation is frequently expressed in self-fertilizing lineages and is positively correlated with the genetic diversity of the parental genotypes. When exposed to a new environment, transgressive segregation was observed regardless of parental identity or history. However, if hybrid progenies were returned to the parental environment with exposure to paraquat, the identity of the fittest genotype (i.e., parent or segregant) depends on the history of directional selection in the parental lineages and the dose to which the hybrid progeny was exposed. It is only in the original selective environment that the impact of allelic fixation on transgressive segregation can be observed.

In 2015, a new accelerator mass spectrometry facility (AMS), the ECHoMICADAS (Environnement, Climat, Homme, MIni CArbon DAting System), was installed in the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE). Equipped with a hybrid source, it allows the analysis of solid or gas samples for 14C measurement. Here, we summarize the equipment surrounding the Gas Interface System (GIS), namely the elemental analyzer (EA), the carbonate handling system (CHS2) and the ampoule cracker. We describe our model of sample contamination, taking into account the cross and the constant contaminations, and then describe how these contaminations were handled in the data processing. Both contaminant corrections are applied before the phases of blank subtraction and standard normalization, making it possible to use the standard, blank and sample ratios without contaminant during these phases. We finally present our results on normalization standards (N=118), blanks (N=125) and reference materials (N=117) for different measurement protocols and for sample masses between 3 and 300 µgC.

Invasion by nonnative woody species poses a major threat to the environment, biodiversity, and economies worldwide. Nahuel Huapi National Park in Argentina is a protected area for habitat conservation that harbors several invasive Pinaceae species, where Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] is one of the most aggressive and abundant conifer tree invaders. Management of invasions in protected areas must include efficient, easy to deploy, and cost-effective techniques, while reducing the impact on native ecosystems. Because the region has no control measures applied other than conventional felling, we analyzed the effectiveness of two systemic herbicides (glyphosate and aminopyralid + triclopyr) at two different concentrations, applied with the drill and fill method. We then quantified defoliation of P. menziesii trees 6, 12, and 24 mo after application and performed an economic cost analysis to determine profitability. For the application, the trees were grouped into diameter at breast height classes and randomly assigned to one of the four treatments. Herbicide doses were adjusted according to tree size. We found that glyphosate at high concentrations completely defoliated 33% of the trees after 6 mo and 87% after 12 and 24 mo. Glyphosate at low concentrations defoliated almost 30% of the trees after 24 mo, most of which were smaller trees. The aminopyralid + triclopyr treatment did not produce significant defoliation at any of the tested concentrations. When compared with conventional felling, the drill and fill method was found to reduce removal costs by 98%. We observe that differences in costs are mainly due to dead trees that remain standing, decompose slowly, and do not generate costs associated with their removal and debris management. Drill and fill is a suitable method for treating scattered trees in a native forest community, with reduced environmental consequences compared with other removal techniques currently applied within conservation areas of the Patagonian forest.

High-charge nontronites were synthesized at 75, 90, 100, 110, 125, and 150°C from a silicoferrous starting gel with Si2FeNa2O6.nH2O composition. This gel was oxidized in contact with air and then hydrothermally treated, for a period of 4 weeks, under equilibrium water pressure. The synthesized nontronites were similar to each other, regardless of the synthesis temperature. Their structural formula, obtained from chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Mössbauer, and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies is: $\left({\text{Si}}_{3.25}{\text{Fe}}_{0.75}^{3+}\right){\text{Fe}}_2^{3+}{\text{O}}_{10}{\left(\text{OH}\right)}_2{\text{Na}}_{0.75}$$\left( {{\rm{S}}{{\rm{i}}_{3.25}}{\rm{Fe}}_{0.75}^{3 + }} \right){\rm{Fe}}_2^{3 + }{{\rm{O}}_{10}}{\left( {{\rm{OH}}} \right)_2}{\rm{N}}{{\rm{a}}_{0.75}}$. A strictly ferric end-member of the nontronite series was therefore synthesized for the first time. The uncommon chemistry of the synthesized nontronites, notably the high level of Fe-for-Si substitution, induced particular XRD, FTIR, and differential thermal analysis-thermogravimetric analysis data. The ethylene glycol expandability of the synthetic nontronites was linked to their crystallinity and depended on the nature of the interlayer cation, moving from smectite to vermiculite-like behavior. As the synthesis temperature increased, the crystallinity of the synthesized clays increased. The nontronite obtained at 150°C had the ‘best crystallinity’, which cannot be improved by increasing synthesis time or temperature.

The Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE) has operated a radiocarbon dating laboratory for almost 70 years. It has evolved from a traditional ß-decay counting to an accelerator mass spectrometry facility. In 2015, the LSCE received a major upgrade with the installation of a MICADAS. This evolution required adjustments in sample preparation to match the new capability to date samples as small as a few tens of µgC. We summarize here the sample cleaning procedures and the chemical purification or extraction treatment that we apply to the samples. We also report values of blank and reference materials of different matrices that match the large diversity of samples handled at LSCE.

The Northern European Mesolithic is well known for the manufacture of composite tools and weapons for specialised purposes. A composite implement recovered from the Early Holocene site of Krzyż Wielkopolski 7 in Poland, dated to the Preboreal/Boreal transition, raises questions about expediency versus efficiency in the fabrication of these artefacts. Here, the authors characterise its materials and production: a bone splinter mounted on a shaft of pine wood, secured with bast ligatures coated in birch bark tar. While the manufacture of the implement's individual components can be characterised as ‘expedient’, the finished implement is, however, complex, efficient and durable.

The full spectrum of herbicide resistance in a weed can vary according to the mechanistic basis and cannot be implied from the selective pressure. Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is an important weed species of horticultural crops that has developed resistance to linuron based on either target site– or non–target site resistance mechanisms. The objective of the study is to characterize the cross-resistance to metribuzin of linuron-selected biotypes of A. artemisiifolia with target site– and non–target site resistance and determine its genetic basis. Crosses were made between two types of linuron-resistant biotype and a linuron-susceptible biotype, and the progeny were further backcrossed with susceptible plants to the third backcross (BC3) generation to determine their responses to both herbicides compared with parental lines. The target site–based linuron-resistant biotype was cross-resistant to metribuzin, and resistance to both herbicides was maintained at the same level in the BC3 line. In contrast, the linuron-selected biotype with a non–target site resistance mechanism was not cross-resistant to metribuzin. In addition, the BC3 lines deriving from the non–target site resistant parents had very low-level resistance. While the target site–resistance trait is maintained through multiple crosses, non–target site based resistance would be lost over time when selection is absent or insufficient to retain all genes involved in resistance as a complex trait. This would imply A. artemisiifolia biotypes with different mechanisms would need to be managed differently over time.

Glyphosate’s efficacy is influenced by the amount absorbed and translocated throughout the plant to inhibit 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). Glyphosate resistance can be due to target-site (TS) or non–target site (NTS) resistance mechanisms. TS resistance includes an altered target site and gene overexpression, while NTS resistance includes reduced absorption, reduced translocation, enhanced metabolism, and exclusion/sequestration. The goal of this research was to elucidate the mechanism(s) of glyphosate resistance in common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) from Ontario, Canada. The resistance factor for this glyphosate-resistant (GR) A. artemisiifolia biotype is 5.1. No amino acid substitutions were found at positions 102 or 106 of the EPSPS enzyme in this A. artemisiifolia biotype. Based on [14C]glyphosate studies, there was no difference in glyphosate absorption or translocation between glyphosate-susceptible (GS) and GR A. artemisiifolia biotypes. Radio-labeled glyphosate metabolites were similar for GS and GR A. artemisiifolia 96 h after application. Glyphosate resistance in this A. artemisiifolia biotype is not due to an altered target site due to amino acid substitutions at positions 102 and 106 in the EPSPS and is not due to the NTS mechanisms of reduced absorption, reduced translocation, or enhanced metabolism.

Sourced from the Tyrrhenian Islands and exchanged over long distances, obsidian was used widely across prehistoric Western Europe. An obsidian core and bladelets from a newly discovered rockshelter site in south-eastern Spain, however, raised the possibility of an unrecognised mainland source of obsidian. EDXRF analysis of the Early Magdalenian finds from La Boja links them to a source 125km to the south-west. The artefacts were discarded during two brief activity phases at the site, indicating that obsidian procurement was integral to the technological choices of the site's users. The specificities of the technocomplex may explain the unique nature of this occurrence.

This work presents the results of physical and biological investigations at 27 biogeochemical stations of early winter sea ice in the Ross Sea during the 2017 PIPERS cruise. Only two similar cruises occurred in the past, in 1995 and 1998. The year 2017 was a specific year, in that ice growth in the Central Ross Sea was considerably delayed, compared to previous years. These conditions resulted in lower ice thicknesses and Chl-a burdens, as compared to those observed during the previous cruises. It also resulted in a different structure of the sympagic algal community, unusually dominated by Phaeocystis rather than diatoms. Compared to autumn-winter sea ice in the Weddell Sea (AWECS cruise), the 2017 Ross Sea pack ice displayed similar thickness distribution, but much lower snow cover and therefore nearly no flooding conditions. It is shown that contrasted dynamics of autumnal-winter sea-ice growth between the Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea impacted the development of the sympagic community. Mean/median ice Chl-a concentrations were 3–5 times lower at PIPERS, and the community status there appeared to be more mature (decaying?), based on Phaeopigments/Chl-a ratios. These contrasts are discussed in the light of temporal and spatial differences between the two cruises.

The interpersonal dependency inventory comprised three subscales called Emotional reliance of another person (ER), lack of social self confidence (LSS) and Assertion of autonomy (AUT). Several formula have been developed for deriving whole-scale scores.

The aim of the study on 621 addictive subjects was to determine the best formula using the DSM-IV dependent personality disorder as gold standard. The formula 3 ER + LSS – AUT yielded the best values of sensitivity and specificity.