News

April 16, 2025

Cotton, Silk, and Wool: Regenerative Agriculture and Innovation at the Heart of Italian Fashion’s Future

Cotton: currently being tested in Apulia through regenerative agriculture methods. Silk: efforts are underway to rebuild a high-end Italian supply chain. Wool: the focus is on restoring the Italian Merino sheep breed. And beyond that, a digital passport and 5.0 technologies are being implemented from field to garment to ensure full-spectrum sustainability, traceability, and circularity. Natural, eco-friendly fibers and cutting-edge solutions are at the core of a fashion future where an increasingly conscious and demanding consumer can bring the principles

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April 10, 2025

King Charles III Meets CNR

A delegation of researchers from the Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRET) met King Charles III of England during his state visit to Italy, together with a delegation from the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA) During his state visit to Italy, King Charles III of England met on Wednesday, April 10, 2025, at the gardens of the British Ambassador’s Residence in Rome, with a delegation of researchers from

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mamma orsa con cucciolo tra l'erba
April 3, 2025

Don’t sell the skin of the Marsican bear

Il Venerdì di Repubblica devotes an article to the Marsican brown bear, an investigation into the metabolism of this subspecies of the European brown bear that lives in the Apennines and of which only 54 specimens remain in the Abruzzo and Majella National Parks. Beginning with the discovery of a genetic defect, we go on to analyze skull shape and diet to investigate what adaptations to the environment allow the Marsican bear to coexist peacefully with the human species and what

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studenti con volto pixellato che esibiscono i prodotti del concorso
April 1, 2025

Diamoci delle Arie – LIFE MODERn NEC school competition

Diamoci delle Arie is the special competition aimed at 4th and 5th grade primary and secondary school classes in the regions listed below. Classes are invited to produce a poster/manifesto (text+images) to raise awareness of air quality issues among families, classmates and citizens. Each class may submit up to 5 entries, produced by students individually or in small groups. For information and how to participate, read the RULES.   MEMBERSHIP IN THE PROJECT AND PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST ARE FREE OF

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March 26, 2025

Carlo Calfapietra appointed as Italian expert in Horizon Europe’s Cluster 6

Carlo Calfapietra, Director of the CNR Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, has been appointed as the Italian expert in Cluster 6 “Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment” within the European research and innovation framework program Horizon Europe. This appointment, conferred by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, recognizes Calfapietra’s role as a key figure in the Italian scientific landscape for topics related to biodiversity, natural resources, and the environment. As part of the Horizon Europe Program Committee, he

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March 23, 2025

Biodiversity and Sustainability: New Market Opportunities

On March 25 at 9:30 AM, the event “Biodiversity and Sustainability: New Market Opportunities” will take place at the Central Headquarters of the National Research Council (CNR) in Rome (P.le Aldo Moro 7). The initiative is part of the activities of Spoke8 of the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), in collaboration with the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), and specifically involves SMEs benefiting from the first of the dedicated Cascade Calls. During the morning session, speakers will include Maria Chiara Carrozza (CNR President),

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February 28, 2025

Arctic: The Tundra is Expanding at an Unprecedented Rate

The tundra, the typical vegetation of Arctic polar regions, has been rapidly expanding—not just recently, but since the beginning of the last century. This was revealed by an international study coordinated by the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISP), in collaboration with the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, and the ENI-CNR Joint Research Center. According to the research, which was featured on the cover of Nature Communications Earth &

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February 26, 2025

Forest Biodiversity: PRISMA and Lidar Revolutionize Habitat Monitoring

A study by the Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRET) has demonstrated the effectiveness of hyperspectral data from the Italian Space Agency’s PRISMA satellite and Lidar information in monitoring forest habitat diversity with high detail and accuracy Remote sensing technologies based on PRISMA and Lidar data can significantly improve environmental and forest habitat monitoring, supporting more precise strategies for the management and conservation of European forests. This is demonstrated by a study published

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February 14, 2025

Enhanced Environmental Monitoring Station at Capodimonte: Activities Resume

A new operational phase has begun for the Real Bosco di Capodimonte site, an integral part of the ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) infrastructure. Thanks to technological upgrades, environmental data acquisition activities have resumed. The Principal Investigator of the station is the National Research Council’s Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR-IRET), which recently published a study in the journal Urban Climate on the role of urban green areas in carbon sequestration and heatwave mitigation. Real Bosco di Capodimonte with the research

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diagramma della fenologia
January 31, 2025

Phenology: The Study of Periodic Life Cycle Events in Plants

A new study published in Current Forestry Reports, the result of a collaboration between CNR-IRET, the University of Québec, Northern Arizona University, the Slovenian Forestry Institute, and WSL, synthesizes recent advancements and identifies knowledge gaps in the phenology of both belowground and aboveground organ development in extra-tropical forest ecosystems. Phenology, the study of periodic life cycle events in plants, is essential for understanding tree health, resource competition, and the impact of climate change on ecosystems. By examining the phenological processes of

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