e-ISSN: Pending

Browse the failure-mode index

151 real negative results, null findings, and replication failures in Agricultural and Biological Sciences. Search the index →

WASTE indexes published research — it does not host or republish full papers. Each entry is a metadata record compiled from open scholarly databases; the abstract is shown in full only where the paper is openly licensed, otherwise a short excerpt under fair use. Classifications are automated and approximate.

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Global selection on insect antipredator coloration

Iliana Medina, Alice Exnerová, Klára Daňková et al. · 2025 · Science

Natural selection has repeatedly led to the evolution of two alternative antipredator color strategies-camouflage to avoid detection and aposematism to advertise unprofitability-but we lack understanding of how ecological context favors one strategy over the other. We conducted a globally replicated predation experiment at 21 sites on six continents to test how predator community, prey community, and visual environment influenced the predation risk of 15,018 artificial paper "moth" prey with cryptic or warning coloration. Results indicated that aposematic strategies fare better in environments

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Refining Pheromone Lures for the Invasive Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Through Collaborative Trials in the United States and Europe

Tracy Leskey, Heather Andrews, Angelika Bády et al. · 2021 · Journal of Economic Entomology

Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is native to Asia and has invaded North America and Europe inflicting serious agricultural damage to specialty and row crops. Tools to monitor the spread of H. halys include traps baited with…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Temperature-dependent metabolic consequences of food deprivation in the European sardine

Elisa Thoral, Damien Roussel, Éric Gasset et al. · 2023 · Journal of Experimental Biology

Aquatic ecosystems can exhibit seasonal variation in resource availability and animals have evolved to cope with the associated caloric restriction. During winter in the NW Mediterranean Sea, the European sardine Sardina pilchardus…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

A defined community of core gut microbiota members promotes cognitive performance in honey bees

Amélie Cabirol, Andrew Quinn, Julie Schafer et al. · 2026 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract The composition of the gut microbiota has recently been identified as a cause of cognitive variability in humans and animals. Germ-free individuals and individuals exposed to an antibiotic treatment show severe alteration of their learning and memory performance measured in various cognitive tasks. While different species of bacteria are known to interact in the gut, their cumulative or synergistic effects on cognitive performance remain elusive. Here we established a defined bacterial community - composed of core members of the corbiculate bee microbiota - which enhances honey bees’

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Eristalis flower flies can be mechanical vectors of the common trypanosome bee parasite, Crithidia bombi

Abby E. Davis, Kaitlin R. Deutsch, Alondra M. Torres et al. · 2021 · Scientific Reports

Flowers can be transmission platforms for parasites that impact bee health, yet bees share floral resources with other pollinator taxa, such as flies, that may be hosts or non-host vectors (i.e., mechanical vectors) of parasites. Here, we assessed whether the fecal-orally transmitted gut parasite of bees, Crithidia bombi, can infect Eristalis tenax flower flies. We also investigated the potential for two confirmed solitary bee hosts of C. bombi, Osmia lignaria and Megachile rotundata, as well as two flower fly species, Eristalis arbustorum and E. tenax, to transmit the parasite at flowers. We

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Cortical Neurons Derived from Equine Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Are Susceptible to Neurotropic Flavivirus Infection and Replication: An In Vitro Model for Equine Neuropathic Diseases

Patrick R.J. Fortuna, Helle Bielefeldt‐Ohmann, Dmitry A. Ovchinnikov et al. · 2018 · Stem Cells and Development

Horses are susceptible to a number of neurotropic viruses, including West Nile virus (WNV), which is a pathogen of global significance in both horses and humans. However, there are no in vitro models with which to study infectious…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Response of broilers to supplementation of branched-chain amino acids blends with different valine contents in the starter period under summer conditions

Canan Kop Bozbay, Ahmet Akdag, Helin Atan et al. · 2020 · Animal Bioscience

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to compare the effects of normal and low protein content (PC) of starter diet supplemented or not with blends of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) on growth performance of broilers under summer conditions and to investigate whether these effects altered some quality traits and the characteristics of gastrointestinal tract. METHODS: A total of 768 mixed-sex broiler chicks (Ross 308, one-d-old) with an average initial body weight (BW) of 47.6±1.03 g were allocated into six treatments with four replications in 2×3 factorial arrangement. Factors were:

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Stay cool, travel far: cold‐acclimated oriental fruit moth females have enhanced flight performance but lay fewer eggs

Aurélie Ferrer, Dominique Mazzi, Silvia Dorn · 2014 · Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata

Abstract Acclimation to a particular environment may provide organisms with advantages in that environment. In species with multiple generations per year, acclimation may cause life‐history traits to vary with season and between…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportAgricultural and Biological Sciences

A genome‐wide significant association on chromosome 2 for footrot resistance/susceptibility in Swiss White Alpine sheep

Allegra Niggeler, Jens Tetens, Anna Stäuble et al. · 2017 · Animal Genetics

Footrot is one of the most important causes of lameness in global sheep populations and is characterized by a bacterial infection of the interdigital skin. As a multifactorial disease, its clinical representation depends not only on…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Benefits of larval group feeding by Chrysolina aurichalcea asclepiadis on Vincetoxicum: improved host location or feeding facilitation?

Aaron S. Weed · 2010 · Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata

Abstract Several studies have shown that group feeding by immature insects enhances larval performance through feeding facilitation. However, the benefits of this behavior have not been studied for species that hatch off from their host…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Invited Review: Inflammation and Health in the Transition Period Influence Reproductive Function in Dairy Cows

T.C. Bruinjé, S.J. LeBlanc · 2025 · Animals

In the early postpartum period, dairy cows undergo significant adaptations in Ca and lipid metabolism, immune function, and inflammatory processes. Concurrent exposure to endotoxins from the uterus, gastrointestinal tract, or mammary gland increases the risk of disease and reproductive problems. Metabolic and inflammatory imbalances during this phase can have both immediate and long-term effects on reproductive health. Associations between metabolic disorders and reproductive outcomes are often confounded by immune activation and systemic inflammation. However, optimal markers, thresholds, and

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Effects of adding an automated monitoring device to the health screening of postpartum Holstein cows on survival and productive and reproductive performances

Manuel A. Silva, Anderson Veronese, Anna Luiza Belli et al. · 2021 · Journal of Dairy Science

kg) than cows diagnosed with a clinical disease that had an AMD alert. Adding AMD-generated health alerts to the health screening of postpartum cows in a herd with an existing screening program did not improve survival, milk yield, or…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Politizando el consumo alimentario: estrategias para avanzar en la transición agroecológica/ Politicizing Food Consumption: Strategies for Advancing in Agroecological Transition

Manuel González de Molina, Daniel López García, Gloria Guzmán Casado · 2026 · Redes

The starting point of this paper is the unfeasibility situation of the industrialized agriculture model and the dominant agro-food regime. Building a sustainable alternative is urgently needed. In the last decades, a great number of agroecological experiences have emerged which constitute, by their innovative character, the vanguard of an alternative agro-alimentary system. However, these experiences are not enough to produce a change to upper scales of social organization and even for their own survival as such experiences. The main challenge that Agroecology has raised is to upscaling the ag

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Functional implications of residues of the B′ motif of geminivirus replication initiator protein in its helicase activity

Rajrani Ruhel, Mohit Mazumder, Prabu Gnanasekaran et al. · 2021 · FEBS Journal

Geminivirus replication initiator protein (Rep) is a multifunctional viral protein required for replication. During the process of viral replication, Rep acts as a site- and strand-specific endonuclease, ligase, ATPase, and helicase. B'…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Growth directions and stiffness across cell layers determine whether tissues stay smooth or buckle

Avilash Singh Yadav, Lilan Hong, Patrick M. Klees et al. · 2026 · Current Biology

Nature exhibits organs of various shapes and forms, ranging from smooth to undulated morphologies. How cells coordinate their growth to produce smoothly shaped leaves and leaf-like organs such as sepals remains unclear. We identified a mutant, as2-7D, that exhibits ectopic expression of ASYMMETRIC LEAVES 2 (AS2) on the outer epidermis. Our analysis reveals that ectopic AS2 expression causes the outer epidermis of as2-7D sepals to buckle during early stages of sepal development. Buckling is caused by conflicting cell growth directions and unequal tissue stiffness across the epidermal layers. Ov

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Implications of root morphology and anatomy for water deficit tolerance and recovery of grapevine rootstocks

David García Alonso, Ignacio Buesa, Luis Flor et al. · 2025 · Frontiers in Plant Science

The intensification of drought conditions due to climate change poses a major challenge to sustainable grape production. Rootstocks are essential in supporting grapevine water uptake and drought resilience; however, their physiological responses to water stress are not fully understood. Under the hypothesis that root morphology and anatomy may be key traits in grapevine tolerance to water deficit, this study aimed to investigate these traits across diverse rootstocks under progressive water deficit and recovery phases. Thirteen genotypes, including commercial rootstocks and recently bred RG-se

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Diversity of adapted tobacco microbial community and its application in improving tobacco quality

Jing Mai, Ying Ning, Zhonglong Lin et al. · 2025 · Industrial Crops and Products

Many bacteria such as Bacillus , Pseudomonas , and Lactobacillus are widely present in flue-cured tobacco leaves during the aging process, indicating they play important roles in improving tobacco quality. In this study, we aimed to screen…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Exploring meat analogs: A review of alternative proteins with a focus on food safety and regulatory challenges

Tianyang Zhao, Noemí Echegaray, José M. Lorenzo et al. · 2025 · Food Control

Food safety and environmental concerns are global challenges that require innovative solutions, and alternative protein sources like insect proteins, plant-based meat analogs (PBMAs), and single-cell proteins represent promising pathways toward sustainable nutrition. These proteins are produced through different techniques including extrusion, fermentation, and cell cultivation, with emerging technologies like 3D printing and shear cell structuring enhancing their texture and nutritional quality. Beyond their technological advantages, these alternatives provide significant environmental benefi

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Anticoccidial and immunogenic effectivity of encapsulated organic acids and anticoccidial drugs in broilers infected with Eimeria spp.

Ali Nouri · 2022 · Scientific Reports

Abstract The study was conducted to consider the anticoccidial and immunogenic effectivities of encapsulated organic acids and anticoccidial drugs in broilers reared on a reused litter infected with Eimeria spp. for simulating in-field exposure to avian coccidiosis. 525 mixed -sex one-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were used in a 2 × 3 factorial experiment as a completely randomized design with seven experimental groups and five replicates of 15 chicks. The seven experimental groups were included: negative (uninfected; T 1 ) and positive (infected; T 2 ) control groups fed a diet without ad

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Large-scale multi-omics unveils host–microbiome interactions driving root development and nitrogen acquisition

Nannan Li, Guoliang Li, Xiaofang Huang et al. · 2026 · Nature Plants

The rhizosphere microbiome plays a crucial role in determining plant performance and fitness. Nevertheless, regulatory mechanisms linking host genetic variation, root gene regulation and microbiome assembly-and their collective influence on plant nutritional traits-remain poorly understood. Here we generated and integrated 1,341 paired datasets, including root transcriptomes, rhizosphere bacterial 16S rRNA profiles and root ionomes, across 175 resequenced Brassica napus ecotypes grown at two contrasting field sites. We identified 203 highly heritable bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs)

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Unravelling Changes in the Pinus radiata Root and Soil Microbiomes as a Function of Aridity

Sarah L. Addison, Zhenzhen Yan, Thomas F. Carlin et al. · 2025 · Global Change Biology

Increased aridity is emerging as a key impact of climate change in terrestrial ecosystems globally. Forest biomes are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of changing environmental conditions due to their long-lived and sessile nature.…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Harnessing genotype-by-environment interaction to determine adaptability of advanced cowpea lines to multiple environments in Uganda

Abiriga Francis, O. Ongom Patrick, Rubaihayo Patrick et al. · 2020 · Journal of Plant Breeding and Crop Science

This study was conducted to determine the yield stability of advanced cowpea lines in diverse agro-ecological zones of Uganda in order to facilitate documentation requirements for national performance trials (NPT). Thirty cowpea genotypes were evaluated against six checks in three localities, over three growing seasons, making a total of 9 unique environments. The trials were laid in a 6x6 alpha lattice design with three replications and grain yield was the principal trait measured. Single-site and multi-location data were summarized using analysis of variance. Further analysis of stability wa

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Parkinson’s Disease: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential

Hui-Yu Huang, Shu‐Ping Tsao, Tu‐Hsueh Yeh · 2025 · International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, resulting in motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, tremor, rigidity, and postural instability, as well as a wide variety of non-motor manifestations. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)-leucine, isoleucine, and valine-are essential nutrients involved in neurotransmitter synthesis, energy metabolism, and cellular signaling. Emerging evidence suggests that BCAA metabolism is intricately linked to the pathophysiology of PD. Dysregulation of BCAA l

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Mechanism, Efficacy, and Safety of Natural Antibiotics

Andrei Teodor Matei, Anita Ioana Vișan · 2025 · Antibiotics

The growing ineffectiveness of common antibiotics against multidrug-resistant pathogens has made antimicrobial resistance (AMR) a serious global health concern. This review emphasizes that natural antibiotics from animals, bacteria, fungi, and plants are worthy alternatives for combating this crisis. Evolutionary pressure has shaped these molecules, leading to antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can withstand single-target synthetic drugs but are vulnerable to multiple attack pathways (e.g., cell wall disruption, protein synthesis inhibition, biofilm interference) from natural compounds. Natura

View details →