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Paysage habité de l’Himalaya népalais.

Atypical leishmaniasis cases in Nepal defy science and medicine

IRD scientists and their Nepalese and Indian partners are working to address a new and atypical form of leishmaniasis that is raising concerns. The cases raise questions about the ecology of the Leishmania parasite responsible for this pathology, its vector, the immunity of newly affected...

Small-scale family farming, an age-old model and sustainable solution for the Global South

Family farming, an age-old way of working the land, also embodies a tangible future for sustainable farming in the Global South. It a crucial and promising sector, in light of the number of farmers involved, production volumes, surface areas cultivated, well-established growing practices and...
Paysage rural sahélien avec arbres et cultures à leurs pieds.

The Great Green Wall, for the benefit of environments and rural societies in the Sahelo-Saharan zone

The Great Green Wall is an unprecedented project designed to mitigate the effects of climate change and combat land degradation and poverty in the Sahelo-Saharan zone. The project represents much more than a simple reforestation initiative on the edge of the desert. It mobilizes scientists...

Can we defeat malaria?

After seventy years of commitment and some very significant results since the early 21st century, the combat against malaria has reached a crossroads. Progress has slowed down in recent years, but new research tools, strategies and avenues have come to light. In addition, global health stakeholders...

Water management, a sustainable development issue

As the source of all life, water is essential to our health, well-being and dignity as well as to the functioning of our ecosystems and societies. Access to water is therefore synonymous with development. However, around the world, water is being overexploited, wasted, and contaminated at...
Elephant and her baby entering a river to bathe, accompanied by their mahout.

The valuable knowledge of elephant pharmacists

Scientists are carefully studying the incredible knowledge of the domesticated elephants of Laos. These pachyderms are genuine experts on their environment and inspire the therapeutic practices of their mahouts and local populations.

Genetic variation in chickpeas revealed

An international team of researchers has studied the genome of 3,366 chickpea varieties from different parts of the world. Their work provided a clearer picture of the chickpea’s evolutionary history and the effects of domestication on the genome, while also highlighting interesting genetic...

Biodiversity: between fragility and sustainability

All the indicators agree: erosion of biodiversity has now reached a level not seen in hundreds of thousands of years. Human activity is to blame, and its impact is not just being felt by such emblematic species and ecosystems as the polar bear or Great Barrier Reef. The major health, social and...

Safou fruit reveals dynamic urban genetic diversity

Disturbances linked to human activity - overexploitation, deforestation, climate change etc. - are all threats to the genetic diversity of plants. However, city dwellers with cultivated gardens can play a key role in protecting species. A multidisciplinary study combining genetics and ethnoecology...
Native American women and children, dressed in traditional clothing, at a market.

Tracking the first indigenous cancer in Peru

IRD scientists and their partners are fighting on all fronts–decoding the molecular signature, exposing the pathological mechanisms, even identifying possible treatment–to stave off a rare form of liver cancer in Peru.

Uganda may hold the key to the future of robusta coffee!

Hit by climate change, coffee production is seriously under threat. To combat this risk, international teams, including the IRD team led by Valérie Poncet, went in search of wild coffee plants such as robusta in the forests of Uganda. They thus identified previously unknown and drought-resistant...
Eroded sandy coast, seen in the distance from a boat at sea.

Toward the end of the beaches on the southern Mediterranean coast?

The rapid erosion of the sandy North African coast, which is disappearing almost in front of our eyes, is very alarming. Scientists are working to measure the effects, evaluate the impacts and understand the causes in order to propose possible solutions.

The keys to preventing future pandemics

Coronavirus

Covid-19: the need for a One Health strategy

If the pandemic continues, the risk that other animal species may be infected by Sars-Cov-2 will increase, thereby multiplying the possibilities of virus mutation and the likelihood of animals ultimately helping to spread the virus. It is therefore necessary to adopt an approach incorporating the...

Covid-19: The Social Sciences Join the Battle

When epidemics first emerge, all eyes tend to turn to the epidemiologists, virologists and clinical trials. The humanities and social sciences also have an important role to play, both in studying the phenomenon and providing a response to it. Two of the IRD’s health anthropologists talk about their...

Bats, a never-ending source of viruses posing a threat to human health?

For weeks now, all eyes have been on an invisible enemy which is stalking the populace and threatening the health of millions, killing far too many, profoundly altering our way of life, bringing the global economy to its knees and paralysing our politics.

How Environmental Changes are Causing New Diseases to Emerge?

In the ocean, near a sandy bottom, a good-sized coelacanth faces a diver.

The new coelacanth has arrived?

Indonesian and French scientists have identified what they believe to be a new species of coelacanth, shedding light on the biogeographical mechanisms at the origin of the divergence between the populations known to date. The history of the evolution of this group of fish, little changed in...
Petites maisons colorées sur un bout de terre entourée de mer

Islands and island environments faced with global changes

Openness to the outside world, incorporation within the global economy but also the growth in natural risks and rising sea levels.... With their unique characteristics, often under threat, island environments and communities are today faced with unprecedented destabilising factors.