What we learned in 2025
High-impact research from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
December 17, 2025
In 2025, CFANS scientists—including several ranked among the most cited researchers in the world—have published hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific articles, transforming curiosity into knowledge, addressing the challenges our world faces head on. Explore a selection of these breakthroughs that demonstrate the breadth of CFANS scientific inquiry and the depth of our impact.
| Impact | Article Title | Journal and Authors |
|---|---|---|
Observing Earth (on different timescales) | ||
| Mapping a decade of global atmospheric changes from orbit | “Global decadal measurements of methanol, ethene, ethyne, and HCN from the Cross-track Infrared Sounder” | Read the article in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques; Kelly Wells, Dylan Millet, and Jared Brewer are lead authors. |
| Four decades of changes in nitrogen | “Globally mapping the nitrogen stable isotope ratios of terrestrial vegetation from 1984 to 2022” | Read the article in Earth’s Future; Peter Reich is an author. |
| A frozen archive of Earth’s ancient atmosphere | “Miocene and Pliocene ice and air from the Allan Hills blue ice area, East Antarctica” | Read the article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science; Peter Neff is an author. |
Sustainable solutions to pressing challenges | ||
| Microwave-powered recycling | “Synergistic effects of biomass-plastic co-pyrolysis: Enhanced performance with microwave assistance and biomass type variability” | Read the article in Energy; Roger Ruan is an author. |
| The simple power of diverse grasslands | “Multispecies grasslands produce more yield from lower nitrogen inputs across a climatic gradient” | Read the article in Science; Jake Jungers is an author. |
| Discovering disease resistance genes | “Discovery of functional NLRs using expression level, high-throughput transformation and large-scale phenotyping” | Read the article in Nature Plants; several researchers in Plant Pathology are authors. |
| The cost of climate-related disasters | “Quantifying disturbance effects on ecosystem services in a changing climate” | Read the article in Nature Ecology & Evolution; Stephen Polasky and Peter Reich are senior authors. |
Discovering secrets of wildlife | ||
| Bird evolution takes an unexpected turn | “Tempo and mode of evolution across multiple traits in an adaptive radiation of birds (Vangidae)” | Read the article in Evolution; Sushma Reddy is the senior author. |
| Understanding an endangered primate | “De novo whole-genome assembly of the critically endangered southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides)” | Read the article in G3 Genes | Genomes | Genetics; Chris Faulk is the lead author. |
| Why Yellowstone’s predators choose smaller prey | “Prey size mediates interference competition and predation dynamics in a large carnivore community” | Read the article in Communications Biology; Joseph Bump is an author. |
Safe, healthy food systems | ||
| Healthy diet, healthy planet | “Conservation outcomes of dietary transitions across different values of nature” | Read the article in Nature Sustainability; Justin Johnson is an author. |
| Testing an affordable food safety device | “Use of low-cost devices for water activity determination by cottage food producers” | Read the article in the Journal of Food Science; Job Ubbink is the senior author. |
| Training the next generation of poultry scientists | “Sustainable poultry education for undergraduate students” | Read the article in Poultry Science; Anup Kollanoor Johny is an author. |
