The mutations humans acquired from Neanderthals are slowly being purged from the genome overtime.

Modern humans with non-African ancestry get between one and four percent of their DNA from Neanderthals. This species of hominid lived in Europe, the Middle East and central Asia until roughly 30,000 years ago, but their DNA has endured through the years—passed on to many populations of Homo Sapiens during a period of interbreeding between the species that began roughly 50,000 years ago.

A LIFE-line for 144 innovative projects investing for a better environment and climate action.

The European Commission has approved an investment package of €222.7 million from the EU budget to support Europe's transition to a more sustainable and low-carbon future. The EU funding will spur additional investments leading to a total of €398.6 million to be invested into 144 new projects in 23 Member States.

The EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis confirmed the renewed commitment in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that is one of the biggest health threats facing humanity today.

Today, the European Research Council has published the 2017 Consolidator Grant call. It is expected that this call with a budget of €575 million, worth up to €2 million per grant, will fund approximately 320 researchers. The submission deadline is 9 February 2017.

Commission proposed first research partnership of its kind in the Mediterranean Area to develop much-needed novel solutions for sustainable water management and food production. Today the Commission has presented a proposal for a Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area - PRIMA. The first partnership of its kind in the Mediterranean basin aims to develop much-needed novel solutions for sustainable water management and food production.

New FAO Action Plan aims to help countries equip their agricultural sectors to respond to growing threat .FAO today pledged to help countries develop strategies for tackling the spread of antimicrobial resistance in their food supply chains, as governments prepare to debate the emerging challenge posed by medicine-resistant "superbugs" next week at the UN General Assembly.

European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefcovic, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete and Energy Ministers from 12 EU and Energy Community countries and contracting parties in Central and South-Eastern Europe signed important infrastructure and regional cooperation agreements today in Budapest.

European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefcovic, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete and Energy Ministers from 12 EU and Energy Community countries and contracting parties in Central and South-Eastern Europe signed important infrastructure and regional cooperation agreements today in Budapest.

FAO leader stresses role of healthy oceans as drivers of prosperity at African ministerial conference

1 September 2016, Rome -- With fisheries and aquaculture emerging as transformational forces for African economies, more needs to be done to mitigate the impacts of climate change and illegal fishing on oceans and coastal communities. This was the key message FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva delivered to leaders at the African Ministerial Conference on Ocean Economies and Climate Change in Mauritius today. The conference will identify opportunities to enhance Africa's ability to build climate-resilient ocean economies. "Healthy and productive oceans are critical for combatting rural poverty, ensuring food security, improving nutrition and achieving Zero Hunger," he said.

International Plant Protection Convention grapples with challenges of globalized trade

Oil spills garner much public attention and anguish, but "biological spills" represent a greater long-term threat and do not have the same high public profile.It was an exotic fungus that wiped out billions of American chestnut trees in the early 20th century, dramatically altering the landscape and ecosystem, while today the emerald ash borer - another pest that hitch-hiked along global trade routes to new habitats - threatens to do the same with a valuable tree long used by humans to make tool handles, guitars and office furniture.