research

The dominance of a small number of big companies over the global food chain is increasing, aided by the rising use of "big data" and artificial intelligence, new research has found. Only two companies control 40% of the global commercial seed market, compared with 10 companies controlling the same proportion of the market 25 years ago, according to the ETC Group, an eco-justice organisation. Agricultural commodity trading is similarly concentrated, with 10 commodity traders in 2020 dominating a market worth half a trillion dollars.

Which? has just published research into the breakdown service sector, awarding marks for value for money, speed and ability to fix a problem.

A great white shark named Breton is fitted with a GPS tracker as part of the OCEARCH research mission. A map showing his travels through the Atlantic Ocean reveals the outline of a shark.

New research suggests that athletes are not only better at self-regulating their physical activity, but also at self-regulating their brain activity. The study, published in the journal Biological Psychology, also uncovered differences in brain structure among athletes and nonathletes. Among many other benefits, regular exercise has been found to improve cognitive control. These enhanced cognitive processes, such as inhibition, attention, and concentration, are believed to help regular exercisers self-regulate their physical activity. For example, studies among high-performing athletes suggest that high levels of executive control offer a competitive advantage. Since athletes appear to be better at self-regulating their physical activity,…