TRUMP PROVES TARIFFS ARE A TAX

US strikes tariff relief deals with four Trump-allied Latin American nations

"Today's momentous trade deals reinforce America's aligned trade relationships with these allies while fostering more reciprocal conditions that prioritize American workers and industries, protecting US national security, and strengthening supply chains in the Western Hemisphere," the WH said. / WH

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By bnl editorial staff November 14, 2025

Washington will axe duties on selected imports from Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador as part of framework trade agreements announced on November 13, in a move the Trump administration said would help reduce consumer prices.

The accords will grant tariff-free access for products not made domestically, such as Ecuadorean bananas and coffee, while maintaining baseline levies of 10% on goods from El Salvador, Guatemala and Argentina, and 15% on Ecuadorean imports, according to a senior US official.

In exchange, the four countries, all ruled by Trump-friendly leaders, have pledged to dismantle non-tariff barriers affecting American exporters and refrain from imposing digital services taxes on US technology companies, the official said.

The White House said the deals would help "US farmers, ranchers, fishermen, small businesses, and manufacturers to increase US exports to and expand business opportunities" with the Latin American partners.

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced the initiative on November 13, telling reporters the administration was preparing announcements on agricultural commodities to address cost-of-living pressures facing American households.

The agreements come as President Donald Trump seeks to demonstrate progress on inflation following Republican electoral setbacks last week in New Jersey, New York and Virginia, where voters cited rising prices as a key concern. Democrats have attributed much of the inflation to Trump's extensive tariff regime, which economists say has driven up costs across numerous product categories.

Under the Ecuador agreement, Washington will provide most favoured nation tariff treatment for certain goods "that cannot be grown, mined, or naturally produced in the United States in sufficient quantities", according to the White House. Ecuador has also committed to combat illegal logging and implement fisheries subsidies obligations.

Argentina has agreed to provide preferential market access for US medicines, chemicals, machinery, information technology products, medical devices, motor vehicles and agricultural products. Buenos Aires also pledged to address intellectual property concerns, including patent backlog issues.

El Salvador will streamline regulatory approvals for US exports, accepting vehicles built to American safety standards and FDA certificates for medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The country will also remove barriers for US agricultural products.

Guatemala has committed to facilitating digital trade and protecting labour rights, including prohibiting imports of goods produced by forced labour, according to the White House.

Washington is pursuing similar arrangements with other countries in Central and South America, with potential deals possible before year-end, the official said.

The framework agreements mirror deals struck with Asian trading partners in October, combining selective tariff relief with commitments to open foreign markets to US goods and services.

Argentine foreign minister Pablo Quirno said the arrangement would encourage American investment, crediting President Javier Milei's support for the deal. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele and Guatemala's Bernardo Arévalo also welcomed the announcements, with Arévalo calling it positive news for his country's investment climate.

Ecuador's government, led by President Daniel Noboa, said the agreement would greatly benefit its export sector. The country is a leading supplier of bananas, shrimp and oil.

The framework deals require finalisation over the coming weeks, the US administration said.

 

Is shaping brain activity a mechanical process? An international research team provides new insights

Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light

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Immunostaining of cultured neurons (red: cell nucleus; white: tubulin; blue: actin)

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Credit: ©Eva Kreysing

When thinking, the human brain performs a true masterpiece of information processing: around 100 billion neurons communicate with each other via approximately 100 trillion connections. An international team of researchers, including scientists from the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin (MPZPM), has discovered that the mechanical properties of the developing brain influence both synapse formation and the emergence of electrical signals. The findings could open up new approaches to understanding neurodevelopmental disorders.

In the brain, highly specific connections called synapses link nerve cells and transmit electrical signals in a targeted manner. Despite decades of research, how synapses form during brain development is still not fully understood. Now, an international research team from MPZPM, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Warwick has discovered that the mechanical properties of the brain play a significant role in this developmental process. In a study recently published in Nature Communications, the scientists showed how the ability of neurons to detect stiffness is related to molecular mechanisms that regulate neuronal development.

Synapse formation is regulated by local brain stiffness

The developing brain is generally very soft, like cream cheese, but its stiffness varies across regions. In African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) embryos, the researchers found that softer regions exhibit higher synapse densities, while stiffer regions show lower densities. To test whether stiffness directly affects synapse formation, the team led by Prof. Kristian Franze, head of the Neural Mechanics Division at MPZPM and professor at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and the University of Cambridge, artificially stiffened the brain and observed that synapse development was delayed across all regions. The scientists thus proved that mechanical properties actively influence how quickly and where synapses are formed in the brain. “This fundamentally changes our understanding of how the brain matures.” said Franze. “Until now, neuroscience has primarily focused on how chemical signals shape brain development. Considering mechanical cues provides a new perspective on brain development and may lead to new insights into neurodevelopmental disorders,” adds Dr. Eva Kreysing, lead author of the study and assistant professor at the University of Warwick.

Mechanosensitive protein delays synapse formation in stiff environments

To understand how neurons adapt to their environment at the molecular level, the team studied genetically altered neurons. This allowed them to eliminate specific proteins from the neurons and examine processes such as synapse formation and electrical signalling under controlled conditions. The scientists found that both synapse formation and electrical activity depend on the stiffness of the environment. Neurons sense this stiffness through the mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1. The researchers then measured the expression of thousands of genes and discovered that Piezo1 delays neuronal development in stiffer environments by reducing the expression of transthyretin, a protein recently shown to regulate synapse formation. By uncovering this pathway, the team revealed how stiffness sensing is linked to molecular mechanisms that guide neuronal development. 

“These findings highlight the importance of mechanical signals in brain development and point to their potential role in neurodevelopmental disorders,” concluded the third lead author, Thora Karadottir from the University of Cambridge, who also contributed significantly to the success of the project.

The identified signaling cascade that controls the stiffness-dependent development of nerve cells offers researchers new opportunities to investigate developmental disorders of the nervous system that could lead to conditions such as schizophrenia or autism.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-64810-3 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Environmental stiffness regulates neuronal maturation via Piezo1-mediated transthyretin activity

Article Publication Date

7-Nov-2025

 

Breakthrough catalyst turns methane into bioactive compounds for the first time

Researchers have developed an iron-based catalyst that tames the reactivity of methane, paving the way for natural gas to become a sustainable raw material for high-value chemicals, including pharmaceuticals

Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS)

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This work is part of a broader research line funded by the European Research Council (ERC), focused on upgrading the main components of natural gas. | Image: Eugenio Vázquez Sentís

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Credit: Image: Eugenio Vázquez Sentís

Natural gas—one of the planet’s most abundant energy sources—is primarily composed of methane, ethane, and propane. While it is widely burned for energy, producing greenhouse gas emissions, scientists and industries have long sought ways to directly convert these hydrocarbons into valuable chemicals. However, their extreme stability and low reactivity have posed a formidable challenge, limiting their use as sustainable feedstocks for the chemical industry.

Now, a team led by Martín Fañanás at the Centre for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) at the University of Santiago de Compostela has developed a groundbreaking method to transform methane and other natural gas components into versatile “building blocks” for synthesizing high-demand products, such as pharmaceuticals. Published in Science Advances, this advance represents a critical leap toward a more sustainable and circular chemical economy.

For the first time, the CiQUS team successfully synthesized a bioactive compound—dimestrol, a non-steroidal estrogen used in hormone therapy—directly from methane. This achievement demonstrates the potential of their methodology to create complex, high-value molecules from a simple, abundant, and low-cost raw material.

Taming Free Radicals to Unlock New Chemical Pathways

The team’s strategy centers on a reaction called allylation, which involves attaching a small chemical “handle” (an allyl group) to the gas molecule. This handle serves as a versatile anchor, enabling subsequent steps to build a wide range of final products—from pharmaceutical active ingredients to everyday chemicals. The main hurdle had been the catalytic system’s tendency to produce unwanted chlorination byproducts, derailing the process.

To overcome this obstacle, the team engineered a tailor-made supramolecular catalyst. “The core of this breakthrough lies in designing a catalyst based on a tetrachloroferrate anion stabilized by collidinium cations, which effectively modulates the reactivity of the radical species generated in the reaction medium,” explains Prof. Fañanás. “The formation of an intricate network of hydrogen bonds around the iron atom sustains the photocatalytic reactivity required to activate the alkane, while simultaneously suppressing the catalyst’s tendency to undergo competing chlorination reactions. This creates an optimal environment for the selective allylation reaction to proceed.”

Beyond its effectiveness, the method stands out for its sustainability. It uses iron—a cheap, abundant, and far less toxic metal than the precious metals typically used in catalysis—and operates under mild temperature and pressure conditions, powered by LED light. This significantly reduces both environmental impact and energy costs.

This work is part of a broader research line funded by the European Research Council (ERC), focused on upgrading the main components of natural gas. In a complementary advance published in Cell Reports Physical Science, the same team presented a method to directly couple these gases with acid chlorides, yielding industrially relevant ketones in a single step. Both studies, based on photocatalytic strategies, position CiQUS as a leader in developing innovative chemical solutions to harness abundant raw materials.

Transforming Natural Gas into Versatile Chemical Intermediates

The ability to convert natural gas into versatile chemical intermediates opens up new possibilities for industry, laying the foundation to gradually replace petrochemical sources with more sustainable alternatives. This cutting-edge research is made possible by the excellence environment at CiQUS, which holds the CIGUS accreditation from the Galician government, recognizing the quality and impact of its research. The center receives crucial financial support from the European Union through the Galicia FEDER 2021-2027 Program, enabling scientific advances with potential for transfer and socioeconomic impact.
 

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Journal

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.aea0783 

Article Title

Attenuated LMCT photocatalysis enables C—H allylation of methane and other gaseous alkanes.

Article Publication Date

7-Nov-2025

 

Researchers identify mangrove tree stems as previously underestimated methane source offsetting blue carbon benefits

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters

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Comparison of global methane emissions from mangrove tree stems and soils.

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Credit: Image by WANG Faming et al.

Mangrove ecosystems rank among the most efficient "blue carbon" systems on Earth, capable of absorbing and storing vast quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). However, mangroves also release methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, potentially offsetting a portion of their climate mitigation benefits. While prior research has focused primarily on methane emissions from mangrove soils and water surfaces, the role of tree stems as an emission pathway and its significance for global blue carbon accounting have remained largely unexamined.

In a new study, researchers from the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a global-scale assessment of methane emissions from mangrove tree stems. They also developed a comprehensive database of these emissions to date. The team's findings were published in Nature Geoscience on November 14.

The researchers integrated long-term in situ monitoring from multiple mangrove sites across China, global literature datasets, and machine learning models. This approach allowed them to systematically evaluate the drivers of stem methane emissions and quantify how these emissions offset mangroves' carbon sequestration capabilities.

The results revealed that mangrove tree stems represent a significant yet previously underestimated source of methane. Additionally, stem emissions showed a strong correlation with soil methane fluxes, indicating that methane produced by anaerobic microbial activity in mangrove soils is transported upward through specialized aerenchyma tissues within the trees.

Field observations and isotopic analysis further supported these findings, uncovering a clear gradient in methane flux along stem height: Emissions were highest near the stem base and decreased steadily as height increased.

At the global level, the study estimates that mangrove tree stems release approximately 730.6 gigagrams (Gg) of methane annually. This offsets roughly 16.9% of the carbon buried in mangrove sediments each year. When soil methane emissions are included, total methane losses could offset up to 27.5% of the blue carbon sequestered by mangroves.

These findings suggest that assessing blue carbon benefits solely based on sediment carbon burial may substantially overestimate the climate mitigation potential of mangrove ecosystems.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Key R&D Program of China, among other sources.

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Journal

Nature Geoscience

DOI

10.1038/s41561-025-01848-4