No fences needed: GPS collars show ‘virtual fencing’ is next frontier of livestock grazing

Mizzou’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture is helping Missouri farmers effortlessly rotate their livestock for optimal cover-crop grazing

University of Missouri-Columbia

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Credit: University of Missouri

For generations, farmers have spent backbreaking hours tearing down and rebuilding fences just to move livestock to fresh grazing fields. Now, thanks to a groundbreaking project at the University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture, that chore is becoming a thing of the past.

With a $900,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, five Missouri producers are beta testing a high-tech virtual fencing solution that uses GPS-enabled collars and a simple mobile app to guide animals with sound and mild shock cues. No posts, no wires, no sweat. Just smarter grazing, healthier pastures and more time back in a farmer’s day.

Kaitlyn Dozler, manager of Mizzou’s Virtual Fence Program, is leading the three-year project alongside Rob Myers, a professor with the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and director of the Mizzou Center for Regenerative Agriculture. The project is specifically designed for Missouri farmers whose animals graze on cover crops — plants that protect and improve soil during the time of year when cash crops are not being grown.

“Farmers might be out multiple times a day moving their physical fences in extreme weather, so using virtual fencing can make their lives so much easier,” Dozler said. “One producer told me she was able to take a vacation for the first time in five years because she knew she could just go online at any time and see exactly where her goats were.”

Four of the five Missouri livestock producers involved in the project — which began last summer — have collared their cattle, while the fifth has collared his sheep. All five producers have enjoyed the convenience of using the new technology so far and, as part of the grant, are sharing their experiences with other Missouri farmers at events such as the 2026 Missouri Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show.

“Farmers trust other farmers,” Dozler said. “By hearing about the experiences from those who have tried the new technology, it becomes a smoother process for producers wanting to adopt it on their farms.”

Chris Hudson owns a farm in Middletown, Missouri, and collared 50 of his cattle as part of the project. After switching to virtual fencing, he saw much higher utilization of his cover crops, from about 90 grazing days per acre with physical fences to 170 grazing days per acre with virtual fencing. In other words, Hudson got nearly double the value from the same acre of land since the cattle ate all the cover crops in one field before moving on to the next field.

“I also like how the app allows me to see where each individual cow is at all times,” Hudson said. “When I saw on the app that one of my pregnant cows went off by herself, I knew it was time for her to give birth. I was able to call my dad to go check on the new calf without leaving what I was doing at the time, so the convenience is a real benefit.”

Dozler added the best part of using virtual fencing is the peace of mind it provides.

“Say a producer is at their child’s sporting event and they get the dreaded call that cattle are out. Instead of having to leave to go check if it’s their cattle, the producer can just check their phone to ensure the virtual fence is active and see their livestock’s location instantly,” Dozler said. “Giving people the flexibility to spend more time with their family is so rewarding.”

The project symbolizes Mizzou’s mission as a land-grant university.

“The collaboration with Mizzou faculty, MU Extension and the Center for Regenerative Agriculture has helped get innovative technology in the hands of Missouri farmers who can benefit from it,” Dozler said. “While virtual fencing is not meant to be used as a perimeter fence, it can have great benefits as an interior fence for rotational grazing. I want to put Mizzou on the map for this awesome technology and spread the word about what it can do for livestock producers.”

 

Socioeconomic status and postpartum depression risk by state trigger laws after Dobbs

JAMA Network Open

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About The Study:

 In this cohort study, state-level abortion bans following Dobbs were associated with a disproportionate increase in the risk of postpartum depression among women and adolescents in low- socioeconomic status communities. These findings underscore the need for targeted mental health support and policy interventions to mitigate the unequal burden of such legislation on vulnerable populations.

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Onur Baser, MA, MS, PhD, email onur.baser@sph.cuny.edu.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.57337)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication. 

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Journal

JAMA Network Open

 

Global plastics treaty negotiations: Success is still possible

The global plastics treaty can be saved — here’s how to break the deadlock

Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

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Plastic pollution is causing severe problems worldwide. However, negotiations at the United Nations in Geneva last August did not result in the expected global plastics treaty. On 7 February 2026, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution will reconvene in Geneva to elect a new chairperson. In order to secure an agreement, the new chairperson must urgently reform INC procedures, argue Paul Einhäupl, Linda Del Savio (Research Institute for Sustainability), Melanie Bergmann (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research) and Annika Jahnke (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research) in a recent Nature Comment.

Their analysis reveals significant structural issues that are driving disagreement and hindering progress in negotiations for a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The authors express concern that the current negotiation process lacks prioritization of issues, sequential debate and decision-making and clear procedural rules, jeopardizing efforts to address the escalating plastics crisis.

The analysis highlights how the INC's broad mandate – addressing the “full life cycle of plastic” – has led to fragmented debates and delayed progress. Differing interpretations of key issues, such as whether the treaty should cover plastic production, chemicals and products of concern and health aspects, contribute to ongoing debates.

Lead author Paul Einhäupl (RIFS): “Addressing the full life cycle of plastics makes negotiations for a global plastics treaty particularly difficult, highlighting the deep interconnectedness of contemporary environmental and societal issues. However, it also presents a rare opportunity to address them more coherently and effectively at the multilateral level”.

Linda Del Savio (RIFS): “A global response to addressing marine plastic pollution requires that the full life cycle of plastics is considered. Such an approach includes the production, transport, and use of plastics, in addition to sound waste management and recycling.

Melanie Bergmann (AWI): “Separating negotiations on key issues such as capping plastic production and financing waste management makes it easy to pit traditional donor and recipient countries against each other. But the two issues are interlinked: The more plastics produced, the more infrastructure is needed. This has been used to increase division rather than bring the parties' positions closer together towards an agreement.”

Annika Jahnke (UFZ): “Plastics accumulate globally in a poorly reversible way, releasing microplastics and chemicals over time. Most will persist for many years, contributing to the three planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Consistent with the precautionary principle, it is key to regulate plastics holistically, largely cutting human exposure during use and emissions to the environment.”

The authors propose three key changes to revive the negotiations:

• Prioritization and sequencing: Decide on the most important issues and set priorities through heads of delegation meetings to facilitate the decision-making process along goals and milestones rather than a set timeline.
• Procedural clarity: Implement clear procedural rules to avoid diversion, including guidelines for drafting, documenting agreements from informal sessions, and resolving disagreement.
• Majority fallback voting: Strengthen options to achieve consensus by introducing a mechanism for majority rule voting in specific circumstances, such as when broad support for a policy emerges but a minority blocks progress.

The authors warn that failure to address the flaws of the current procedures could undermine international cooperation on plastic pollution and multilateralism in general and weaken efforts to tackle interconnected planetary crises, including climate change and biodiversity loss.

 

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Journal

Nature

DOI

10.1038/d41586-026-00314-4 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

The global plastics treaty can be saved — here’s how to break the deadlock

Article Publication Date

2-Feb-2026

 

UCLA researchers develop mineral sunscreen that reduces white cast

A novel shape of zinc oxide helps reduce chalkiness in mineral sunscreen and makes it easier to wear, especially for people with darker skin tones

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences

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Key takeaways

• Mineral sunscreen formulas with zinc oxide often leave a white, chalky cast. 
• The new study, led by UCLA researchers, found that a simple change in the shape of zinc oxide particles could address this drawback. 
• Instead of producing a stark white or gray cast, they appeared warmer and closer to natural skin tones in laboratory tests and controlled skin applications.

UCLA researchers have developed a mineral sunscreen formulation that significantly reduces the white, chalky cast that keeps many people from wearing sun protection daily.  

For decades, dermatologists have urged people to apply sunscreen daily to protect against ultraviolet radiation. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation is the leading preventable cause of skin cancer, the most common cancer in the United States.  

Yet many Americans still skip it in part because mineral formulas with zinc oxide often leave behind a white, chalky cast. 

A new study led by researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests that these concerns may be fixable without inventing a new chemical ingredient. Instead, a simple change in the shape of zinc oxide particles could help solve one of sunscreen’s biggest cosmetic drawbacks. 

The researchers report that a newly engineered form of zinc oxide, shaped like microscopic four-armed structures called tetrapods, provides strong protection against harmful ultraviolet radiation while leaving less of the telltale white cast than conventional zinc oxide formulations that have long discouraged regular use.  

The findings, published in the journal ACS Materials Letters, could have implications for skin cancer prevention, particularly by encouraging more consistent sunscreen use across a wider range of skin tones.

“This isn’t just about cosmetics,” said senior author of the study Paul S. Weiss, who holds a UC Presidential Chair and is a distinguished professor of chemistry & biochemistry, bioengineering, and materials science & engineering at UCLA and an investigator in the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “If improving how sunscreen looks leads to more consistent use, it could have real implications for skin cancer prevention.”

Those implications may be especially important for people with darker skin tones, who are often less likely to use sunscreen regularly and more likely to be diagnosed with skin cancer at later stages. While melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, occurs less frequently in people with darker skin tones, research shows they are significantly more likely to die from the disease, in part because it is often detected later, when it is more difficult to treat.

For AJ Addae, a UCLA chemical biology doctoral candidate, cosmetic science entrepreneur and first author of the study, this is extremely personal. 

“I started thinking about this because I was frustrated by how mineral sunscreen looks on my own skin,” said Addae. “A lot of my motivation came from my own experience trying to use mineral sunscreen and dealing with the white cast and other unsightly aesthetic issues. This led me to simply avoid sunscreen altogether. That frustration really became the starting point for this work.”

Zinc oxide is one of the most widely used active ingredients in mineral sunscreens because it blocks both UVA rays, which are linked to skin aging, and UVB rays, which cause sunburns and raise skin cancer risk. It is classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as safe and effective. Mineral sunscreens are often recommended for people with sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, rosacea or those who prefer non-chemical options. 

Conventional zinc oxide particles tend to clump together, destabilizing sunscreen formulations and scattering visible light, creating a white or gray residue on the skin that is particularly noticeable on darker skin tones.

To overcome this issue, the researchers decided to look at altering its physical structure to see whether the particle shape made a difference. 

Most zinc oxide used in sunscreens is produced through chemical processes that create very small, roughly round nanoparticles. In the new study, the team tested zinc oxide made using a patented high-temperature flame process that produces much larger particles shaped like tiny tetrapods. 

“Because of their structure, these tetrapod-shaped particles have standoffs and form porous networks instead of collapsing into clumps,” said Addae. “They can’t pack tightly and aggregate, so they stay evenly distributed in the sunscreen.”

These particles were then compared with conventional zinc oxide nanoparticles commonly used in sunscreens. The team found that sunscreens formulated with the tetrapod-shaped zinc oxide offered several practical benefits.

When formulated into test sunscreens at the same concentration as conventional zinc oxide, the tetrapod-based sunscreen achieved a sun protection factor (SPF) of about 30, which is comparable to standard mineral sunscreens. The lotions also remained more stable over time, with fewer signs of separation or thickening.

Most noticeably, the tetrapod sunscreens reflected visible light differently. Instead of producing a stark white or gray cast, they appeared warmer and closer to natural skin tones in laboratory tests and controlled skin applications, without relying on special coatings or added pigments to mask the white cast. 

“When I spread it on my own skin, I didn’t get that white cast I usually see with zinc oxide,” said Addae. “That was the moment I realized this could really work.”

“What surprised us was how quickly it worked,” added Weiss, who is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and the UCLA Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center. “The very first formulations already showed a visible difference.” 

While further testing is still needed before the technology reaches the market, the researchers say this work highlights a promising direction, one that blends materials science with cancer prevention.

“The best sunscreen is the one people will actually use,” said Addae. “If zinc oxide can be made to look better on more skin tones without sacrificing protection, it could help more people protect themselves from the sun’s most dangerous effects.”

The team is now working with the UCLA Health department of dermatology, particularly with UCLA Health’s Skin of Color Clinic, to study how these particles interact with the skin microbiome and move this closer to real-world use.

Other authors of the study are Jennifer Uyanga and Addae’s thesis co-advisor professor Justin Carman of UCLA chemistry, and professor Yogendra Kumar Mishra of the University of Southern Denmark.

The study was funded in part by the National Science Foundation, the Challenge Initiative at UCLA and a Sigma Xi IFoRE Grant-in-Aid.

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Journal

ACS Materials Letters

DOI

10.1021/acsmaterialslett.5c01351