https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from University of Córdoba Collaboration between the UCO's Agronomy and Genetics departments was key to sequencing the genome of this pathogen, which is responsible for losses of up to €50 million per year. Cercospora leaf spot is an olive tree disease that causes defoliation and lower yields. It is caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora cladosporioides, which affects only the olive and wild olive trees. Chlorotic spots appear on the upper surfaces of the leaves, and on their undersides, in a tell-take leaden color caused by the fungus's fruiting bodies. The introduction of vulnerable varieties in Spain, such as "Frantoio", and the reduced use of copper as a preventive treatment, are making this disease increasingly prevalent. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-decoding-genome-fungus-responsible-cercospora.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:20:01 EDT news693674333 A team from the University of Córdoba is using artificial intelligence to forecast the annual solar energy available in Andalusia through 2100 based on temperature data. Peak solar hour (PSH) is a key concept in the field of photovoltaic energy. This standardized measurement allows us to determine the annual energy available and to plan more efficiently by ascertaining how much energy a solar panel can receive at a given location and time. Each peak solar hour is equivalent to 1,000 watts per square meter over the course of one hour. Having a medium- and long-term forecast of this variable can facilitate planning for clean energy generation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-solar-energy-andalusia-century-machine.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:30:01 EDT news693138422 The construction industry is one of the most polluting due to its high contribution to CO2 emissions. In addition to its significant environmental cost, its materials are made from nonrenewable resources such as sand and gravel, making the search for sustainable alternatives an urgent challenge in a context where growing production demand must be balanced with environmentally responsible practices. The sector is therefore investigating the development of low-carbon-footprint materials within a circular economy and decarbonization strategy, replacing traditional materials with the waste and surplus of other industries that, in turn, struggle to dispose of their by-products. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-recycled-paving-block-mollusk-shells.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:00:07 EST news691772102 A scientific review carried out by a team in the English and German Philology Department at the UCO explores the pedagogical dimension of bilingual university programs in Europe. The implementation of bilingual education is part of an educational trend committed to internationalization that took off in the 2000s and extended to the university level. At the global level, the promotion of languages as tools for international academic communication has become essential, with English, in particular, becoming a lingua franca in both the global scientific community and in higher education. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-bilingual-courses-europe-proper-language.html Wed, 18 Feb 2026 22:50:02 EST news690641529 A study analyzes the relationship between pollen and meteorological data spanning 23 years, verifying how the wind impacts each phase of the pollen season differently, thereby helping to manage and prevent allergy seasons. A multidisciplinary study conducted by the Aerobiology and Physical Systems Modeling and Simulation research groups at the University of Cordoba has verified how the pollen season of grasses, a family of plants made up of thousands of species, and whose pollen is the most frequent cause of respiratory allergies, has been getting longer—specifically, almost four more days each year, as flowering begins earlier and ends later. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-cordoba-grass-pollen-season-grown.html Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:32:43 EST news690211921 The extraction of olive pomace oil is cited as the most sustainable alternative for the recovery of the olive oil industry's byproducts, according to a methodology developed by the UCO that considers economic, environmental and social indicators. The olive oil industry is a good example of how to tackle the challenges of sustainability in the agri-food sector. Each olive campaign generates tons of alperujo, the main byproduct of the extraction of olive oil, a derivative that must be managed. For decades, mills have been on the circular economy path, establishing different ways of exploiting olive pomace that go beyond just avoiding pollution. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-applications-olive-pomace-reveals-sustainable.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 22:40:03 EST news689350051 Reforested areas in the Baza (Granada) and Los Filabres (Almería) mountain ranges have experienced severe die-offs in recent years, with extensive woodland loss. Needle or leaf loss (defoliation) is one of the best indicators of tree health, particularly in pine forests under stress. When trees lose their needles, or leaves, their photosynthetic capacity deteriorates significantly, reducing growth and often leading to mortality. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-mediterranean-needle-loss-efficient-forest.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 22:10:01 EST news689350037 Rising global temperatures are driving the need for more efficient cooling systems, one of today's key sustainability challenges. According to a Eurostat report, the need for air conditioning in buildings has nearly quadrupled since 1979, with Spain ranking as the fourth European country with the greatest increase. This translates into a significant rise in the demand for energy, not only directly impacting household bills, but extending far beyond the residential sector. Cooling needs at industrial facilities and data centers lead to increases in energy demands, with the environmental damage that this entails. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-evaporative-cooling-pave-sustainable-air.html Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:49:29 EST news688391341 The Laboratory for Coexistence and Violence Prevention Studies (LAECOVI) at the UCO examines the relationship between moral courage and different forms of defense against bullying in a study involving over 3,700 students ages 10 to 16. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-moral-courage-deliberate-decisions-defend.html Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:26:36 EST news688209962 A study reveals the underground interactions between fungi and oomycetes in twenty Andalusian dehesas, wooded pasturelands typical of the Iberian Peninsula, making it possible to identify the role of water as the main driver of microorganism diversity and to shed new light on the pathogen responsible for la seca, a disease greatly affecting the holm oak https://phys.org/news/2025-12-reveals-microbial-biodiversity-dehesa-soil.html Tue, 16 Dec 2025 18:40:01 EST news685108427 A study identifies the chemical compounds present in acorns, which could help determine which are best for consumption, thus boosting the consumption of an underutilized and undervalued food. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-nutritional-properties-acorns.html Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:34:12 EST news684693241 A monitoring system devised by the University of Cordoba ascertains the flowering stages of each hive, with high precision, exploiting data on bees' behavior. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ai-bee-hives-remotely-periods.html Tue, 02 Dec 2025 11:32:44 EST news683897521 The research group FQM-215—Affordable and Sustainable Sample Preparation at the University of Córdoba has developed a method that is not only faster and easier to perform but also more environmentally sustainable. It can detect illicit drugs on surfaces and determine their exact quantity in just five minutes, using everyday items such as cotton fabric swabs for sampling. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-eco-friendly-method-illicit-drugs.html Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:54:19 EST news683391241 In 2018, 25-year-old Canadian Alex Minassian carried out a deadly rampage that left 10 people dead and injured 16 others. Shortly before carrying out the attack, he posted a message on social media that drew widespread attention: "The Incel rebellion has begun." https://phys.org/news/2025-11-incels-scrutiny-exposes-community-men.html Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:50:41 EST news683221830 Using a network of synchronized sensors, a new system provides energy and meteorological data every tenth of a second to more accurately predict the performance of solar plants. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-big-brother-solar.html Fri, 14 Nov 2025 12:27:03 EST news682345622 Anthracnose is considered one of the most significant diseases affecting olive trees. Popularly known as "soapy olive" due to the appearance of fruit affected by it, this disease, caused by various fungal species of the genus Colletotrichum, significantly reduces yields and undermines oil quality, particularly during epidemic years. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-carob-leaf-pomegranate-incidence-soapy.html Thu, 06 Nov 2025 15:18:03 EST news681664681 A video is circulating on social media in which a leopard enters the backyard of a house where a child is playing, and a cat confronts the leopard and scares it away, protecting the child. The video has garnered over a million "likes" and has been shared more than 15,000 times. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-generated-wildlife-videos-generate.html Tue, 04 Nov 2025 04:40:01 EST news681452689 Last year, wind energy accounted for 23.2% of all energy injected into the Spanish electricity system, according to data published by Red Eléctrica in its latest 2024 report. Although wind power leads national energy production, its dependence on weather conditions and its inherently intermittent nature present challenges. Therefore, fine-tuning wind speed prediction data for these infrastructures is a key task to optimize the management and performance of wind turbines. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-ai-methods-farms.html Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:50:07 EDT news679750818 A review reveals that the interplay between technology, identity, and languages involves and encourages multiple identities, language mixing, and support for minority languages. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-internet-favors-flexible-identities-language.html Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:58:03 EDT news679060681 The UCO studied, for the first time, how alperujo storage times affect the subsequent composting process, taking into account both the quality of the product and the emission of greenhouse gases and microbiological activity. The work is published in the Journal of Environmental Management. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-olive-oil-storage-impact-compost.html Thu, 02 Oct 2025 16:51:04 EDT news678642662 A study by UCO's Department of Agricultural Economics, Finance and Accounting identifies stability and flexibility as the two components of farms' economic resilience and underscores the need for more targeted agricultural policies to ensure their effectiveness. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-farms-years-agricultural-survival-flexible.html Tue, 22 Jul 2025 11:22:58 EDT news672402173 A collaborative effort between the universities of Cordoba and Granada improved the spatial resolution of monthly climate data from 22,000 years ago to the year 2100, enabling more localized and detailed studies. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-thousands-years-climate-refined-future.html Tue, 15 Jul 2025 10:50:03 EDT news671793137 An umbrella held aloft guides a large group of tourists through the main squares of the historic center on a route lasting several hours that culminates in voluntary payment by the participants, depending on their levels of satisfaction. This pattern is frequently repeated in major European capitals. They have been dubbed "free tours," characterized by their lack of any set prices, and often serve as tourists' first way of getting to know the cities they visit. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-upper-middle-class-women-college.html Wed, 09 Jul 2025 04:28:44 EDT news671254115 Water is a resource essential for life, as valuable as it is limited. For this reason, and especially in contexts of water scarcity, preventing it from being wasted is a key objective for those who are responsible for transporting it from catchment sources—reservoirs, swamps, springs, etc.—to taps at homes. It is a journey that water makes through piping systems that are often obsolete or that do not meet the necessary performance and efficiency requirements. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-pressure-leaks-pipes.html Mon, 07 Jul 2025 16:43:05 EDT news671125381 Mayonnaise, milk, butter, and various sauces are among the products most associated with the term emulsion. While this technique is widely used in the food industry, it also has a vital role beyond the kitchen. Emulsifying involves homogeneously mixing two liquids that do not blend well naturally, such as oil and water. Although this process may appear simple at first glance, it is essential for the manufacture of numerous products such as paints, cosmetics, and certain pharmaceuticals. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-avocado-pruning-residue-biological-additive.html Thu, 26 Jun 2025 13:00:06 EDT news670161027 In Europe, mountain areas account for about 36% of the total territory and are home to 16% of the population, but they are crucial for the continent as a whole. The availability of basic commodities, like water, depends on them; they play a key role in carbon sequestration, and are areas of biodiversity. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-climate-depopulation-main-affecting-mountain.html Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:54:04 EDT news669484441 From satellite images taken over a period of 26 years, a team at the UCO shows how a system of irrigation channels dating back to the Roman Empire increases the water content of the soil adjacent to them. The findings are published in the journal Ecological Indicators. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-roman-era-irrigation-channels-spain.html Wed, 11 Jun 2025 16:32:03 EDT news668878321 A study by the universities of Cordoba and Seville develops a method that makes it possible to verify, easily and quickly, whether an olive plantation is traditional, intensive, or super-intensive. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-algorithm-satellite-images-distinguish-olive.html Thu, 05 Jun 2025 13:09:34 EDT news668347766 A new prediction method was tested with satellite remote sensing and species distribution data over 20 years in Andalusia, making possible the development of more dynamic and integrative conservation area prioritization indicators. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-tool-precisely-areas-prioritize-environmental.html Wed, 04 Jun 2025 16:29:04 EDT news668273342 Perovskite solar cells are shaping up to be one of the most promising elements in the future of solar energy. Lighter, more flexible and potentially cheaper than current silicon-based cells, these photoelectric cells are still saddled by a major challenge: their low stability over time. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-05-geometric-adjustment-boost-efficiency-durability.html Thu, 22 May 2025 14:58:03 EDT news667144681