A study led by the University of Oxford has developed an engineered food supplement that could help reverse the alarming decline in honeybee populations.

London

Scientists at Oxford University have developed a new superfood supplement for honeybees using the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. This supplement is designed to mimic the nutritional profile of pollen, providing essential sterols and other nutrients that are often missing from commercial pollen substitutes. 

Initial three-month trials showed that bee colonies fed with the new supplement reared up to 15 times more larvae to the pupal stage and sustained brood production longer than those on standard diets. Large-scale field trials are planned, with commercial production targeted for 2026 in partnership with Belgian company Apex Biosciences. The supplement is expected to be more expensive than current alternatives but aims to offer complete nutrition for bees.

How a new 'superfood' could help honeybees

Scientists say they've developed a new superfood that could help honeybees. The supplement is designed to mimic pollen and can significantly enhance colony reproduction. When the bees have good nutrition, they should be able to at least do their best against these diseases and pathogens and pests that we don't currently have tools to fight. So we really think that this is a keystone in the problem of bee decline that we've fortunately been able to solve. Honeybees are critical pollinators for over 70% of global crops, but they face mounting threats from climate change, intensive farming, pests and pathogens. We started to understand that there were gaps in the year when bees just didn't have enough food available and this was becoming more and more important as pollination of crops depended on domesticated bees. Geraldine Wright is part of the Oxford-led team that engineered the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. The technology that has been developed here in my lab enables us now to create a food that does not depend on floral pollen. We can actually make a pollen substitute which we can feed to bee colonies which represents their complete nutrition. Pollen is a key dietary component for bees and provides specific lipids called sterols which are vital for bee development. But commercial pollen substitutes often lack those nutrients, unlike the new superfood. Using this yeast to produce these sterols means that we can make a pollen substitute which can sustain bee colonies indefinitely. And this is a really huge breakthrough for beekeepers. In three-month trials, colonies fed the supplement reared up to 15 times more larvae to the pupal stage compared to those on standard diets. They also sustained brood production longer. Large-scale field trials for the superfood are now planned to confirm long-term benefits with Belgian company Apex Biosciences partnering with the Oxford team to start commercial production in 2026. One of the important parts of trying to design the pollen substitute was to make it affordable for beekeepers. Our pollen substitute is going to be more expensive than those that are currently on the market, but it's the perfect food.

Israel's military said it "conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization," amid reports of large explosions in Qatar's capital city, Doha.

Doha

Hamas says none of its leadership killed in Israeli strike on Doha

French President Emmanuel Macron has named loyalist Sebastien Lecornu, a one-time conservative protégé who rallied behind his 2017 presidential run, as prime minister. Analysts say France is in the midst of a complicated political crisis.

Paris

France's Macron names loyalist Lecornu as new PM

Videos circulating online reveal a luminous flying object hitting the vessel. No crew members were harmed. Activists part of the flotilla say they will not be deterred by the attack, and that their mission will continue as planned.

Middle East Conflict

Flotilla for Gaza ship struck by drone off Tunisia, organizers say

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the U.S. labor market added 911,000 fewer jobs between April 2024 and March 2025. CBS News MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly O'Grady breaks it down.

Washington

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A Michigan judge has dropped criminal charges against 15 people who were accused of trying to falsely certify Donald Trump as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul has the latest.

Michigan

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Israel says it carried out a strike targeting Hamas leaders. One Israeli official says it happened in Doha, Qatar. CBS News' Ramy Inocencio reports.

Israel targets Hamas leadership in Doha strike

The Trump administration launched a new immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, saying the latest federal crackdown in a US city would target the "worst of the worst criminals." But activists in the city remain defiant and say they will resist efforts by ICE to snatch people off the streets.

Chicago

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Norway's Labour Party has won four more years in government after seeing off a surge in support for the right. But exit polls predict it will only have a small majority, and its future may depend on how it navigates Norway's relationship with the rest of the world.

Oslo

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Officials in Nepal say at least 16 people are dead and dozens more injured after police opened fire on protesters. Tens of thousands, mostly young people, rallied in the capital Kathmandu against the government's ban on platforms including Facebook, X, and YouTube.

Kathmandu

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France's Prime Minister François Bayrou overwhelmingly lost a confidence vote Monday after nine months in office. CBS News correspondent Shanelle Kaul has more.

French PM François Bayrou ousted after losing confidence vote

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to continue its sweeping immigration stops in the Los Angeles area after they were briefly halted. CBS News immigration reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more.

Supreme Court allows L.A. immigration stops to continue

Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday (September 8), killing six people in what police described as "a terrorist attack," one of the deadliest in the city in the past few years.

Jerusalem

Palestinian gunmen kill six at Jerusalem bus stop

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was ready to hit Russia with a second phase of sanctions after its largest air attack on Ukraine in nearly four years of war. The assault on Saturday caused serious damage in Ukraine's capital, including to one of its most important government buildings.

Ukraine Invasion

Trump considering second phase of sanctions on Russia

A drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck southern Israel Sunday, hitting Ramon International Airport near Eilat and forcing a shutdown of airspace in the region.

Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport

Yemen’s Houthi rebels strike Israel's Ramon International Airport

Protests have erupted in Chicago after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a federal crackdown, including sending National Guard troops and expanding deportations.

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Russia's largest overnight air attack of the war set the main building of the Ukrainian government in Kyiv on fire and killed at least four people, including an infant, Ukrainian officials said.

Kyiv

Russia launches biggest air attack of the war on Ukraine

Problems with a cable likely caused a Lisbon funicular railway popular with tourists to hurtle down a hill, killing at least 16 people and injuring another 22 when it crashed into a building, according to a preliminary report.

Lisbon

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U.S. indie director Jim Jarmusch unexpectedly won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday with "Father Mother Sister Brother", a three-part meditation on the uneasy ties between parents and their adult children.

Venice

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Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Sunday (September 7) he has decided to resign, caving to ruling party pressure on him to take responsibility for a series of election losses amid voter anger over rising living costs.

Tokyo

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South Korea announced the deal on Sunday. The immigration raid was part of a criminal investigation targeting a major economic project of a key U.S. ally.

Savannah

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Chicago officials agree that a federal crackdown on immigration is imminent. Saturday kicked off a week-long celebration of Mexican Independence Day.

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Wall Street took hits on the market after hiring slumped in August. The economy added 22,000 jobs, far below expectations, fueling fresh concerns about a slowdown.

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The United States is not talking about regime change in Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Friday, as the United States ordered an additional 10 stealth fighter jets to a military buildup in the Caribbean.

Caracas

Trump plays down regime change in Venezuela amid military buildup

The Israeli military told Palestinians in Gaza City to leave for the south before bombing a high-rise tower as its forces advance deeper into the enclave's largest urban area.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel tells Palestinians to leave as it pushes into Gaza City

US President Donald Trump's threats to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans have ignited resistance from local leaders and residents, who argue the deployments serve as intimidation rather than crime prevention.

Breakdown