A new look at our linguistic roots
A controversial analytic technique offers new answers for Indo-European languages. Enlarge (credit: Roman Rybalko via Getty) Almost half of all people in the world today speak an Indo-European language, one whose origins.....»»
From roots to resilience: Investigating the vital role of microbes in coastal plant health
Georgia's saltwater marshes—living where the land meets the ocean—stretch along the state's entire 100-mile coastline. These rich ecosystems are largely dominated by just one plant: grass......»»
Fine roots make the difference in metabolomes and microbiomes
Bacteria and fungi live together on the surface of plant roots, which can promote symbiotic interactions with the plant. Plant roots that are especially fine can support various niches for their microbial proliferations, but traditionally, microbiome.....»»
Unveiling crucial virulent milRNAs implicated in the initial infection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) is a typical soil-borne fungus that causes Fusarium wilt by infecting the roots and blocking the vascular tissues of host banana plants, and threatens global banana production. In total, four races have been re.....»»
Barley plants fine-tune their root microbial communities through sugary secretions
Different types of barley recruit distinct communities of soil microbes to grow around their roots by releasing a custom mix of sugars and other compounds, according to a new study led by Jacob Malone of the John Innes Center, UK, published in the op.....»»
NASA observations find what helps heat roots of "moss" on sun
Did you know the sun has moss? Due to its resemblance to the earthly plants, scientists have named a small-scale, bright, patchy structure made of plasma in the solar atmosphere "moss." This moss, which was first identified in 1999 by NASA's TRACE mi.....»»
How phytochemical diversity affects plant adaptation to stress
Phytochemical diversity plays a critical role in determining plant adaptation and fitness, as well as ecosystem functions and services. However, phytochemicals and their ecological adaptations have long been ignored. Fine (or absorptive) roots, micro.....»»
Traces of DNA in the stomachs of predatory snails provide new insights into the ecology of placozoans
Placozoans are among the simplest animals and occur worldwide in coastal waters. It was previously assumed that the tiny creatures, which measure just a few millimeters, live either on hard surfaces—such as rocks, corals, and mangrove roots—or fl.....»»
An inside look at how plants and mycorrhizal fungi cooperate
For millions of years, underground fungi have lived in symbiosis with plant roots. Plants provide photosynthesized carbon, while fungi deliver water and nutrients. In order to do so, these organisms share space at the cellular scale: fungi stretch a.....»»
Last chance to record archaic Greek language "heading for extinction"
A new data crowd-sourcing platform aims to preserve the sound of Romeyka, an endangered millennia-old variety of Greek. Experts consider the language to be a linguistic goldmine and a living bridge to the ancient world......»»
A return to roots: Lab builds its first stellarator in 50 years and opens the door for research into new plasma physics
For the first time, scientists have built a fusion experiment using permanent magnets, a technique that could show a simple way to build future devices for less cost and allow researchers to test new concepts for future fusion power plants......»»
How AI and deeper roots can help soil store more carbon
In 2020, global agricultural emissions were 16 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (an increase of 9% since the year 2000) and globally, the 2020 farm gate emission represented nearly half of total agricultural emissions, according to the Food.....»»
Improving root senescence recognition with a new semantic segmentation model
Roots play a vital role in plant health, adapting to environmental changes and indicating crop growth. However, studying root senescence is challenging due to difficulties in obtaining clear in situ root images. Traditional methods are limited, and w.....»»
The Feds Are Trying to Get Plants to Mine Metal Through Their Roots
Some species can absorb extreme amounts of nickel from soils. Such “phytomining” could help provide batteries essential for the renewable revolution......»»
Alien: Romulus teaser has all the right elements to pique our interest
Originally meant for Hulu, the franchise's ninth installment heads to theaters instead. The long-standing science fiction franchise looks to be returning to its horror roots with Alien: Romulus. We learned way back in 2019 that horr.....»»
Tropical plants beat drought by interacting with specific microbes, study shows
Plant-soil-microbe interactions play a crucial role in processes that take place in the soil directly around plant roots, or the rhizosphere, and these processes contribute to nutrient cycling and metabolite turnover in the environment. Amid the wate.....»»
How the upcoming Alien TV series can take the sci-fi franchise back to its horror movie roots
Noah Hawley's upcoming TV prequel to Alien should return to the horror and mystery that made the original Ridley Scott film a classic......»»
The secret lives of roots: Tropical forest root systems are central to improving climate change predictions
International research co-authored by Joshua Fisher, associate professor in Chapman University's Schmid College of Science and Technology, suggests that studying root function in tropical forests could help vegetation models improve predictions of cl.....»»
Researchers decipher mysterious growth habit of weeping peach trees
A basic premise of how plants grow is that shoots grow up and roots grow down. A new study, published in Plant Physiology, reveals the answer to a fascinating question: why do weeping tree varieties defy this natural growth pattern?.....»»
The effects of primer pairs, PCR conditions, and peptide nucleic acid clamps on plant root fungal diversity assessment
Fungi are frequently found both around and within plant tissues (especially in roots) and are involved in both plant nutrient acquisition and resistance to pathogens. Thus, characterizing the diversity and composition of plant-associated fungal commu.....»»
Can any English word be turned into a synonym for “drunk”? Not all, but many can.
"Drunkonyms fit in well with English linguistic and humorous traditions.” The lads from Edgar Wright's 2013 sci-fi comedy World's End know when to start drinking and get "totally and utterly carparked." (credit: Universal Pictu.....»»