An evolutionary battleground: Plants vs. microbes
Gazing out on a freshwater pond, you may see tiny green plants with oval-shaped leaves floating in clusters. In overgrown ponds, these plants coat the water's surface. These plants—called duckweed or water lentils—can grow so fast that they can d.....»»
Soybean domestication linked to higher mesophyll conductance for increased photosynthesis
In a new study conducted by the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looked back in time at soybean growth and discovered that modern plants have increased mesophyll.....»»
Invasive plants drive homogenization of soil microbial communities across US, new study finds
Invasive plants are doing more than just taking over landscapes—they're also changing the soil beneath them. A new study co-authored by Matthew McCary, assistant professor of biosciences at Rice University, reveals that these species are reshaping.....»»
Whooping Cough Makes a Comeback, Microbes Evolve to Eat Cleaners, and Solar Maximum Is Confirmed
Kick off the week by catching up on the latest science news......»»
Where did kissing come from? Study introduces the "groomer"s final kiss hypothesis"
A team at the University of Warwick is suggesting that human kissing evolved from grooming behaviors observed in ancestral great apes. In a study, "The Evolutionary Origin of Human Kissing," published in Evolutionary Anthropology, the researchers int.....»»
Study reveals the twists and turns of mammal evolution from a sprawling to upright posture
Mammals, including humans, stand out with their distinctively upright posture, a key trait that fueled their spectacular evolutionary success. Yet, the earliest known ancestors of modern mammals more resembled reptiles, with limbs stuck out to their.....»»
Researchers warn against weakening Clean Air Act regulations
A new commentary published in the American Journal of Public Health has found that power plants' use of air pollution control devices saved up to 9,100 lives and up to $100 billion in health costs in 2023. These estimates reveal the substantial healt.....»»
Study shows weak external electric fields may protect crops from infection
Research from Dr. Giovanni Sena's group in the Department of Life Sciences highlights an intriguing method to help protect plants from pathogen attacks using weak electric fields......»»
CNN polling guru says battleground state sweep ‘more likely than not’
CNN polling guru says battleground state sweep ‘more likely than not’.....»»
Microbes feed on iron: New study reveals how they do it
Pipelines, sprinklers, and other infrastructure in oxygen-free environments are vulnerable to microbially induced corrosion (MIC)—a process where microorganisms degrade iron-based structures, potentially leading to costly damages or even collapses......»»
China automakers to double overseas capacity to dodge tariffs, study finds
Chinese carmakers have built and commissioned complete manufacturing plants across nine countries, with annual capacity of 1.2 million units as of 2023, a figure set to more than double to 2.7 million in over a dozen countries by 2026, Bloomberg foun.....»»
New chemical treatment reduces number of plant pores that regulate water loss
Researchers from Nagoya University Institute of Transformative Biomolecules (WPI-ITbM) in Japan and their colleagues have identified and derivatized a chemical compound that effectively regulates the density of stomata in model plants. Stomata are cr.....»»
iPhone roadmap is ‘most ambitious in the product’s history,’ per John Ternus
Innovation on the iPhone looks different than it used to. The product line is coming up on two decades of change, so understandably updates these days are more evolutionary than revolutionary. However, we could be on the cusp of a major wave of iPhon.....»»
Enhancing recombinant protein expression in lettuce
Recombinant proteins are crucial in pharmaceutical and other industries. A production method uses plants as hosts in transient protein expression systems. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba developed a technique to increase recombinant protein.....»»
Photosynthesis is under threat in an increasingly warm world, says researcher
The basis of all life on Earth is photosynthesis. So, what happens if it is disrupted? Today, advanced measurement tools can reveal how climate change is affecting plants' ability to process the energy from sunlight......»»
Study combines woodchips and biochar to clean water of pharmaceuticals, nutrients
What happens to ibuprofen after it eases your throbbing headache? Like many pharmaceuticals, it can remain in an active form when our bodies flush it out. That's a problem, because although wastewater treatment plants are good at reducing nutrient po.....»»
How plants compete for light: Researchers discover new mechanism in shade avoidance
Plants that are close together do everything they can to intercept light. This "shade avoidance" response has been extensively researched. It is therefore even more remarkable that researchers from the laboratory of Molecular Biology at Wageningen Un.....»»
Microbes in environment drove methane emissions more than fossil fuels between 2020 and 2022, analysis finds
Microbes in the environment, not fossil fuels, have been driving the recent surge in methane emissions globally, according to a new, detailed analysis published Oct 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by CU Boulder researchers a.....»»
Nitrogen-fixing plant diversity declines with over-fertilization, study finds
Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition and climate change can reduce the competitive advantage of nitrogen-fixing plants, leading to reduced diversity of these plants in a community. Surprisingly, changes in temperature and aridity do not contribute to th.....»»
Loss of "nitrogen fixers" threatens biodiversity, ecosystems, say biologists
Mississippi State University is part of a European-American collaboration studying how human activities, like fertilizer use and pollution, are impacting nitrogen-fixing plants which are crucial for maintaining healthy ecosystems by adding nitrogen t.....»»
Smallest dinosaur egg ever found confirmed in China
A team of paleontologists, geoscientists and evolutionary specialists affiliated with multiple institutions in China has found that a fossilized egg unearthed in 2021 is the smallest dinosaur egg ever found. In their paper published in the journal Hi.....»»