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.....»»
Researchers highlight cultural importance of plants for people in Borneo
Borneo's nature is rich in unique plant life, which is central to the culture and survival of many of its people. This is revealed in a new biocultural database developed by researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), showin.....»»
Stomata study provides new insights in plant response to high temperatures and drought
We are increasingly confronted with the impacts of climate change, with failed harvests being only one example. Addressing these challenges requires multifaceted approaches, including making plants more resilient......»»
Genetic factors in woodland strawberries promote cold tolerance
Climate change is shifting the seasons, pushing crop plants to their limits. For example, sudden frost episodes in late spring can be detrimental to strawberries in the bed. Wild species, on the other hand, are often more resilient......»»
Smaller brains? Fewer friends? An evolutionary biologist asks how AI will change humanity"s future
What will humans be like generations from now in a world transformed by artificial intelligence (AI)? Plenty of thinkers have applied themselves to questions like this, considering how AI will alter lives—often for better, sometimes for worse......»»
Chemical replacement of TNT explosive more harmful to plants, study shows
The increased use of a chemical compound to replace TNT in explosive devices has a damaging and long lasting effect on plants, new research has shown......»»
Effects of extreme weather events on soil microbes shed light on climate change risks
New research has revealed how tiny soil microbes are impacted by extreme weather events, offering new insights into the risks posed by climate change......»»
Researchers identify two fungal enzymes that hijack the immune system of plants to colonize roots
In nature, plant roots are always colonized by fungi. This interaction can be either mutualistic, benefiting both the plant and the fungus, or pathogenic, where the fungus harms the host plant. A research group led by Professor Dr. Alga Zuccaro at th.....»»
Fossilized dung reveals clues to dinosaur success story
In an international collaboration, researchers at Uppsala University have been able to identify undigested food remains, plants and prey in the fossilized feces of dinosaurs. These analyses of hundreds of samples provide clues about the role dinosaur.....»»
Same plant, different tactic: Habitat determines response to climate, thale cress study finds
Plants need light to grow, but too much light can induce damage to the photosynthetic complex known as photosystem II. It is known that plants adapted to growing under full sun repair this light-induced damage more. But this repair activity slows dow.....»»
Smart agriculture technology attaches directly to underside of leaves for monitoring plants
With growing concerns over climate change and overpopulation, we urgently need to boost agricultural productivity. With the goal of creating a way to easily tell whether a plant is thriving or dying, a leaf-mounted sensor was created by researchers a.....»»
Researchers pioneer method to detect dehydration in plants
Have you ever wondered if your plants were dry and dehydrated, or if you're not watering them enough? Farmers and green-fingered enthusiasts alike may soon have a way to find this out in real time. Over the past decade, researchers have been working.....»»
AI-assisted sorting system automates detection of aluminum-tolerant microbes in acidic soils
Researchers from the Single-Cell Center at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with collaborators, developed an artificial intelligence-assisted Raman-activated cell sorting (AI-RA.....»»
Engineering nature"s blueprint: Dendron-based assemblies for chlorophyll"s materials
Researchers often look to photosynthesis—a process that turns sunlight into chemical energy in plants and bacteria—as a model for innovation. Photosynthesis is in turn linked to chlorophyll pigments, tiny green molecules that play a key role in h.....»»
Iron-clad defense: How microbes shield tomato crops from bacterial wilt
Ralstonia solanacearum is a soil-borne pathogen that devastates tomato and other Solanaceae crops globally. Traditional chemical controls have proven inadequate and environmentally damaging......»»
Heart cockles have windows in their shells to let in light for symbiotic algae
A team of marine biologists, ecologists and evolutionary specialists from the University of Chicago, Stanford University and Duke University has found that heart cockles have windows in their shells to allow in light needed by the algae that live ins.....»»
Light-altering paint for greenhouses could help lengthen the fruit growing season in less sunny countries
Researchers in the UK have developed a new spray coating for greenhouses that optimizes the wavelength of light shining onto the plants, improving their growth and yield. The technology could in the future help extend the growing seasons in less sunn.....»»
Cas9-PE system achieves precise editing and site-specific random mutation in rice
Achieving the aggregation of different mutation types at multiple genomic loci and generating transgene-free plants in the T0 generation is an important goal in crop breeding. Although prime editing (PE), as the latest precise gene editing technology.....»»
River microbes near wastewater treatment plants express high levels of antibiotic resistance genes, study shows
Rivers and streams serve as critical connectors across vast geographical landscapes, trickling out of tucked-away headwaters and snaking thousands of miles toward oceans and deep seas. These waterways directly impact human and environmental health, a.....»»
Superior photosynthesis abilities of some plants could hold key to climate-resilient crops
More than 3 billion years ago, on an Earth entirely covered with water, photosynthesis first evolved in ancient bacteria. In the following millions of years, those bacteria evolved into plants, optimizing themselves along the way for various environm.....»»
Predicting the next supernova explosion: New simulations reveal the physics of supernova shock breakout
Stars with masses between 10 and 30 times that of the sun, in their final evolutionary stages, form an iron core that ultimately collapses into a neutron star. This collapse releases a tremendous amount of gravitational potential energy through neutr.....»»