Breeding a better chickpea
Chickpeas are an important crop and food in India. They are used almost every day in meals and snacks. India is the largest producer, consumer, and importer of chickpeas. And with good reason—they are high in protein, fiber, and vitamins and minera.....»»
Study reveals surprising history of world"s largest lizard
The unusual breeding history of the Earth's largest living lizard—the Komodo dragon—has been laid bare in a new study from The Australian National University......»»
Rarest seal breeding site discovered
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown breeding site used by the world's rarest seal species......»»
"We have to put our foot down": Florida wildlife managers ban invasive reptiles
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Thursday signed off on banning the sale, ownership and breeding of tegus, iguanas and other invasive reptiles that have overrun native wildlife populations......»»
Unusual breeding behavior reported in treefrogs for the first time
Paranapiacaba Treefrogs (Bokermannohyla astartea) mate and lay spawn in small pools of water inside the tanks of bromeliad plants, Leo Ramos Malagoli from the Universidade Estadual Paulista in Brazil and colleagues report in the open-access journal P.....»»
Wintering bird communities track climate change faster than breeding communities in Europe and North America
A study recently completed in Europe and North America indicates that the composition of wintering and breeding bird communities changes in line with global warming. However, wintering bird communities are considerably faster at tracking the changing.....»»
Breeding better seeds: Healthy food for more people
Your morning cereal or oatmeal. The bread on your sandwich. The corn chips for your snack, and the cookies for dessert. Not one would be possible with the humblest of ingredients: the seed......»»
Evolution of cereal spikes
A research team led by Prof. Dr. Maria von Korff Schmising from Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf (HHU) and the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) in Cologne investigated the genetic regulation of spike development in barley.....»»
The keys to a major boost for hybrid wheat breeding
A new study, led by researchers from The University of Western Australia and scientists and expert plant breeders from Limagrain is set to revolutionize the future of wheat production, with three genes identified that will enable the breeding of hybr.....»»
Turf tech: The surprisingly sophisticated science of the lowest part of the game
Grass is the ideal playing surface for football -- and that's not an accident. The turf that the NFL uses is the culmination of centuries of selective breeding......»»
Flower diversity may mitigate insecticide effects on wild bees
A higher diversity of flowering plants increases the breeding success of wild bees and may help compensate for the negative effects of insecticides. This is what researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and Hohenheim, as well as the Julius Kü.....»»
A large number of gray whales are starving and dying in the eastern North Pacific
It's mid-January 2021, and the first gray whales from the eastern North Pacific population have started to arrive in the breeding lagoons in Baja California, Mexico. Since the start of their southbound migration from their high latitude feeding groun.....»»
Early breeding reduced harmful mutations in sorghum
When humans first domesticated maize some 9,000 years ago, those early breeding efforts led to an increase in harmful mutations to the crop's genome compared to their wild relatives, which more recent modern breeding has helped to correct......»»
Feral colonies provide clues for enhancing honey bee tolerance to pathogens
Understanding the genetic and environmental factors that enable some feral honey bee colonies to tolerate pathogens and survive the winter in the absence of beekeeping management may help lead to breeding stocks that would enhance survival of managed.....»»
Study shows how network of marine protected areas could help safeguard Antarctic penguins
New research led by BirdLife International, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and British Antarctic Survey highlights how a proposed network of marine protected areas could help safeguard some of the most important areas at sea for breeding Antarct.....»»
All-purpose dinosaur opening reconstructed for first time
For the first time ever, a team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, have described in detail a dinosaur's cloacal or vent—the all-purpose opening used for defecation, urination and breeding......»»
Cities can help migrating birds on their way by planting more trees and turning lights off at night
Millions of birds travel between their breeding and wintering grounds during spring and autumn migration, creating one of the greatest spectacles of the natural world. These journeys often span incredible distances. For example, the Blackpoll Warbler.....»»
Filling a crucial gap in aquafarming: Ion beam breeding to the rescue
A research team led by scientists at the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science (RNC) has successfully created larger-than-usual strains of zooplankton—which are used in fish nurseries—by creating mutations with a heavy ion beam. The.....»»
Research: Round-faced, big-eyed cats are cute, but you can"t tell how they feel
For decades, humans have been selectively breeding cats and dogs to exhibit exaggerated features—particularly in their faces. When it comes to cats, the very flat, round faces of the modern Persian and Exotic Shorthair are classic examples. These b.....»»
Discovery of chemical clue may lead to solving cacao"s black pod rot mystery
The finding of relatively high levels of the antimicrobial compound clovamide in the leaves of a disease-resistant strain of cacao has significant implications for breeding trees that can tolerate black pod rot, according to Penn State researchers wh.....»»
Delicious and disease-free: scientists attempting new citrus varieties
UC Riverside scientists are betting an ancient solution will solve citrus growers' biggest problem by breeding new fruits with natural resistance to a deadly tree disease......»»