How plants keep viruses from passing to their progeny
Scientists have learned how plants keep viruses from being passed to their offspring, a finding that could ensure healthier crops. The discovery could also help reduce the transmission of diseases from mothers to human children......»»
Drone flights and 3D scans: Scientist uses cutting-edge tech to protect Madagascar"s vulnerable forests
In a new study published today in the journal Plants, People, Planet, scientist Jenny Williams from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, highlights how the use of drones can help curb the loss of Madagascar's biodiverse forests through illegal deforestati.....»»
Study reveals how plants decide between life and death
Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered two proteins that work together to determine the fate of cells in plants facing certain stresses......»»
GM invests in agile manufacturing strategy, building EVs alongside gas vehicles
The automaker has set up a flexible manufacturing strategy, with dedicated plants that build gasoline vehicles and EVs as well as plants that build both......»»
Ancient viral elements in RNA kickstart bone repair
Around half of the human genome is composed of DNA fragments originating from ancient viruses. These "transposable elements" (TEs) are now known to play various roles in modulating gene expression and disease development. Now, an international team l.....»»
Plants offer fruit to insects to disperse dust-like seeds, botanist discovers
Fruit exist to invite animals to disperse the swallowed seeds. A Kobe University research team found that plants targeting insects rather than birds or mammals for this service are more common than previously thought. These plants produce dust-like s.....»»
Plants show surprising diversity in arid landscape: How livestock grazing impacts drylands
Understanding how plants cope with climatic extremes and grazing pressure is important for reliable predictions about future biodiversity and the functioning of dryland ecosystems......»»
Treatment with smoke can favor seed germination in Brazil"s Cerrado biome
For thousands of years, plants have evolved in the presence of wildfires in the Cerrado, Brazil's savanna-like biome. Scientists at São Paulo State University (UNESP) studied the effect of smoke on seed germination for 44 plant species typical of th.....»»
How plants become bushy, or not: New study sheds light on hormone that controls branching
For many plants, more branches means more fruit. But what causes a plant to grow branches? New research from the University of California, Davis shows how plants break down the hormone strigolactone, which suppresses branching, to become more "bushy......»»
Researchers discover optimum twilight time for plant growth
A team of researchers has gained insight into the genetic processes underpinning how plants detect twilight and the role twilight plays in plant growth......»»
Groundwater reserves in southwestern Europe more stable overall than previously thought
Groundwater is a vital resource, sustaining plants and ecosystems, ensuring agricultural production and serving as a core component of drinking water supplies. However, climate change and anthropogenic pressures can threaten groundwater availability,.....»»
Researchers use vibrations from traffic to measure underground soil moisture
Caltech researchers have developed a new method to measure soil moisture in the shallow subterranean region between the surface and underground aquifers. This region, called the vadose zone, is crucial for plants and crops to obtain water through the.....»»
Study analyzes potato-pathogen "arms race" after Irish potato famine
In an examination of the genetic material found in historic potato leaves, North Carolina State University researchers reveal more about the tit-for-tat evolutionary changes occurring in both potato plants and the pathogen that caused the 1840s Irish.....»»
Streetlights running all night makes leaves so tough that insects can"t eat them, threatening the food chain
Light pollution disrupts circadian rhythms and ecosystems worldwide—but for plants, dependent on light for photosynthesis, its effects could be profound. Now scientists writing in Frontiers in Plant Science have found that exposure to high levels o.....»»
New research sheds light on relationships between plants and insects in forest ecosystems
U.S. Forest Service researchers and partners published new findings on how leaf-eating insects affect forest ecosystems worldwide......»»
Coinfecting viruses obstruct each other"s cell invasion
The process by which phages—viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria—enter cells has been studied for over 50 years. In a new study, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Texas A&M University have used cutting-.....»»
Experiment on photosynthesis is heading to the space station to explore effects of microgravity
An experiment aimed at learning more about how plants grow in space will be aboard a National Aeronautics and Space Administration launch in early August from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida......»»
The effects of whole genome duplication on the plant metabolome
Whole genome duplication (WGD) is a common mutation in plants with profound evolutionary potential. While it is well-known that an increase in genetic material can lead to larger cell sizes, the impact of gene dosage multiplication on the metabolome.....»»
Getting to the root of a plant"s success
Plants are powerful factories—they can turn basic ingredients like carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into oxygen, sugars, and plant mass. But plants don't do all of this work on their own......»»
Stem cell harmony: How solanaceae plants maintain homeostasis through receptor compensation
A pivotal study sheds light on the evolutionary conservation of stem cell homeostasis in Solanaceae, revealing how receptor compensation mechanisms ensure the continuous and orderly formation of plant organs. This research uncovers the genetic interp.....»»
Air pollution makes it harder for bees to smell flowers
Contaminants can alter plant odors and warp insects’ senses, disrupting the process of pollination. Scientists are uncovering various ways that air pollution can interfere with the ability of insects to pollinate plants. (credi.....»»