How tomato plants use their roots to ration water during drought
Plants have to be flexible to survive environmental changes, and the adaptive methods they deploy must often be as changeable as the shifts in climate and condition to which they adapt. To cope with drought, plant roots produce a water-repellent poly.....»»
Smart surveillance system improves tomato plant monitoring with high-speed disease detection, fruit counting
Tomatoes are a critical source of nutrients and remain one of the most widely cultivated fruits globally. However, intensive greenhouse practices increase susceptibility to diseases, which can reduce yields by up to 30% and degrade fruit quality......»»
Heat hardiness: Scientists identify key phase for tomato heat tolerance
By studying tomato varieties that produce fruit in exceptionally hot growing seasons, biologists at Brown University identified the growth cycle phase when tomatoes are most vulnerable to extreme heat, as well as the molecular mechanisms that make th.....»»
Reeking mud sparks health fears in Spain flood epicenter
The sea of mud and stagnant water submerging Spanish towns more than 10 days after the country's worst floods in decades has sparked a sickening stench and health fears......»»
Report: Countries must dramatically increase climate adaptation efforts and bridge the finance gap
As climate impacts intensify and hit the world's most vulnerable hardest, the "Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come hell and high water," from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), finds that nations must dramatically increase climate adaptation.....»»
Two-faced membrane channel provides a simple, efficient way to separate oil and water
A team of chemists and engineers in China has developed a new, efficient way to separate oil and water mixtures. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how they developed their new technique, how it works and the many po.....»»
Cracked earth in Greece"s saffron heartland as drought takes toll
At a field outside Kozani, northern Greece, the strikingly blue-and-purple petals of saffron give off an intoxicating scent that underscores the value of one of the country's most lucrative crops......»»
A green, scalable synthesis approach addresses the challenges of semiconductor-based photocatalysis
Solar-driven photocatalytic water splitting offers a sustainable route for hydrogen production. Researchers have explored various semiconductors, but challenges like bandgap limitations and carrier recombination persist......»»
Incorporating cultural and recreational ecosystem services of freshwater within Israel"s water economy
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have introduced an innovative model that incorporates recreational freshwater ecosystem services into water allocation decisions. The study, conducted by Aliza Fleischer, student Yadin Gindin and Ya.....»»
How prisons fall short in protecting the incarcerated from climate disasters
Blistering heat, freezing cold, and overflowing sewage water: These were the living conditions that formerly incarcerated people in Colorado said they suffered inside the state's prisons and jails......»»
Airborne microplastics aid in cloud formation
It turns out microplastics have an effect on the weather and climate. Clouds form when water vapor—an invisible gas in the atmosphere—sticks to tiny floating particles, such.....»»
Scientists reveal strigolactone perception mechanism and role in tillering responses to nitrogen
"How is plant growth controlled?" and "What is the basis of variation in stress tolerance in plants?" were among the 125 most challenging scientific questions, according to the journal Science in 2016......»»
Record drought in Amazon impacts 420,000 children: UNICEF
More than 420,000 children in the Amazon basin are being badly affected by a drought parching much of South America that is impacting water supplies and river transport, UNICEF said Wednesday......»»
The natural environment is declining—are companies doing their part to save it?
The natural environment across the globe is deteriorating, leading to crises like climate change, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity. Companies and industries play a major role in this decline, and they are expected to take responsibility for thei.....»»
Examining how stellar threats impact the habitable zone of exoplanets
When we think of exoplanets that may be able to support life, we home in on the habitable zone. A habitable zone is a region around a star where planets receive enough stellar energy to have liquid surface water. It's a somewhat crude but helpful fir.....»»
Climate change is contributing to drought in the American West even without rainfall deficits, scientists find
Higher temperatures caused by anthropogenic climate change made an ordinary drought into an exceptional drought that parched the American West from 2020–2022. A study by UCLA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientists ha.....»»
Pathogens that cling to microplastics may survive wastewater treatment
Wastewater treatment fails to kill several human pathogens when they hide out on microplastics in the water, reports a study led by Ingun Lund Witsø of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, published November 6, 2024 in the open-access journal.....»»
Biologists discover how plants evolved multiple ways to override genetic instructions
Biologists at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered the origin of a curious duplication that gives plants multiple ways to override instructions that are coded into their DNA. This research could help scientists exploit a plant's existin.....»»
New PFAS testing method could make water testing more affordable, portable and accessible
University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have discovered a new way to detect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water. This marks an important step forward in creating testing devices that are simpler, more cost-effective, faster an.....»»
Food security in Africa: Managing water will be vital in a rapidly growing region
Sub-Saharan Africa's population is growing at 2.7% per year and is expected to reach two billion by the year 2050. The region's urban population is growing even faster: it was at 533 million in 2023, a 3.85% increase from 2022......»»
Bioinspired hydrogels harness sunlight: A step closer to artificial photosynthesis
Mimicking how plants convert sunlight into energy has long been a dream for scientists aiming to create renewable energy solutions. Artificial photosynthesis is a process that seeks to replicate nature's method, using sunlight to drive chemical react.....»»