Identifying the spark of desire in fruit flies
Fruit flies have evolved an elaborate courtship ritual. Upon recognizing a suitable mate in his vicinity, a male fruit fly transforms into a dogged suitor, sometimes chasing the female for more than 26 yards, or nine miles in human terms, singing to.....»»
Shrinking particle accelerators with cold plasma and a large picnic basket
Twenty-five feet below ground, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory scientist Spencer Gessner opens a large metal picnic basket. This is not your typical picnic basket filled with cheese, bread and fruit—it contains screws, bolts, steel tubing, and.....»»
Voltron Data Theseus helps organizations solve data processing challenges
Voltron Data introduced Theseus, a distributed execution engine built to solve today’s data processing challenges at a scale beyond the capabilities of CPU-based analytics systems like Apache Spark. Theseus is available to enterprises and governmen.....»»
Research on vital bat species emphasizes need for immediate conservation action
Recent research led by Tigga Kingston, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University, delivers a stark warning concerning the distressing decline of flying foxes and related species, also known as Large Old World Fruit.....»»
A California dry farmer"s juicy apples show how agriculture can be done with less water
Leaves rustled as Mike Cirone reached into a tree and gently picked an apple. The orchard was filled with a profusion of ripe fruit in shades from golden-green to pinkish red......»»
Identifying Australia"s most elusive birds
University of Queensland scientists have analyzed more than 3.8 million volunteer hours of birdwatching data to identify Australia's most elusive species. The research is published in the international journal Emu......»»
Bloom times vary in Malus species due to floral development rate
The domesticated apple (Malus ×domestica) is an economically valuable crop and an important source of nutrients and calories throughout temperate regions of the world. Fruit production is directly influenced by bloom time, which is a highly heritabl.....»»
New method for identifying bacteria more easily
Far too many antibiotics are used around the world. As a result, bacteria are becoming resistant to these drugs. Curing bacterial diseases is becoming more difficult than before because antibiotics are perhaps our foremost weapons in the fight agains.....»»
Advanced AI techniques for predicting and visualizing citrus fruit maturity
Citrus, the world's most valuable fruit crop, is at a crossroads with slowing production growth and a focus on improving fruit quality and post-harvest processes. Key to this is understanding citrus color change, a critical indicator of fruit maturit.....»»
Coping with uncertainty in customer demand: How mathematics can improve logistics processes
How do you distribute drinking water fairly across an area recently hit by a natural disaster? Or how can you make sure you have enough bottles of water, granola bars and fruit in your delivery van to refill all the vending machines at a school when.....»»
The role of malate decarboxylate CsNADP-ME2 in mediating the balance of carbon and amino acid metabolism in fruit
Central metabolism produces carbohydrates and amino acids that are tightly correlated to plant growth and thereby crop productivity. Malate is reported to link mitochondrial respiratory metabolism with cytosolic biosynthetic pathways. Although the fu.....»»
Unlocking citrus tolerance secrets: The Valencia sweet orange genome and the fight against HLB disease
Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.), a hybrid fruit crop originating from mandarins (Citrus reticulata Blanco) and pummelos [Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.], exhibits complex genomic diversity due to ancient interspecific hybridization. At present, the be.....»»
Study proposes new framework to identify keystone microbial species
Microbial communities are thought to contain keystone species, which can disproportionately affect the stability of the communities, even if only present in low abundances. Identifying these keystone species can be challenging, especially in the huma.....»»
Unearthing the terroir effect: Grapevine"s transcriptional response to soil variability
Grapevine is a globally significant fruit crop that exhibits remarkable phenotypic plasticity (PP) due to genotype-per-environment interactions (a concept known as terroir). This adaptability impacts physiological, molecular and biochemical aspects o.....»»
Deciphering grape development: A molecular phenology scale for grapevine berry maturation
Fruit development encompasses a series of physical, biochemical, and physiological shifts influenced by both genetic programming and environmental factors. The growth patterns of fruits like grapes are generally consistent within the same species, bu.....»»
Do extracurricular activities always give children a head start? Research says maybe not
In China, there is an old saying, "Don't let your children lose on the starting line." It highlights parents' desire to jumpstart their child's early development. Especially in recent years, parents have become increasingly anxious about their childr.....»»
Lead-tainted fruit pouches poison 22 toddlers; blood lead levels 8x threshold
Children who have eaten the recalled apple cinnamon pouches should get lead testing. Enlarge / The three pouches so far linked to lead contamination. (credit: FDA) At least 22 toddlers across at least 14 states have suff.....»»
Revolutionizing kiwifruit cultivation: Cutting-edge breeding strategies for Actinidia
While major advances have been made through speed breeding and other technologies, woody perennial fruit tree species have lagged behind. Among these is the kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis), a crucial fresh fruit crop, which has limited genetic divers.....»»
Unlocking the mystery of skin cracking in chili peppers
The outermost epidermal cell layer of fleshy fruit is surrounded by a hydrophobic cuticle, notably thicker than that found on vegetative tissues. This cuticle, primarily composed of the cutin polymer, also contains waxes and sometimes polysaccharides.....»»
Lead-tainted fruit pouches poison 22 toddlers; blood lead levels 8X threshold
Children who have eaten the recalled apple cinnamon pouches should get lead testing. Enlarge / The three pouches so far linked to lead contamination. (credit: FDA) At least 22 toddlers across at least 14 states have suff.....»»
Revolutionizing strawberry production: CRISPR/Cas9 editing enhances fruit firmness and extends shelf life
The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, Duch.) is one of the Rosaceae family renowned for its flavor and health benefits, making it an important agricultural commodity. However, its soft texture leads to a brief shelf life and consequent eco.....»»