In US, invasive spotted lanternflies are devastating crops
At first glance, the spotted lanternfly looks like an elegant butterfly, speckled with black spots on white wings with a splash of bright red......»»
How bad are invasive plants for birds? Research suggests large-scale removal may not have intended benefits
A prevailing opinion in land management is that non-native invasive plants are of no ecological value and they significantly diminish habitat quality for wildlife. Conservation practitioners allocate significant resources to invasive plant removal, o.....»»
Genetic hope in fight against devastating wheat disease
Fungal disease Fusarium head blight (FHB) is on the rise due to increasingly humid conditions induced by climate change during the wheat growing season, but a fundamental discovery by University of Adelaide researchers could help reduce its economic.....»»
It"s not a match: Skill mismatch after job loss can have great impact on career
The loss of your job can be as devastating emotionally as a divorce. It's true that a divorce can actually enhance your marriage skills for the next time around, since the skills needed remain virtually unchanged, but the same cannot be said for job-.....»»
We may have spotted the first magnetar flare outside our galaxy
Not all gamma-ray bursts come from supernovae. Enlarge / M82, the site of what's likely to be a giant flare from a magnetar. (credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team) Gamma rays are a broad category of high-energy.....»»
First chromosome-level reference genomes of the ornamental banana and pink banana
The genus Musa, encompassing approximately 70 herbaceous species, is predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Oceania. This genus is renowned for being one of the most important food crops globally and popular ornamenta.....»»
International team detects eruption of mega-magnetic star in nearby galaxy
While ESA's satellite INTEGRAL was observing the sky, it spotted a burst of gamma-rays—high-energy photons—coming from the nearby galaxy M82. Only a few hours later, ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray space telescope searched for an afterglow from the explos.....»»
Illinois residents encouraged to destroy the eggs of invasive insects to slow spread
While Chicagoans were alarmed to learn the spotted lanternfly had been found in Illinois last year, experts say spring is the time to take action against that insect—as well as another damaging invasive species that has made far more inroads and go.....»»
Researchers uncover natural variation in wild emmer wheat for broad-spectrum disease resistance
Bread wheat is one of the most important staple crops for millions of people and is apparently the largest cultivated and traded cereal worldwide. Bread wheat is a hexaploid species with three subgenomes (2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD) that has undergone two.....»»
Same species, different sizes: Rare evolution in action spotted in island bats
A University of Melbourne researcher has spotted a rare evolutionary phenomenon happening rapidly in real time in bats living in the Solomon Islands......»»
Xiaomi Mi Band 9 could be close to launch
Xiaomi is apparently close to launching the Mi Band 9. The device was recently spotted at multiple certification agencies. The post Xiaomi Mi Band 9 could be close to launch appeared first on Phandroid. Xiaomi launched the first Mi Band se.....»»
Scientists find common genes defending coffee plants against devastating disease
Arabica coffee is the most economically important coffee globally and accounts for 60% of coffee products worldwide. But the plants it hails from are vulnerable to a disease that, in the 1800s, devastated Sri Lanka's coffee empire......»»
LeBron James leaks return of Beats Pill speaker
NBA superstar LeBron James was spotted at Saturday's playoff game in Denver sporting what appears to be a unreleased Pill speaker from Apple's Beats subsidiary.James was seen carrying a new version of the Pill speaker which features a lanyard. At pre.....»»
Research suggests ways to ensure more sustainability in global agricultural trade
The EU wants to ensure greater sustainability in agricultural trade with the Global South—with the aim of minimizing the environmental and climate-damaging effects of importing crops such as soya, palm oil, coffee, and cocoa. However, this aspirati.....»»
Renovation relic: Man finds hominin jawbone in parents’ travertine kitchen tile
Yes, travertine often has embedded fossils. But not usually hominin ones. Enlarge / Reddit user Kidipadeli75 spotted a fossilized hominin jawbone in his parents' new travertine kitchen tile. (credit: Reddit user Kidipadeli75).....»»
Invasive species sound off about impending ecosystem changes
Anticipating changes to ecosystems is often at best an educated guess, but what if there was a way to better tune into possible changes occurring?.....»»
Honey bees experience multiple health stressors out in the field
It's not a single pesticide or virus stressing honey bees, and affecting their health, but exposure to a complex web of multiple interacting stressors encountered while at work pollinating crops, new research from York University has found......»»
Type of plastic film on high tunnels can filter sunlight, influence plant growth
High-tunnel growing systems, sometimes called hoop houses, have gained popularity for their ability to enhance growth conditions and extend the growing season of horticultural crops. Now, a team led by Penn State researchers has demonstrated that gro.....»»
Making crops colorful for easier weeding by robots
To make weeding easier, scientists suggest bioengineering crops to be colorful or to have differently shaped leaves so that they can be more easily distinguished from their wild and weedy counterparts. This could involve altering the crops' genomes s.....»»
A nematode gel to protect crops in Africa and Asia
The fall armyworm is a destructive corn pest that recently arrived in Africa and Asia from the Americas and began causing major yield losses and increased use of insecticides, which pose environmental and human health risks......»»
Pioneering crop productivity and sustainability in the face of water scarcity
A research team has shed light on the early morning "golden hours" as a pivotal time for achieving optimal water use efficiency (WUE) in crops, revealing that plants can maintain lower transpiration rates and higher photosynthetic activity under favo.....»»