Licorice leaf extract is a promising plant protectant for conventional and organic agriculture
Pesticides have proven effective in protecting crop yield against plant pathogens, but the environmental detriment to nontarget organisms has prompted a tug-of-war between organic and conventional agriculture practices. This poses the question: How c.....»»
Earliest evidence of Ephedra use found in 15,000-year-old Moroccan burial
An international group of researchers led by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have uncovered the earliest evidence of Ephedra use from the charred remains of the plant in a 15,000-year-old human burial site in northeastern Morocco......»»
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.....»»
Lab-cultured plant yogurt rivals dairy creaminess
Food engineers have harnessed the power of lupins (legumes) to create a yogurt that rivals dairy in taste and texture while delivering more nutrition than typical plant-based yogurts......»»
Gamma radiation converts methane into complex organic molecules and could explain the origin of life
Gamma radiation can convert methane into a wide variety of products at room temperature, including hydrocarbons, oxygen-containing molecules, and amino acids, according to a new article published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.....»»
Decades after global regulations, the Arctic Ocean"s legacy persistent organic pollutants haven"t dropped
The presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in all the world's oceans but one has been in steady decline since 2001, when 152 countries agreed on a comprehensive global ban. The exception has been the Arctic Ocean, which has seen a sharp ris.....»»
Study identifies promising materials for fusion reactors
Nuclear fusion could be an ideal solution to mankind's energy problem, guaranteeing a virtually limitless source of power without greenhouse gas emissions. But there are still huge technological challenges to overcome before getting there, and some o.....»»
Scientists shed light on an arms race between barley and a fungal pathogen
Scientists from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), together with partners from the University of Cologne, have discovered a new group of defense substances in barley that are effective against a broad spectrum of fungal pathogens. One.....»»
New plant bug species discovered in French Polynesia
Seventeen new species of plant bugs—a group of insects with a strawlike mouth used to feed on plant and animal matter—have been identified on the islands of French Polynesia, and their names honor scientists, actors, and Vice President Kamala Har.....»»
Another way to extract energy from black holes?
The gravitational field of a rotating black hole is powerful and strange. It is so powerful that it warps space and time back upon itself, and it is so strange that even simple concepts such as motion and rotation are turned on their heads. Understan.....»»
Bio-based fibers could pose greater threat to environment than conventional plastics
Bio-based materials may pose a greater health risk to some of the planet's most important species than the conventional plastics they are designed to replace, a new study has shown......»»
Study reveals effect of slope position on nonstructural carbohydrates in biological soil crusts
Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) provide energy for metabolic processes in plants and play a key role in plant growth, defense and osmoregulation. However, the regulation of NSC in biological soil crusts across different slope positions remains unc.....»»
Rubber plantations increase leaching of dissolved organic carbon in soil, study finds
Rubber planting brings huge economic benefits, but large-scale rubber plantations have a great impact on the ecological environment, especially in terms of the soil's physical and chemical properties......»»
Sick of supersized EVs? The 2025 Hyundai Kona Electric hits the spot.
It's not too big, it's not too heavy, and it's very, very efficient. If conventional wisdom were to be believed, the car we're reviewing today should not exist. Automakers are on.....»»
Advanced AI techniques enhance crop leaf disease detection in tropical agriculture
Researchers have made significant progress in the field of artificial intelligence by applying deep learning techniques to automate the detection and classification of crop leaf diseases......»»
Vibrational spectroscopy optimized for accurate coffee origin classification
Vibrational spectroscopy has long been valued in the pharmaceutical and forensic sectors, and its application is expanding into agriculture, particularly for quality and origin verification of biological materials......»»
New process enhances thermoplastic blends with polylactic acid
Bio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use. Their resilience can be improved by blending bio-based thermoplastics with other thermoplastics. However, the interface between the materials in the.....»»
Only 3% of South Africans can name all five national animals and plants. Why these symbols matter
Alongside a national flag, anthem and coat of arms, most countries have one or more plant and animal species that they designate as national symbols. The national animal of China, for example, is the giant panda, a nation-wide source of pride and dip.....»»
Mangrove degradation threatens carbon storage in China"s Pearl Bay
Carbon sinks are important in the fight against climate change as they draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by storing organic carbon in the oceans and soil, for example. Within tropical and subtropical intertidal locations, wetland plant comm.....»»
Apple’s new M4 Max is the fastest CPU on the market, and we haven’t even seen M4 Ultra
Apple unveiled its new MacBook Pro models this week, with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chipsets. The new M4 Pro chip in the Mac mini already showed some very promising results, making it the fastest Mac ever. However, M4 Max takes it to an all new level, a.....»»
Saturday Citations: On chimpanzee playwrights; the nature of dark energy; deep-diving Antarctic seals
This week, researchers reported the world's second-tiniest toad, winning the silver in the Brachycephalus contest. Chemists at UCLA disproved a 100-year-old organic chemistry rule. And researchers in Kenya report that elephants don't like bees, which.....»»