Maya used hallucinogenic plants in “ensouling” rituals for their ball courts
eDNA analysis found traces of xtabentum, as well as lancewood, chili peppers, and jool. Enlarge / A decorative ring made from carved stone is embedded in the wall of a ballcourt in the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza. (credit:.....»»
Study shows leaf shape and size can"t reliably distinguish wild coca plants from those grown to make cocaine
A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution indicates that while the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has collected annual data on areas of coca cultivation in South America for decades to monitor the establishment of illegal plantations a.....»»
Honda to end vehicle output at one of two Thailand assembly plants
The move highlights the tougher conditions Japan's second-biggest automaker faces in the Southeast Asian nation as Chinese brands aggressively seek to gain market share in Thailand and consumer demand for EVs grows......»»
Low-cost depth imaging sensors achieve 97% accuracy in rapid plant disease detection
A research team has investigated low-cost depth imaging sensors with the objective of automating plant pathology tests. The team achieved 97% accuracy in distinguishing between resistant and susceptible plants based on cotyledon loss. This method ope.....»»
Researchers reveal how plants protect themselves from viral infection by regulating deacetylation
In a paper published in Science Bulletin, a team of Chinese scientists demonstrated that TaSRT2 recognized viral protein P153 and induced wheat resistance to CWMV through inhibition of the TaSRT2-mediated deacetylation of H3K9ac and H3K79ac, which ev.....»»
Pear-derived discovery: A genetic mechanism to fortify crops against drought
A recent study has shed light on a critical genetic mechanism that boosts plants' ability to withstand drought. The research uncovers the role of the transcription factor PbERF3, native to wild pears, which works in concert with the protein PbHsfC1a.....»»
Caterpillars pass down food preferences to offspring through blood
Many caterpillars are known for their specific food preferences, which they bring with them when they morph into butterflies. For instance, the monarch butterfly only feeds on milkweed plants, while the Lime butterfly feeds on lime leaves. Despite de.....»»
Grasses in the fog: Plants support life in the desert
Researchers from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment (SHEP) at the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Görlitz have studied the role of the desert grass Stipagrostis sabulicola in the Afr.....»»
Scientists discover new plants that could lead to "climate-proof" chocolate
Scientists have found three new species that are close relatives to the plant from which chocolate is produced—a discovery that could pave the way for climate-proof chocolate. The team's research has been published in the journal Kew Bulletin......»»
Wastewater is a viable medium for growing lettuce in hydroponic systems, study shows
Urban agriculture has the potential to improve food security through local, efficient, and sustainable food production. Examples of urban food systems include hydroponics, where plants grow in a nutrient solution without soil, and aquaponics, which c.....»»
Tracing the evolution of ferns" surprisingly sweet defense strategy
Plants and the animals that eat them have evolved together in fascinating ways, creating a dynamic interplay of survival strategies. Many plants have developed physical and chemical defenses to fend off herbivores. A well-known strategy in flowering.....»»
Biologist calls for protection and more studies of natural time capsules of climate change
Packrats, also known as woodrats, are the original hoarders, collecting materials from their environment to make their nests, called middens. In deserts throughout western North America, for instance, packrat middens can preserve plants, insects, bon.....»»
Q&A: How to make sustainable products faster with artificial intelligence and automation
By modifying the genomes of plants and microorganisms, synthetic biologists can design biological systems that meet a specification, such as producing valuable chemical compounds, making bacteria sensitive to light, or programming bacterial cells to.....»»
Emotional context in decision-making: Challenging Lewin"s motivational conflicts theory
A recent series of experiments conducted by Ph.D. student Maya Enisman and Dr. Tali Kleiman from the Psychology department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, challenges the longstanding theory of motivational conflict resolution introduced by Kur.....»»
Study shows transgenic expression of rubisco factors increases photosynthesis and chilling tolerance in maize
Maize is one of the world's most widely grown crops and is essential to global food security. But like other plants, its growth and productivity can be limited by the slow activity of Rubisco, the enzyme responsible for carbon assimilation during pho.....»»
Study shows plant hydraulics create streaming electric potential in sync with biological clock
When plants draw water from their roots to nourish their stems and leaves, they produce an electric potential that could be harnessed as a renewable energy source. However, like all living things, plants are subject to a circadian rhythm—the biolog.....»»
Salty soil sensitizes plants to an unconventional mode of bacterial toxicity
A collaborative study between researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology has shown how a single metabolite can render bacteria toxic to plants under hig.....»»
Researcher says not every exotic species needs to be controlled
Certain invasive exotic species, such as the red swamp crayfish, are harmful to our environment because they nibble on aquatic plants, dig burrows in banks, and transmit crayfish plague to native species. "But there are also non-native fish and crayf.....»»
Animals self-medicate with plants—a behavior people have observed and emulated for millennia
When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently suffered a facial wound, apparently after fighting with another male, he did something that caught the attention of the scientists observing him......»»
‘It’s not just marijuana’: 7,000 plants and $60K bust in Northern California
‘It’s not just marijuana’: 7,000 plants and $60K bust in Northern California.....»»
Creepy video shows plants ‘breathing’ in real-time
Creepy video shows plants ‘breathing’ in real-time.....»»