Paper made from banana plants stymies potato pest
Wrapping potato seeds in biodegradable paper made from unusable parts of banana plants reduces the infestation and harmful effects of a nasty plant pathogen—a worm called the potato cyst nematode—and sharply increases potato size and yields......»»
Restored rat-free islands could support hundreds of thousands more breeding seabirds
Hundreds of thousands more breeding pairs of seabirds could return to remote island archipelagos if invasive rats were removed and native vegetation restored, a new paper finds......»»
Preparing for a post-quantum future
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is a hot topic. A recent paper from Tsinghua University raised doubts about lattice-based cryptography for PQC, though an error was found. This has sparked questions about the strength of soon-to-be-standardized PQC al.....»»
Ending native forest logging would help Australia"s climate goals much more than planting trees
Australia contains some of the world's most biologically diverse and carbon-dense native forests. Eucalypts in wet temperate forests are the tallest flowering plants in the world and home to an array of unique tree-dwelling marsupials, rare birds, in.....»»
Genomic insights into the tea gray geometrid"s survival strategy
A study has shed light on the genetic makeup of the tea gray geometrid, Ectropis grisescens. Through the re-sequencing of 43 genomes, scientists have mapped out the pest's population structure and its remarkable adaptation to tea crops, offering new.....»»
Chimpanzees understand that they are sometimes relying on luck when making guesses, research suggests
Psychologists Benjamin Jones and Josep Call at the University of St Andrews, in the U.K., have found via behavioral experiments that chimpanzees know that they rely on luck when making guesses about certain things. Their paper is published in the jou.....»»
Engineered plants produce human milk sugars that could lead to healthier baby formula
Worldwide, a majority of babies—approximately 75%—drink infant formula in their first six months of life, either as a sole source of nutrition or as a supplement to breastfeeding. But while formula provides essential food for growing babies, it c.....»»
Summer slumber: How seeds go dormant to combat harsh conditions
Plants are highly versatile organisms that have developed remarkable strategies to adapt to different environments. One such strategy is seed dormancy, an adaptation that temporally prevents viable seeds from germinating even under optimal conditions.....»»
Ripe for knowledge: Unraveling the genetic ties of banana softening
A recent study has pinpointed a novel bHLH gene, MabHLH28, as a key regulator of banana fruit ripening. This gene significantly influences the softening process by upregulating the expression of softening-related genes, either independently or in syn.....»»
Wild bumblebees are capable of logical reasoning, study finds
Wild bumblebees are capable of logical reasoning, new research by a University of Stirling psychologist has found. The pioneering study tasked bees with spontaneously finding corresponding sugar-coated strips of paper. The paper, "Spontaneous relatio.....»»
Researchers find earliest evidence for a microblade adaptation in the Tibetan plateau
A research team led by Prof. Zhang Xiaoling from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, published a paper entitled "The Earliest Evidence for a Microblade Adaptation in the Remote, High Alt.....»»
Humans are the elephant in the room when it comes to conservation models
Humans are outsized actors in the world's wild places where there are struggles to preserve and protect vital natural resources and animals, birds and plants. Yet people and their plus-sized footprint are rarely discussed in models seeking to predict.....»»
Mongolian grasslands study reveals key drivers of plant community stability in changing climate
An international research team has undertaken a study of plants in the Mongolian grasslands to evaluate the stability of these plant communities over time. They specifically looked at how the dryness of the climate impacted the plant communities and.....»»
Researchers explore the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potentials of essential oils
Essential oils, also known as ethereal oils, are volatile, aromatic compounds derived from plants. Found in only about 10% of the plant kingdom, these oils are present in secretory structures such as glands, ducts, cavities, and hairs. Chemically, th.....»»
Scientists engineer yellow-seeded camelina with high oil output
Efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from transportation fuels are increasing demand for oil produced by nonfood crops. These plants use sunlight to power the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into oil, which accumulates in seeds. Crop.....»»
Are plants intelligent? It depends on the definition
Goldenrod can perceive other plants nearby without ever touching them, by sensing far-red light ratios reflected off leaves. When goldenrod is eaten by herbivores, it adapts its response based on whether or not another plant is nearby......»»
A tiny new plant species reaffirms the "miraculous" survival of Western Ecuador"s ravished biodiversity
A new 2-inch-high plant species has been discovered on the western Andean slopes of Ecuador in an area where scientists once believed a rich diversity of native plants and animals had been totally destroyed......»»
Unknown helpers of the soil: How invertebrates support the decomposition of plants
When plants or parts of them die, billions of small creatures help to break down the organic material. Next to microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, also some soil-living invertebrates seem to be involved in this process......»»
Researchers find association between media diet and science-consistent beliefs about climate change
In a paper titled "The Politicization of Climate Science: Media Consumption, Perceptions of Science and Scientists, and Support for Policy," published May 26, 2024, in the Journal of Health Communication, researchers probed the associations between m.....»»
Only 10% of Australia"s native plants can be bought as seed: How to make plantings more diverse
More than 52 million hectares of land across Australia is degraded. Degraded land lacks biodiversity and the natural balance of healthy ecosystems, making it unfit for wildlife or cultivation. This means we are losing the benefits that healthy ecosys.....»»
Entangled neutrinos may lead to heavier element formation
Elements are the building blocks of every chemical in the universe, but how and where the different elements formed is not entirely understood. A new paper in The Astrophysical Journal by University of Wisconsin–Madison physics professor Baha Balan.....»»