Pew, pew, pew! These plants shoot out their seeds like bullets
Witch hazel plants with heavier seeds have larger capsules to store more elastic energy. Scientists have measured just how fast members of the witch hazel family can shoot their seeds thanks to spring-loaded fruits. The flowering sh.....»»
Soybean domestication linked to higher mesophyll conductance for increased photosynthesis
In a new study conducted by the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looked back in time at soybean growth and discovered that modern plants have increased mesophyll.....»»
Invasive plants drive homogenization of soil microbial communities across US, new study finds
Invasive plants are doing more than just taking over landscapes—they're also changing the soil beneath them. A new study co-authored by Matthew McCary, assistant professor of biosciences at Rice University, reveals that these species are reshaping.....»»
Scientists want to shoot $200 trillion of diamond dust into space to stop global warming
Scientists continue to come up with some of the most off-the-wall global warming solutions ever conceived. We’ve heard theories about how moon dust could help … The post Scientists want to shoot $200 trillion of diamond dust into space to sto.....»»
Researchers warn against weakening Clean Air Act regulations
A new commentary published in the American Journal of Public Health has found that power plants' use of air pollution control devices saved up to 9,100 lives and up to $100 billion in health costs in 2023. These estimates reveal the substantial healt.....»»
Study shows weak external electric fields may protect crops from infection
Research from Dr. Giovanni Sena's group in the Department of Life Sciences highlights an intriguing method to help protect plants from pathogen attacks using weak electric fields......»»
Synthetic asexual reproduction system in hybrid rice shows promise for seed production
Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction that allows hybrid rice to propagate by seeds. Recently, a collaborative research team led by Professor Li Jiayang from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sc.....»»
Apple seeds second release candidate for macOS Sequoia 15.1
Apple has issued its second release candidate for macOS Sequoia 15.1, as the public release of the operating system update with Apple Intelligence grows nearer.macOS Sequoia on a Macbook ProThe first release candidate for macOS Sequoia 15.1 was seede.....»»
Here’s What the Regenerative Cities of Tomorrow Could Look Like
Around the world, seeds of regenerative cities have already been planted. As they grow, they will shape the metropolises of tomorrow......»»
China automakers to double overseas capacity to dodge tariffs, study finds
Chinese carmakers have built and commissioned complete manufacturing plants across nine countries, with annual capacity of 1.2 million units as of 2023, a figure set to more than double to 2.7 million in over a dozen countries by 2026, Bloomberg foun.....»»
Here’s What the Sustainable Cities of Tomorrow Could Look Like
Around the world, seeds of regenerative cities have already been planted. As they grow, they will shape the metropolises of tomorrow......»»
New chemical treatment reduces number of plant pores that regulate water loss
Researchers from Nagoya University Institute of Transformative Biomolecules (WPI-ITbM) in Japan and their colleagues have identified and derivatized a chemical compound that effectively regulates the density of stomata in model plants. Stomata are cr.....»»
Apple seeds release candidate of watchOS 11.1
The release candidate of watchOS 11.1 has finally arrived, turning up one day after the RC builds of Apple's other operating systems.An Apple Watch Ultra running watchOS 11On Monday, Apple brought out release candidate versions of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.....»»
Enhancing recombinant protein expression in lettuce
Recombinant proteins are crucial in pharmaceutical and other industries. A production method uses plants as hosts in transient protein expression systems. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba developed a technique to increase recombinant protein.....»»
Photosynthesis is under threat in an increasingly warm world, says researcher
The basis of all life on Earth is photosynthesis. So, what happens if it is disrupted? Today, advanced measurement tools can reveal how climate change is affecting plants' ability to process the energy from sunlight......»»
Study combines woodchips and biochar to clean water of pharmaceuticals, nutrients
What happens to ibuprofen after it eases your throbbing headache? Like many pharmaceuticals, it can remain in an active form when our bodies flush it out. That's a problem, because although wastewater treatment plants are good at reducing nutrient po.....»»
How plants compete for light: Researchers discover new mechanism in shade avoidance
Plants that are close together do everything they can to intercept light. This "shade avoidance" response has been extensively researched. It is therefore even more remarkable that researchers from the laboratory of Molecular Biology at Wageningen Un.....»»
Nitrogen-fixing plant diversity declines with over-fertilization, study finds
Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition and climate change can reduce the competitive advantage of nitrogen-fixing plants, leading to reduced diversity of these plants in a community. Surprisingly, changes in temperature and aridity do not contribute to th.....»»
Loss of "nitrogen fixers" threatens biodiversity, ecosystems, say biologists
Mississippi State University is part of a European-American collaboration studying how human activities, like fertilizer use and pollution, are impacting nitrogen-fixing plants which are crucial for maintaining healthy ecosystems by adding nitrogen t.....»»
Materials of the future can be extracted from wastewater
A group of researchers is on the way to revolutionizing what biomass from wastewater treatment plants can be used for. Biopolymers from bacteria can be a sustainable alternative to oil-based products, and phosphorus and other minerals can also be har.....»»
Q&A: A faster way to identify drought-resistant plants for crop breeding research
Climate change is making droughts more common and more severe—which makes research into developing drought-resistant crops more important than ever. Now researchers have developed a new framework that should expedite this important research......»»