Plant Studies
The Lead
Sex at Zero Gravity
May 2, 2013 1:38 pm | by Skip Derra | Articles | Comments
If the long-term goal of humans is, indeed, space exploration and colonization, then there are many survivability questions that need to be answered. Leaving Earth means leaving the friendly confines of a planet on which we have evolved over the eons and to which our bodies have adapted. And it turns out gravity has a role in successful sexual reproduction, at least for plants.
The Driving Force of Biomimicry
April 22, 2013 11:38 am | by Cynthia Fox | Articles | Comments
It already has its own peer-reviewed journal, its own economic index and its own institute. As...
Termite Digestion Key to Improving Biofuel Production
February 20, 2013 11:27 am | News | Comments
A termite’s own biology with help from microorganisms called protists, are keys to the insect’s...
Termite Digestion Key to Improving Biofuel Production
February 20, 2013 11:27 am | News | Comments
A termite’s own biology with help from microorganisms called protists, are keys to the insect’s...
Biochemical Transformations Were Possible on Early Earth
May 20, 2013 10:50 am | News | CommentsThe study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth. Because electron transfer, the moving of an electron from one chemical species to another, is involved in many biological processes, the study’s findings suggest that complex biochemical transformations may have been possible when life began.
Turning Up the Heat on Biofuels
May 17, 2013 11:26 am | News | CommentsThe production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass would benefit on several levels if carried out at temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees Celsius. Researchers with the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) have employed a promising technique for improving the ability of enzymes that break cellulose down into fermentable sugars to operate in this temperature range.
Bacteria Photosynthesis Decoded
May 15, 2013 11:30 am | News | CommentsPurple bacteria are among Earth’s oldest organisms, and among its most efficient in turning sunlight into usable chemical energy. Now, a key to their light-harvesting prowess has been explained by scientists through a detailed structural analysis.
Biotech Potato Breeds Pitched to FDA
May 14, 2013 1:44 pm | by JOHN MILLER - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsA dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, another company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds. This month, tuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the U.S. government to approve five varieties of biotech potatoes. They're engineered not to develop ugly black bruises.
Medicinal Plant Can Treat Anxiety
May 13, 2013 10:17 am | News | CommentsA world-first completed clinical study by an Australian team has found Kava, a medicinal South Pacific plant, significantly reduced the symptoms of people suffering anxiety. The study revealed Kava could be an alternative treatment to pharmaceutical products for those who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD).
Research Explains How EVOO Protects Against Alzheimer’s
April 25, 2013 11:30 am | News | CommentsThe mystery of exactly how consumption of extra virgin olive oil helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may lie in one component of olive oil that helps shuttle the abnormal AD proteins out of the brain, scientists are reporting in a new study.
The Real Threat of Ricin
April 23, 2013 1:45 pm | by Christina Smith | Articles | CommentsMail-based bioterror attacks made headlines last week when traces of ricin, a poison derived from the castor bean and a common by-product of castor oil, was found in letters addressed to President Barack Obama, Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker and Lee County, Miss., Justice Court Judge Sadie Holland, according to reports from the Associated Press.
Grape Intake Linked to Reduced Inflammation, Fat Storage
April 22, 2013 12:36 pm | News | CommentsConsuming grapes may help protect against organ damage associated with the progression of metabolic syndrome, according to new research. Natural components found in grapes, known as polyphenols, are thought to be responsible for these beneficial effects.
Bedbug-trapping Leaves May Lead to Pest Control
April 10, 2013 10:48 am | News | CommentsInspired by a traditional Balkan bedbug remedy, researchers have documented how microscopic hairs on kidney bean leaves effectively stab and trap the biting insects, according to new research. Bedbugs have made a dramatic comeback in the U.S. in recent years, infesting everything from homes and hotels to schools, movie theaters and hospitals.
DOE Renews Biofuels Funding for Research Partnership
April 5, 2013 3:01 pm | News | CommentsThe U.S. Department of Energy has awarded the University of Wisconsin and Michigan State University $125 million to continue their work on advanced biofuels.
Common Foods Cause DNA Damage
March 28, 2013 9:35 am | News | CommentsIn a laboratory study pairing food chemistry and cancer biology, scientists tested the potentially harmful effect of foods and flavorings on the DNA of cells. They found that liquid smoke flavoring, black and green teas and coffee activated the highest levels of a well-known, cancer-linked gene called p53.
Epigenetics Discovered in Corn Inheritance Behavior
March 27, 2013 10:37 am | News | CommentsNew research explains how certain traits can pass down from one generation to the next– at least in plants– without following the accepted rules of genetics.
Lawmakers Weigh Bills on GM Food Labeling
March 21, 2013 5:06 pm | by LAUREN GAMBINO - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsOregon lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on several bills to require labels on genetically modified food and prohibit importing genetically modified fish. Supporters say consumers should know what kind of food they are buying at the grocery store.
High Cesium Level Found in Fish by Fukushima Plant
March 17, 2013 3:03 am | by MALCOLM FOSTER - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Japanese utility that owns the tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant says it has detected a record 740,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in a fish caught close to the plant. That's 7,400 times the government limit for safe human consumption. The bottom-dwelling fish called a...
Bitter Melon Juice Kills Pancreatic Cancer Cells
March 13, 2013 9:31 am | News | CommentsA new study shows that bitter melon juice restricts the ability of pancreatic cancer cells to metabolize glucose, thus cutting the cells’ energy source and eventually killing them.
Plant Epigenetics Can Benefit Disease Studies
March 7, 2013 10:06 am | News | CommentsScientists have identified patterns of epigenomic diversity that not only allow plants to adapt to various environments, but could also benefit crop production and the study of human diseases.
Re-Engineering Photosynthesis to Make Drugs
March 6, 2013 12:17 pm | News | CommentsScientists are reporting an advance in re-engineering photosynthesis to transform plants into bio-factories that manufacture high-value ingredients for medicines, fabrics, fuels and other products.
Green Tea Holds Potential Alzheimer's Benefits
March 6, 2013 10:32 am | News | CommentsResearchers have found a new potential benefit of a molecule in green tea: Preventing the misfolding of specific proteins in the brain.
Using Fungi to Fight Cancer
February 28, 2013 10:39 am | News | CommentsInspired by a chemical that fungi secrete to defend their territory, chemists have synthesized and tested several dozen compounds that may hold promise as potential cancer drugs.
Misled by Macronutrients? Alternative Diet Suggested
February 22, 2013 9:56 am | News | CommentsThe search for the perfect diet— one that promotes weight loss and optimal health— has left many people empty handed. Researchers suggest that a broad focus on the negative effects of high-fat or processed carbohydrate-rich diets could be misplaced.
CO rejects labels for genetically engineered food
February 21, 2013 10:11 pm | by KRISTEN WYATT - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsColorado lawmakers Thursday rejected a proposal that would have required genetically engineered food to be labeled, amid fears that the mandate would burden farmers and raise food prices.
Resistant Starches Can Protect Against Cancer
February 20, 2013 11:35 am | News | CommentsA new study shows that resistant starch helps the body resist colorectal cancer through mechanisms including killing pre-cancerous cells and reducing inflammation that can otherwise promote cancer.
Nasal Spray Developed from Seaweed Bacteria
February 19, 2013 11:22 am | News | CommentsA team of scientists and surgeons are developing a new nasal spray from a marine microbe to help clear chronic sinusitis.
High-stakes fight over soybeans at US high court
February 18, 2013 9:30 am | by MARK SHERMAN - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsVernon Hugh Bowman seems comfortable with the old way of doing things, right down to the rotary-dial telephone he said he was using in a conference call with reporters. But the 75-year-old U.S. farmer figured out a way to benefit from a high-technology product, soybeans that are resistant to...
Microbial Genes Key to Biofuel Production
February 15, 2013 10:15 am | News | CommentsDigesting lignin, a highly stable polymer that accounts for up to a third of biomass, is a limiting step to producing a variety of biofuels. Researchers have figured out the microscopic chemical switch that allows Streptomyces bacteria to get to work, breaking lignin down into its constituent parts.
